#Terminus bad

[wyrm-with-a-why]

Imagine if Megatron went into detail about his miner life to Rung. Especially about Terminus. Rungs just there like:

“Megatron he was terrible”

“Nuh Uh”

#transformers #megatron #rung #terminus #maccadam #terminus bad #Megatron’s like :3 #and rungs like mother fu-

[anotherpapercut]

I love to gatekeep just call me Terminus

#this is about people using the word punk #and also about that time i said mania haters werent allowed to listen to smfs and someone told me to shut up bc gatekeeping is bad #i stand by it. this is a die hards only event. pete fuckin said their hearts only beat for the die hards #was gonna go with janus but Terminus guarded like boundary markers or smth which feels more accurate

[transingthoseformers]

Less wholesome than Megatron seems to remember??

I'm SO here for that

Yepppp

It's heavily inspired by Echoes of Messatine as well as IDW canon (albeit usually less dark. Usually.), this plotline is inherently angsty.

#after all sometimes you don't realize the lesser evil is still bad until after the greater evil is out of the picture #maccadam #transformers #i have an edit in mind to describe it but have no goddamn idea how to properly organize it #tfp megatron #tfp terminus plotline #though perhaps i should call it something different because it's so much more than just him

[urzfanclub]

forgor 2 post my LE1 sketch stuff

#art tag #yeah u can see in my repaint where i said fuck this armor im done LMAO... it was really interesting doing this one bc it was le1 & there wer #like more colors 2 work w in the screengrab... usually i get a little nuts w it & extrapolate but these were mostly from the source... #i winged it on the hair though bc 4 w/e reason le1 uses me3 hair colors #im gonna miss greg so bad in 2 im gonna miss him so so bad.... T___T #love how when u steal the normandy him & tali are both into it #'don't worry we'll do great in the terminus' greg....... #tali's like wow i hope it doesnt backfire. fun!

[southern--downpour]

terminus tbi has no right to be as fucking good as it is

#ENTIRE ALBUM TBH BUT TERMINUS...... FUCKING CHRIST <3 #ive listened to tbi like three times in the past two days can you tell #'my god the colors' AAA #never again will i feel the pure dread of listening through tbi for the first time and getting to terminus GOD #also i fucking love the bifrost? void? motif/guitar riff its so fucking cool i wanna learn it so bad #shut up virgil #tbi #also i WILL memorize red signal i swear to god

[colorfulnickellandgarden]

i’m never going to be normal about how d2 guns and armor are named. they’re so fucking COOL even when i don’t know 100% what the guns are named after. they’re just so goddamn cool sounding in name and when fired like. if you asked for a list of cool d2 weapon names i would simply open the collections tab of all of them.

#nickell speaks! #destiny 2 #nickell plays destiny #cool legendary weapons? IGNEOUS HAMMER. null composure. terminus horizon. loaded question. #royal executioner. explosive personality. wolftone draw. TRIPWIRE CANARY. #cool exotic weapons? le monarque. TRINITY GHOUL. POLARIS LANCE. HEIR APPARENT. #outbreak perfected. ace of spades. wish ender. osteo striga. #there are no bad weapon names it’s crazy

[annabelle--cane]

[ring] [ring] [ring] Mum? you there? yeah, it's me. well it's bad news, I'm afraid. magnus sent him into the unknowing. yeah, like we thought. no, yeah, fully blown up. his body's in tact, but he's not getting up again, I think this thread's dead. good thing magnus was working on that backu--what? well, no, he's not brain dead, but his heart's not beating. I'd imagine they tried defibrillation already. Mum, I don't know how else to say this. he's dead, we need to drop this. well yeah, one of Terminus's children probably could, but his ex isn't strong enough with it. hang on, what? no, Mum, he's dead as well. middle of the fucking pacific ocean. satellite or something fell on him, he's drowned at the very least. no I can't "pull him out." excuse me, you want me to--a row boat and a fishing pole?

#I think about this so much #tma #marina marvels at life

[wyrm-with-a-why]

I like to imagine Cyberverse Megatron being IDW Megatron’s son but also trying to tell his dad that Terminus isn’t a good person and getting upset when he tries to deny it then feels like shit when he makes IDW cry or walk away from the conversation

Istg if he met Rung Cyberverse Megatron would have a chart and a picture of terminus in the red crossed out circle

Though most of my headcanons for them are fluffy this is one of my angstier ones

#transformers #megatron #cyberverse megatron #idw megatron #mtmte megatron #daddy issues #terminus bad #headcanons

[catgirlredux]

There’s a certain breed of hopelessness that makes someone volunteer for the AKO program: that convinces them that months of grueling training, hyperinvasive surgeries, and almost zero human contact is the correct life path for them. Even after training is over, the only “people” they’ll likely interact with have been hand-picked for the program from childhood; it’s very seldom that two volunteers get assigned to the same taskforce, they’re so rare.

I’ve seen only maybe two dozen of them in the thirty years I’ve been an AKO trainer. They always have the same defeated, desperate look - it’s not normal. When a person has nothing left in their life, they might pull some wild stunts, sure. But some of these volunteers are far from destitute. I’ve seen their files: they have money, family, some even held government positions. No, what these pilots are missing, what they think they can find in the cockpit of a HAK, must be much more obscure.

Call me crazy, but I think it’s “humanity”. A soul, if you will. All these people felt left out, felt like they were falling behind the human race in some way. Unable to communicate, on a whole different level, you know? Maybe they never belonged. I don’t really know. But somehow they all make their way here. And I get it, to be honest. I’ve never actually piloted a HAK myself, but staring up at that giant chassis, a robot full to bursting with a human-compatible AI shell, I can only imagine how terribly loud the voices might get.

There’s another thing. Do you know what terminus is? They describe it as when the suit’s AI takes over the pilot’s brain and makes it go haywire, but that isn’t quite accurate. See, a pilot doesn’t actually control the HAK - the system does. The pilot acts more like an organic feedback center. A human knows its directive, and the electric signals from its brain basically send a big old shot of dopamine to the mech’s computer.

But sometimes, when a pilot plugs in too often or flies too much, or their brain is just a little bit too attuned to the brain of their suit, something strange happens. The two begin merging - their EG signals start to run in parallel, they act almost perfectly in sync, the world outside of the suit begins to feel unreal. If it gets bad enough, the pilot’s cells will actually begin to accept the HAK’s nanofilaments as their own. It’s a gruesome sight: threads of metal literally melting into a person’s flesh and bone, pumping blood like veins. Completely irreversible.

I bring this up just because, volunteer pilots have a much higher rate of terminus than early recruits. It’s almost like they want it to happen. They flee the human world, alter their bodies forever, and if they get “lucky”, if you will, they find something that they can finally understand. And more importantly, something that understands them.

A certain breed of hopelessness indeed.

#cheetah writing #mechposting #empty spaces #still don’t have a name for this universe sorry

[djarindroid]

Nightmares

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Summary: You can't make it through the night without the terrors from your past haunting you, will Daryl be able to help you? (setting: early Alexandria)

Warnings: minor description of blood and violence

Word Count: 1,564

Terror flowed through your entire body, you had to get out, had to find the rest of your group. Your heart pounded in your chest as you desperately searched for a way out of this hell. Panic flooded your mind as you ran, you could hear the voices of your captors just behind you. 

Your clothes were covered in so much blood that they stuck to your skin. You couldn’t even recall whose blood it was. Tears streaked down your face as you felt the ominous presence behind you getting ever closer. A hand gripped your shoulder, spinning you around and…

You bolted upright, drenched in sweat and heaving in air as you took in your surroundings. The fog on your mind began to clear as you looked around. You were in your bed, in your room, safe. Although your brain hadn’t realised that. You needed to get fresh air, and space. 

On unsteady legs you climbed out of bed. Going as quickly and quietly as possible, so as to not wake anyone else up, you made your way through the house. Rushing out of the front door, you halted and folded over with your hands on your knees. Gulping down as much air as you could manage, trying to ignore the way it burned your lungs. 

You squeezed your eyes shut to try and stop the way your head was spinning. You clutched at your chest, willing your heart rate to slow down. 

‘Ya good?’ The gruff voice made you jump, not expecting to see anyone at this time of night. But you should have known that Daryl would be out here. You carefully turned over to where he sat, perched on the edge of the porch seat leaning towards you. 

Your alert brain quickly scanned him for any injuries. You wouldn’t find any, you were safe here, hidden behind these walls. Your breathing steadied as you continued to stare unblinkingly at him.

He gently called your name, leaning further forward, slight concern etched on his face at the fact you hadn’t spoken yet. 

‘Yeah... bad dream,’ you managed to get out. You looked around, taking in the quiet peaceful surroundings. Your thundering heart began to slow, as your brain finally began to accept there was no immediate threat.

‘Wanna talk about it?’ Daryl asked, his eyes still on you, taking in your panicked state. You almost felt small under his gaze, knowing you probably looked like a deer caught in headlights. 

Silently you made your way over and took a seat next to him. Your body relaxed slightly at Daryl’s closeness, his familiar smell grounding you. 

‘Do you think we’re safe here?’ You hesitantly asked, instead of answering his question.

He stayed quiet for a moment, pondering your question. You watched him slowly exhale as he said ‘safer than we were out there.’ 

You nodded, looking down to your hands that rested in your lap. You knew he was right, there wasn’t a risk of walkers pounding at your door, not much risk of bad people around here either. But why couldn’t you relax? Why couldn’t you just forget and start anew? 

Silent tears began to make their way down your face, you hadn’t even registered you were crying until Daryl gently placed his red cloth into your hand. 

You muttered a quiet thanks as you quickly wiped your face, willing the tears to go away. ‘I can’t stop thinking about Terminus,’ you admitted quietly. 

Daryl didn’t say a word, but you felt his eyes shift to you. You kept your own eyes down as you worked up to telling him more. Every night since you’d escaped that place had been filled with visions of the terrible things those people did.

‘That was meant to be a safe place, we were meant to be ok there and look how that worked out.’ Your mind flashed with the memory of you and the people you’d come to call your family all on your knees as other people’s throats were being sliced. You shoved the heels of your hands into your eyes in an attempt to try and erase the vision. 

‘I can’t stop thinking that this,’ you gestured around you, ‘is all fake, and we’re gonna end up worse than before.’ You couldn’t stop the tears now, they were running freely down your cheeks.

Daryl remained silent beside you, he could understand the weight of your fears. It was one of the reasons he had barely slept himself, and opted to stay out keeping watch on the porch. 

He turned, to fully face you before speaking ‘think Terminus messed with all our heads.’ After another moment of consideration he added, ‘but I don’ think this place is the same. There’s decent people here. Ain’t no one gonna let it go that way again.’

You nodded, his words easing your fears. The shadows of doubt in your mind began to shrink. You sniffed, once again looking out at the empty street in front of the porch. He was right, you did all have each other’s backs, and no one here had given you reason to think they had other intentions.

‘Ya know I’d never let anything happen to you,’ he spoke quietly, almost a whisper. That caused you to finally look over to him, meeting his blue eyes. The sincerity in them soothed the part of you that had been damaged by fear. ‘C’mere’ he murmured as he wrapped an arm around you, pulling you gently into his side.

Your body instantly melted into him, comforted by the way he held you so softly. Your head came down to rest on his shoulder as he spoke again. ‘I won’ let that happen to you ever again.’ 

Your tears slowed as his words wrapped around you in a protective embrace that shielded you from the lingering shadows. You turned, curling further into his side and wrapped your arm around his middle. Daryl’s arm held you tighter and the gentle squeeze of his hand on your arm cemented everything he had just said.

You trusted Daryl, more than you thought was even possible. The tears had completely stopped now, replaced with a quiet acceptance. The acceptance that no matter what, you would do everything you could to also protect the man holding you. 

After a while Daryl murmured ‘you should go back to bed, try and get some proper sleep.’ You knew he was right, but you didn’t think you could handle going to lay in bed by yourself. Knowing the nightmares could start again as soon as you let your eyes close. 

‘I can’t,’ you muttered, almost embarrassed. Daryl had just completely eased you, yet the thought of going upstairs alone was too much for you to do. Daryl’s presence was an anchor to you and the thought of leaving his side brought your fears back to the surface. 

His hand, still wrapped around your arm, squeezed you lightly in reassurance. ‘I’ll come with…if it’d make ya feel better.’ His words caught you off guard, Daryl hadn’t spent a night inside since your group had arrived in Alexandria. You sat up again, not shifting too far away from his warmth but enough so you could peer up to his face.

‘I couldn’t ask you to do that Daryl,’ you said. You kept eye contact, how could you ask him to spend the night inside, giving up his own comfort just so you could hopefully spend a night not scared.

‘Ya ain’t asking, I’m telling you I’m happy to do it,’ you knew he wouldn’t lie to you. He really would come and spend the night inside if it meant you’d be okay. A small smile spread across your face. Gratitude swelled as you gazed into his caring eyes. 

Unable to form the words to truly show your appreciation you simply nodded to him. The two of you rose from the bench and made your way inside. The quiet of the house wrapped around you both as Daryl placed his hand on your lower back, gently guiding you up the stairs.

Inside your room the shadows seemed less ominous with Daryl at your side. His presence made you feel the safest you’d felt in weeks. Silently you slipped back into your bed, watching as Daryl began to make his way to the chair positioned by your window.

‘You can stay next to me if you want,’ you quickly said before he could take a seat. You didn’t want to overstep, but the thought of Daryl’s arm holding you again fueled your confidence to suggest sharing the bed.

Daryl paused, his eyes meeting yours from across the room with a hint of surprise. The subtle shift in your dynamics hung in the air. Without a word, he nodded, abandoning the idea of staying in the chair.

The mattress dipped slightly as he lay down next to you. The boundaries around you blurred as you both found a comfortable position to lie in. You felt his steady breaths sync with your own as his arm draped protectively around you, whilst you settled into his side. 

For once you weren’t scared to close your eyes and succumb to sleep. You found solace from the terrors plaguing your mind in Daryl’s arms. The intimacy of sharing a bed transformed your room into a sanctuary where you could both finally rest.

#daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon fanfiction #the walking dead fanfiction #daryl dixon #TWD #The Walking Dead #daryl dixon imagine

[extraordinari1y-ordinary-writer]

I'm Here

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x fem!reader

Summary: Daryl had been nice to you. You wanted to repay him, somehow.

Content Warning: Bad grammar, probably. Otherwise, angst and some feels.

Word Count: 434

Notes: Was this requested? Yes! Or, at least suggested! Asked? I would like to thank @richardsamboramylove55 for the suggestion. I hope you like it! I'll come back here and there to make some edits where it's necessary. Any gifs or pictures I use are not mine.

Gentle reminder that I am always open for feedback! 💕

If there was one good thing from the apocalypse, it was Daryl Dixon. He was a man of few words, but his actions more than made up for them. He came off as gruff and standoffish, usually grunting in his responses. You were intimidated at first, but you saw how he cared for the group and how he provided for them. He cared in his own uniquely Daryl way.

But you noticed something else.

Daryl was gentle with you. He wasn't as gruff and seemed to grunt less when around you. You'd been caught off guard, but it did leave you feeling something. You couldn't say why he acted so differently with you, but it did soften you up to him.

Then he started bringing back little presents from his runs. At the prison, it was rocks he thought looked nice or something extra he thought you'd appreciate. And you did. You tried to think of ways to repay his kindness, but you couldn't think of anything. When you tried asking Carol, her and Michonne poked fun at you.

"He's never that nice to me," Carol joked. "He hardly ever leaves me any presents."

Michonne had snickered. You flushed.

"He's just being nice," you defended. They didn't look convinced.

Whatever was going on between you and Daryl shifted after Atlanta. From escaping a group of cannibals, to losing Beth and Tyreese, things seemed heavier. Daryl was more closed off than before. His grief was chipping away at him. But he always stayed close to you; sometimes, his hand brushed yours. At night, he kept an eye on you while on watch. He almost lost you to the Governor and at Terminus. At the barn, after Sasha and Maggie brought back Aaron, you managed to pair up with the hunter while on lookout.

"If he wanted to hurt us, he would have," you stated, looking at Daryl. "We don't have to be scared." Daryl barely glanced at you. You let out a soft sigh. "Daryl, please," you tried. "I know you're upset, but don't lock me out."

"Stop." His voice was gruff, tense.

"I don't want you going through this alone."

Daryl stopped and looked at you. Anger was bubbling in his eyes, simmering with his grief and sadness. He was breathing heavily, his hands gripping his crossbow tightly.

"Please," you begged. You took a hesitant step forward. "We're here for each other. I'm here."

His anger seemed to dim, but the pain was still there. You took another step forward, gently placing a hand on his cheek. He leaned into your touch.

"I'm here."

Masterlist

Taglist: @staria9100 @radcollectivesoul @cuddlefishextrodinaire @ramielll @lelialynn @whiminiferous @gracescor3 @identity2212 @winterslove1917 @hailycheyenne @dp-marvel94 @queerponcho @mystrawberrynigt

#daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon #norman reedus #the walking dead #the walking dead x reader #fanfiction #request #suggestion

[transingthoseformers]

I like how Prowl right now is fully acknowledging that yes, Megatron is incredibly dangerous. We see that in canon too, but I know things will go better for him, and that he won't fall down the same path he did in canon.

All of this to try and dilute Jazz's "I can fix him"-itus right now.

#idw jazz #idw prowl #mtmte megatron #EoM Megatron is interesting as hell to me tbh #fic reading as ya do #also considering how Megatron has been pinpoint laser focused on terminus this whole time i think a trine is a bad idea rn #that's one of those things i liked about mtmte and lost light: it deals in various shades of gray and everyone is complicated #damn you [echoes of messatine] why are you so confusing and good at the same time

[hana-no-seiiki]

ok Aeon of light Reader has piqued my interests, especially their relation with Nanook. Please make more about them please :D??? It's alright though if you don't want too

END OF A DREAM, BEGINNING OF AN ERA.

notes: OH GOD i forgot to edit the title of the second story. They’re supposed to be the Aeon of the Dream Path + Imaginary element. My bad! I also changed up the timeline there making reader way way more older since I found out Xianzhou residents live for long ass times.

Anyways, thank you! I honestly expected that fic to flop so I’m pleasantly surprised. I spent a long time researching gods to come up with a concept for reader’s path. Very long. Like long enough that I have this obscure fun fact about there being a god called Mama Killa. It partly was because the other Aeon’s concepts / powers are pretty vast (i.e. IX (Nihility) is the god of meaninglessness but can be considered the aeon of insanity and despair as well due to its powers)

[ here is the link to the fic we’re talking about / previous fic ]

YANDERE! NANOOK x READER (AEON OF DREAMS)

warnings: pseudo-incest/godcest, nanook is “born” from your inner hatred towards the universe before he ascended making them technically your child tho this fic can be interpreted as platonic, edgelord aeons, canon divergence. UNEDITED AND RUSHED AF.

I. Ad Somnum Pueri

Hatred always had and will have a root to its madness. Your endless entrapment since your conception ‘birthed’ Nanook. A loathing for existence. A passion for ending every one and every thing. In their path, their destiny, there will be no living beings, there will be no space or time. Only the void, you and the avatar of entropy.

But first they had to take down Yaoshi. After all, even Aeons had to face mortality and if that useless Lan wasn’t capable of keeping you safe in your cradle then it was clear Nanook had to put a hand down.

The Lord of Destruction prided themself for regarding everything — but you — as equal. Everything had to be erased, so there was no point to having favourites or a specific distaste towards another being.

However Yaoshi had broken the camel’s back at your kidnapping. Thus, Nanook decided against their ‘morals’ to give them a special opportunity.

To be the first Aeon whose reverent ichor is in their hands.

II. In Somno In Infinitum

Even after your ascended body was taken and locked away by Yaoshi. You could never argue with the fact that Nanook’s obsession with you remained the most powerful across the universe. You were an Aeon they worshipped vehemently as a young mortal up until now. It was as if they breathed only for you. It came to the point that they even owed their creation to you or not their biological parents.

You were incredibly flattered by such a fact in the beginning. Doting and showering them with blessings, assisting them in the goals in both the waking and slumbering world.

Sleepwalkers was what your scholars called the vessels you used to do your godly work. And Nanook was known throughout the realms to be your favorite.

But when they made a declaration to be a menace to the world, you withdrew all of your support and contact with Nanook. Utterly disappointed with what they have become.

That did not halt their fame and name as your chosen hero from spreading. Their sheer charisma overpowered your network.

Because if there was one thing that was stronger than dreams it was reality.

Indeed you pleaded with your followers never to follow the Lord of Entropy through their sleeping fantasies, but how could they deny Nanook’s efficiency? Their all-out, unbridled, unfettered adoration of you?

And thus, the Dreamcrawler Legion. Now also known by its other name, the Antimatter Legion, was established. With one goal and one goal alone.

Lay the world in a bed of flames and ruin. For when they everyone else goes to eternal sleep, you — their ever generous, loving Aeon — will be free.

III. Mundus Erit Terminus

You never visited Nanook after their ascension. You only ever loved their mortal self. Their path was something you could never hope or desire to follow. Sure, there was a phase of your life where you despised your eternal sleep. But what you learnt from living so long was that acceptance of your situation felt infinitely better than spending eternity filled with loathing.

But Nanook always visited you. While Yaoshi burdened themselves with the task of witnessing your body while asleep. Nanook enjoyed it much more when you talked, your words of guidance — though now reduced to silence — was what made them fall in love with the you who spoke, who moved, who looked at them with open eyes through dreams.

It didn’t matter if you moved your target of hatred to them. Nanook’s love was unconditional and blind as his desire to seek destruction.

“My lord.” Nanook forced you into an embrace. Within their dreams, even when it was your domain, you felt as powerless as you did with Yaoshi. Their golden ichor bled unto your clothes.

They could see you. Your face, your entrancing features, just as he always had, just as he always wanted to. But it lacked a certain glow, a loss they attributed to Yaoshi digressions. Because they knew for certain that your love for them never disappeared. You were too benevolent, too magnanimous. “[Y/N]. My promise is soon to be fulfilled.”

“Every cage you have been trapped in will be gone.” Every cage but his love. Every chain but his arms.

“And you can finally feel the beauty of reality once more.”

A reality that was completely reset and build back up by them.

Translations:

Ad Somnum Pueri - Go to Sleep Child

In Somno In Infinitum - In Endless Dreams / Sleep

Mundus Erit Terminus - The World (shall) End.

©️ hana.no.seiiki - yun | 2023

#yandere #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere nanook x reader #nanook x reader #honkai star rail #hsr #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x reader #yandere honkai star rail #yandere hsr #yandere star rail

[sourwolf-sterek32]

Found You- Part 2

Summary: Nearly 10 years ago, you left home after a bad incident with your parents, Rick and Lori Grimes. In that time, you married a redneck down south and started a family. But it all came crashing down when the dead started to walk.

Pairings: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 10.8k

Warnings: language, blood, brief attempted SA (nothing happens)

PART 1

A/N- Back with a part 2!! Thank you to my lovely follower who commissioned this fanfic and wanted a part 2. I really hope she likes this, and I hope you all enjoy it as well. ❤️

*6 Months Later*

The prison had fallen. Your home, your safe haven, your everything was ripped away from you within an hour.

The Governor and his soldiers arrived thirsty for revenge with a tank, which ploughed through the fences and blasted holes into the walls of your home. The prison didn't stand a chance.

You managed to escape with Rick, Carl and your youngest son Dean. But you had no idea where the others were or more importantly were Daryl, Merle and Ricky were and it was killing you.

Michonne had showed up at some point joining the four of you in your journey to some community called Terminus. There were signs placed around the area everywhere with directions on how to get there, so you hoped that Daryl and Merle would be there, and you prayed to anyone who was listening that little Ricky was with them.

"We're close. Just got to make it through another day." Rick suddenly said, breaking the silence as you sat around the campfire on the side of the road.

Carl and Dean were asleep in the abandoned car you had come across on the road. It was a good place to camp for the night, the kids safe inside the vehicle where no walkers would be able to get to them.

"If folks there are taking people in, they have to be strong. They have to have a system." He continued to say.

"I wonder if the whole thing's legit." Michonne responded while you sat there silently and stared at the flames of the campfire.

Michonne and your father continued to talk about Terminus, but you were barely listening too busy thinking about the day the prison had fallen, the day that you last saw your husband and eldest son.

"On the bus. Go!" Maggie's voice shouted across the courtyard.

You looked up from where you were taking cover behind a turned over table, Daryl and Merle right beside you, breathing heavily and reloading their assault rifles.

Maggie and a few others were ushering some of the kids into the bus, getting ready to evacuate if it came down to it, but you could only see Ricky amongst the kids, no sign of Dean anywhere.

"Cover me. I'm going to make sure the kids are on the bus." You shouted above the gunfire.

Daryl and Merle both nodded before they stood up and started returning fire at the Governors men. You didn't waste any time before you took off sprinting across the courtyard, jumping over the bodies of the fallen and around the debris the tank had caused.

Maggie was rushing out the bus as you reached it, her eyes wide and panicked as she scanned the area behind you like she was looking for something.

"Have you seen Beth?"

You shook your head, "no. Is Dean in-"

You didn't get a chance to finish that sentence before she was sprinting off in the opposite direction shouting her sisters name desperately. You stepped into the bus, your eyes raking over the kids and elderly on the seats before you spotted Ricky standing on one of the seats and looking out the window anxiously.

"Ricky, baby." You sighed, rushing down the aisle before he turned around and threw himself into your arms. You hugged your boy back tightly before you pulled away and grabbed his shoulders, holding him in front of you. "Where's your brother? Where's Dean?"

Ricky’s face paled and he glanced over his shoulder at the brick walls of the prison and your stomach dropped. Dean was still inside?

"I-I didn't want to leave without him. But the adults told us to go, and I couldn't find Dean and-and. I'm sorry. I'm s-sorry." Ricky whimpered, his eyes now swimming with tears.

"No, no, it's okay. It's not your fault. Hey, look at me, baby, it's not your fault." You insisted, cupping his face with your hand as the tears started to fall and you wiped them away with your thumb. "I need you to be brave for me, okay? I need you to wait here and I will go and get your brother."

Ricky nodded, biting his trembling bottom lip in effort not to cry before you leant forward and placed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

"I will be right back."

You spared one last glance at your son before you ran back out the bus and sprinted towards the main door of the prison.

"Dean!" You shouted, rushing inside and searching high and low for him. "Dean, where are you?!"

You checked the cafeteria first, then the shower block, but Dean was nowhere to be seen.

The cellblock was next. He wasn't in the cell that he shared with Ricky. He wasn’t in yours and Daryl's cell either and that was when you really started to panic. You began to check every single cell, throwing back all the blankets and sheets trying to find him.

"Dean! Where are you?" You shouted desperately.

"Mummy?"

You spun around so fast, nearly giving yourself whiplash in the process before you spotted your son peeking out from the door to the cell at the far end of the room. Merle's cell. Of course, he was hiding in there.

"Dean!" You rushed over and dropped to your knees in front of him, cupping his face with your hands and searching his body for any injuries, but he seemed to be fine. "Thank God. C'mon, we need to go."

You scooped Dean up in your arms and rushed back outside to put him in the bus with the other kids, but the bus was gone. It wasn't parked in the courtyard anymore. It was gone, which meant Ricky was also gone.

"No, no, no, no, no. No!" You screamed, shaking your head in denial.

This couldn't be happening. No. This couldn't be fucking happening. Your boys were gone.

"W-what's happenin'?" Dean whimpered, getting upset that you were upset.

"It-it's okay. Everything's okay." You reassured, despite the fact that your eyes were filled with tears, and it most definitely wasn't okay.

You frantically looked around taking in the carnage and destruction left over from the fight, but there was no more fighting. The gunshots had seized, and the army tank was quite literally on fire. You couldn't see any people, yours nor the Governor, but there were walkers. Lots of walkers.

The gunfire and explosions having drawn them in from the woods. Everyone must have already evacuated, there were too many walkers to fight, and the prison was destroyed. They had all left.

"Y/N!" Carls voice suddenly shouted.

You looked to your left to find him struggling to hold Rick who was leaning heavily against him.

Shit.

You sprinted over to them, shifting Dean onto your right hip before hooking your father’s other arm around your shoulder, helping take the weight from Carl. Ricks face was busted up, bloodied and bruised, the Governor having done serious damage. You hoped he had killed that son of a bitch, but you didn't ask, you had bigger things to worry about.

"Did you see where the bus went?" You quickly questioned, looking between them.

"No, was Judith on the bus?" Carl asked, grunting as the two of you helped Rick across the courtyard.

Shit. Judith wasn't on the bus, and you didn't see her in the prison either. Where the hell was she?

"I didn't see her. Where's Daryl and Merle?" You asked, but Carl shrugged his shoulders.

Maybe they had gotten on the bus before it left?

"We-we need to get out of here." Rick stuttered, his voice sounding as pained as he probably felt right now.

You nodded in agreement, the three of you picking up the pace and heading for the gap in the fence towards the woods, but out of nowhere, Rick suddenly stopped walking and was staring at something on the ground in the distance.

"What are..." Your voice died in your throat when you saw what it was.

Judith’s baby basket.

It was sitting on the ground in the middle of the courtyard, but it wasn't exactly empty. It was full of blood. Fresh blood. Oh, dear God.

You felt like you were going to be sick as tears burned in your eyes, but you couldn't look away from it no matter how badly you tried.

Judith was dead. Your baby sister was dead.

Your father and brother were both crying. Your arm tightened around Ricks waist as he leant more into your side while he sobbed. It was a different kind of pain hearing your fathers cry like that. He was always the strong one, the one that never broke, but seeing him like this broke your heart and you couldn't stop yourself from crying either.

"Hey, Y/N? Y/N?" Rick's voice called out, snapping you out of your thoughts.

You blinked, bringing yourself back to the present as you looked over at your father who was eyeing you worriedly.

"Sorry, what?" You asked.

"We're going to find the others. You know that, right? Ricky too. They're probably already at Terminus right now waiting for us."

You appreciated his words and knew he was only trying to reassure you, but you also knew that wasn't guaranteed. The others might not be at Terminus and if they weren't, then what? How were you ever meant to find Daryl? Or what if Daryl and Merle were at Terminus but Ricky wasn't with them?

"Hey." Rick said gently, leaning over and grabbing your shoulder. "It's going to be okay."

You took in a deep shaky breath and nodded while fighting back the tears you could feel starting to rise at your fathers' words. It was something so simple, the reassurance and kindness of a father, but it was something that you had spent years without. You had missed it. You had missed him so much.

"Dad... what if they're not there?" You asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't. Don't think like that."

"But-"

"If there is one thing I know about those Dixon brothers, it's that they always find a way to come back. They're kinda like a cockroach if you think about it. No matter how hard you try to kill them, they just keep coming back." Rick explained with a soft chuckle causing you to smile.

"Especially Merle. He's the slipperiest cockroach of them all. Getting shot by the Governor didn't stop him from coming back." Michonne added.

That was true. They always did find a way back. Even when Merle went after the Governor all those months ago and Daryl tracked him down by himself, they both came back. Merle was bleeding from a gunshot wound, but he still made it back. They both did.

"Oh, dearie me." A males voice suddenly said.

That voice was close. Really fucking close.

You jumped to your feet in an instant, pulling out your handgun and rushing to the car where Dean and Carl were, to protect them from whoever had snuck up on you guys. However, you only reached the hood of the car before a man suddenly stepped out from the shadows and blocked your path.

You quickly pointed your gun at him, but he didn't seem threatened in the slightest. Instead, he started to grin from ear to ear, showing off his crooked yellow teeth under the moonlight.

"You screwed up, asshole. You hear me? You screwed up." The same voice from earlier said.

You spared a quick glance over your shoulder and your stomach dropped when you realised how many of them there were. You were outnumbered, and out gunned.

A man wearing what looked to be a biker denim vest was leaning beside Rick. He had a handgun pressed to your father’s temple while one man stood behind Michonne, a gun to her head and two others stood across the campfire, some kind of assault rifles in their hands and aimed at the three of you.

You quickly turned back to the big man in front of you, his sickening grin still as wide and as disturbing as before.

"Today is a day of reckoning, sir. Restitution. A balancing of the whole damn universe." The man who you figured was the leader continued to say.

"Everyone drop your guns, or I shoot your buddy between the eyes." You threatened, finger resting on the trigger as you took a step to the side so you could see everyone else as well as keeping your sights on the big man.

The leader glanced over at you in clear amusement before he looked back down at your father.

"You might wanna tell your girl over there to lower her gun."

Rick didn't dare move his head, not when the tip of a barrel was still pressed against his temple, but his wide panicked eyes shifted over to you.

You yanked your hunting knife from the sheath on your belt and swapped hands with your gun. Within a blink of an eye, the blade of your knife was pressed to the big man’s neck and your handgun was in your non-dominant hand and aimed at their leader.

"You might wanna lower yours first." You shot back.

The man laughed, but it wasn't a normal laugh, it was forced, it was angry, and you didn't like it.

"We have you five to one."

You tilted your head, "I like those odds."

The man seemed taken back by your words, but before he could say or do anything, a voice you feared that you'd never hear again suddenly cut through the still night air.

"Joe!"

Daryl Dixon suddenly stepped out from the woods across the road, his crossbow hanging loosely in his hand by his side. He wasn't looking at this 'Joe' though, his eyes were glued to yours and yours only.

Those ocean blues were torn between relief and panic before he looked over at Rick, eyeing the gun to his head cautiously.

"Hold up. Just hold up." Daryl continued to say.

"This is the guy that killed Lou, so we got nothing to talk about." One of the guys across the campfire suddenly said.

"The thing about nowadays is we got nothing but time. Say your piece, Daryl." The leader -Joe- instructed.

"These people, you're gonna let 'em go. These are good people."

"Now, I think Lou would disagree with you on that. I'll, of course, have to speak for him and all 'cause your friend here strangled him in a bathroom." Joe responded.

Oh, crap.

Rick had told you about that, but you didn't think the guy’s group would track you down.

"You want blood, I get it." Daryl said, dropping his crossbow before holding his arms out to the side. "Take it from me, man. Come on."

What the hell was he doing? Was he trying to get himself killed?

"This man killed our friend. You say he's good people. See, now that right there is a lie. It's a lie!"

Suddenly one of the men turned on Daryl and slammed the butt of his rifle into your husband’s stomach. Daryl doubled over with a grunt of pain before the other man joined in and they both started to punch him.

"Teach him, fellas. Teach him all the way." Joe encouraged.

"No!" You screamed, shifting the sights of your gun at the two men attacking Daryl.

You were so focused on those other men, you had momentarily forgotten about the big man beside you. The blade of your hunting knife had shifted away from his neck, and he used your distraction to his advantage.

Within a blink of an eye, the big man yanked the knife from your grasp before grabbing you by your wild hair and throwing you backwards. There was nothing you could do to stop yourself from hitting the bitumen, hard. The gun tumbled from your hand as you landed on your side, skidding across the road from the sheer force of the throw.

Road rash covered your left arm. Your skin broken and bleeding, but you couldn't feel it. You weren't sure if you could feel it even if you wanted to because you were zeroed in on one thing, and one thing only, the big man who was now opening the car door to get to Dean and Carl.

"No!" You screamed, springing to your feet and slamming the man into the car door, effectively shutting it in the process.

You could hear Dean crying from inside the vehicle and you spared a quick glance through the window to find Carl holding your son trying to comfort him.

"Fucking bitch." The man hissed, his head apparently heaving hit the roof of the car from your shove as he turned to face you, his nose now heavily bleeding.

Oh, he was angry.

There was nothing you could do to stop the hand that came your way. He grabbed you by the collar of your shirt and swung you around before pinning you against the hood of the car.

You grunted at the hard impact and tried to thrash out of his grip, but he had stepped up against you, his body pinning you down against the hood, making it impossible to move.

"You leave her be!" Rick furiously shouted in the background somewhere, but there was nothing he could do.

The other two men were still beating Daryl over the other side of the car. You couldn't see him from where you were, but you could hear the punches and grunts. They were going to beat him to death.

You tried to kick the man out from behind you, you tried to throw your elbow back to hit him, but he had you pinned down well. You weren't getting out of this.

"Listen, it was me. It was just me!" Rick continued to shout.

"See, that's right. That's not some damn lie." Joe responded. "Look, we can settle this. We're reasonable men. First, we're gonna beat Daryl to death. Then we'll have your two girls. Then the boys. Then I'm gonna shoot you and then we'll be square."

Nope. That is not going to happen.

You thrashed against the hood of the car, trying again to get free and although it was pointless, you kept trying.

"Stop your squirming." He laughed from behind you, his hand reaching up and starting to lift your shirt.

"Get the fuck off me!" You yelled, but that only made the man laugh even more.

Suddenly, a gunshot fired nearby, halting the man's hand on your shirt instantly. Dread filled your stomach as you tilted your head to the side in fear, expecting the worst.

Joe took a stumbling step away from Rick, holding his bloodied nose, and it wasn't hard to figure out that your father must have headbutted him. Rick quickly got to his feet and punched Joe, but Joe punched him back just as hard, sending your father to the ground in one hit.

"I got him." Joe declared, reassuring his men before he kicked Rick in the stomach. "Oh, it's gonna be so much worse now. Come on, get up!"

The hood of the car suddenly shifted under you, and you looked up to find Daryl now being pinned against it on the other side, the men still punching him repeatedly.

"No! Stop!" You screamed, watching helplessly as he got beat.

"Get away from her before I-" Rick started to shout before Joe cut him off.

"What the hell are you gonna do now, sport?"

You yanked and thrashed in the man’s grip as you looked back over at your father to find Joe now practically hugging Rick to his chest, pinning him down. You, Daryl and Rick now all pinned down while Michonne sat with a gun trained to her head.

This was it.

This was how it ended.

Then, Rick suddenly bit down into Joe's throat causing the man to cry out in pain before Rick pulled his head back, taking out a chunk of flesh from Joe's neck. Blood sprayed everywhere from the literal hole in his neck before his body dropped to the ground.

Rick spat the mouthful out, blood dripping down his mouth, staining his beard and the once white woollen collar of his jacket a bright crimson red.

The man behind you had stopped, clearly having watched the whole thing happen too. Your father stood there for a moment, staring down at Joe's body, clearly shocked with what he had just done.

Michonne and Daryl were quick to use the bad guy’s distraction to their advantage, taking them down easily. The man holding you suddenly dug his fingers into the back of your dirty blonde hair and yanked you off the hood of the car before holding you in front of him, pressing the blade of your own hunting to knife to your throat.

Great, he was using your own knife against you.

Michonne quickly pointed her gun at him, but the guy was using you as a human shield. She was a good shot, but you did not trust her enough to take this kind of shot.

"Let her go." She ordered, glaring at the man behind you.

His grip only tightened on you, the knife digging into your neck a little harder causing you to wince.

"He's mine." Rick growled.

Your father suddenly marched straight past Michonne and the man behind you gasped in fear, his body now trembling as he stared at Ricks animalistic rageful eyes.

Suddenly, the man let go of you, pushing you back into the car as he took a few shaky steps backwards as if to surrender before Rick speared his knife straight into his neck.

You quickly stepped in front of the car door window, blocking Dean and Carl's view of your father. You found yourself unable to look away as Rick yanked the knife out before slicing it through his neck once again, blood gushing out the wounds like a waterfall.

"Y/N? Sweetheart, shit, are you okay? Sweetheart, are you okay?" Daryl's voice suddenly questioned before he appeared in front of you, snapping your attention away from your father.

Daryl's face was a mess with reddening bruises and blood, but he didn't seem phased by his own injuries. He was too busy scanning your body up and down, searching you for injuries. His eyes hovered over your left arm which you hadn't even looked yet, but you knew it wasn't bad.

You could still hear Rick stabbing the man behind Daryl. The sound of the blade slicing through flesh and blood irreplaceable in the now silent night. He just kept stabbing, and stabbing, and stabbing the man, but you didn't try to stop him. He needed to unleash his anger somehow, so you let him go.

Daryl's blue eyes met yours with a questioning look, and you realised that all this time, you hadn't said anything or answered his questions. You had been too caught up in your own head to notice.

"I-I'm okay." You stuttered, still a little shaken after everything that just happened. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, but you knew that was bullshit. By tomorrow morning his face was going to be covered in bruises, but you knew Daryl was no stranger to that.

Rick eventually stood up and dropped the blood laced knife to the ground before he glanced over at you, and you met your fathers gaze over Daryl's shoulder.

His eyes had a faraway look about them, like he wasn't entirely there after what he had just did, but there was a flash of concern amongst the rage brewing inside of him.

"I'm good. Dad, I swear. I'm okay." You reassured, knowing that was what he was worried about.

Rick hesitated for a second, like he wasn't sure if he should believe you or not before he glanced at Daryl and seemed to realise that you were in capable hands before he simply nodded and turned away, walking off into the woods.

"Wait-" You quickly said, side stepping around Daryl to go after him before Michonne grabbed your shoulder.

"Let him go. He needs to cool down. He'll be back."

You wanted to disagree with that. Not liking the thought of him being out there alone in the dark after all of this, but you knew Michonne was right, your father wouldn't have walked off if he didn't need the space, you had to respect that.

Michonne gave you a small reassuring smile before she walked over to the car and opened the door. Carl was quick to climb out, and instantly hugged the other woman. Michonne seemed taken back by the sudden display of affection, but she quickly hugged him nonetheless.

Little Dean fearfully stuck his head out the car door and you quickly dropped to your knees in front of him, taking in his tear-streaked face and terrified eyes.

God, you hoped he hadn't seen all of that.

"Holy shit, Dean!" Daryl gasped, shock and utter relief filling his voice.

Deans scared eyes suddenly lit up hearing his father's voice and his head snapped up in Daryl's direction, those little almond shaped hazel eyes widening into saucers.

"Daddy!"

Your heart melted watching Dean climb out the car and practically throw himself into Daryl's arms who had only just crouched down before having to catch the five-year-old.

"H-how? I... I thought he was on the bus?" Daryl whispered, tilting his head up to you in shock, his eyes shimmering with tears before he looked back down at the boy in his arms. "I thought you were on the bus. 'N when I checked the bus and ya weren't there, I thought..."

He thought Dean was dead.

Daryl thought his son was dead. These past two weeks he had thought little Merle Dean was dead, but he wasn't He was right here, and you felt yourself tearing up just watching him hold his son.

"Wait." You suddenly said, realisation hitting you like a truck. "You checked the bus? Was Ricky still-"

Daryl smiled through his tears before he stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly, cutting your sentence off.

You frowned in confusion and opened your mouth to ask what the fuck that was, but then you heard it.

"Mummy! Mummy!"

Your heart just about stopped at the familiar voice before you spun around to find Ricky running out from behind a tree across the road.

"Oh my God." You gasped, sprinting the remaining distance to your son before you bent down and lifted him up into your arms, hugging him tightly.

"Daddy told me to hide in the trees and to not come out until he whistled. I did it." Ricky said proudly, his little arms wrapped tightly around your neck.

"You did, baby. You did so good." You sobbed, unable to hold your tears back as you held him. "I missed you. I missed you so much."

"Ricky!" Dean suddenly squealed.

Hearing his little brothers voice had Ricky snapping into action. He let go of your neck and began to wriggle in your arms, wanting to be put down. The last thing you wanted to do was let go of him, but you forced yourself to do it as you gently lowered your eldest son to the ground.

The second his shoes hit the ground, he took off sprinting to the car where Daryl was still crouched, holding Dean, but he quickly released the other boy, and you watched through silent tears as the brothers reunited and entangled themselves together in a big hug.

Daryl got to his feet and walked back over to you, not saying a word before he snaked his arm around your waist and pulled you into his side. His warm, gentle hands were comforting, they were safe, and you allowed yourself to be manhandled before you leant your head against his shoulder.

Silent tears were still trickling down your face, your eyes glued to your sons who were hugging one another before you wrapped your arms around Daryl's stomach and hugged him too.

"We're okay, sweetheart. We're all okay." Daryl whispered, kissing the top of your head. "I love ya."

-

You awoke the following morning inside the safety of the car. Carl and Michonne were both passed out in the front seats while Ricky and Dean were curled up on the backseat, their heads resting in your lap.

"We should save it to drink." You heard your father say from somewhere outside the car.

"You can't see yourself, Y/N and the kids can." Came Daryl's reply.

You glanced out through the window of the car to find Rick sitting down against the front wheel of the car, using Daryl's red rag to wipe the dried blood from his face before Daryl sat down beside him.

You turned your attention back to the two boys in your lap, drowning out Daryl and Ricks conversation about Beth, who, by the sound of it, didn't make it.

Ricky began to stir a little in his sleep before his bright blue eyes fluttered open and he smiled sleepily at you.

"Hi, baby." You whispered, resting your hand on the side of his face and brushing his cheek with your thumb gently. "Go back to sleep. I'll wake you when it's time to go."

Ricky nodded ever so slightly before his eyes slipped shut again and he rolled over, shifting closer to his brother who was still out like a log.

"I knew they were bad, but they had a code. It was simple. Stupid, but it was something. It was enough." Daryl continued to say quietly from outside.

"And you were alone." Rick reminded him.

Carefully, you shifted your sons heads out of your lap before quietly opening your car door, not wanting to wake them or Michonne and Carl who seemed to be making the most of this rare sleep-in opportunity.

"They said they were lookin' for some guy. Last night they said they spotted him. I was hangin' back. I was gonna leave... but, I thought I heard Y/N shout. That's when I saw it was you guys. Right when ya saw me. I didn't know what they could do."

Daryl's voice was heavy with shame, the same way his guilt was weighing down upon his shoulders. He blamed himself for what happened. He felt responsible for it all.

"It's not on you, Daryl." Rick insisted, but Daryl refused to look at him. "Hey. It's not on you. You being back with us here, now, that's everything. You're my brother."

You quietly closed the car door behind yourself, successfully getting out without waking anyone before you walked around the vehicle to find the two of them still sitting against the front wheel and looking out at the woods ahead. Their poker faces were terrible, you could see the emotion washing over the two of them from that conversation, but neither of them wanted to show it.

"I think you mean, son-in-law." You piped up, trying to lighten the mood.

"Jesus." Rick exhaled with a chuckle as he tilted his head up towards you. "We were having a moment here."

"By sitting side-by-side and staring straight ahead? What a touching moment." You teased causing Daryl to snort softly in amusement. "You guys okay though?" You asked seriously.

They both gave you a small nod, although you suspected that neither of them would admit if they weren't okay, so it was a stupid question really.

You sat down beside Daryl, leaning your back against the frame of the car before reaching over and grabbing his hand, lacing your fingers together before shifting your hands into your lap.

Daryl didn't say anything, he simply let you hold his hand in silence as the three of you sat there together.

"Merle?" You asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer.

Daryl shrugged, "went to get Ricky out the bus. By the time I came back, he was gone. Haven't seen him since."

Shit.

Daryl's head quickly turned to you, and you could practically see the light bulb shining brightly above his head at the sudden thought or idea he had just gotten.

He glanced over at Rick almost cautiously, but your father was too busy staring down at his blood-stained hands to notice the look. Daryl quickly turned back to you before mouthing the words, 'Judith?' and your heart shattered.

You bit your lip and silently shook your head, willing the tears you could feel coming to stay back as Daryl’s expression dropped. His own heart shattering, but he didn't say anything. He didn't react loudly, seeming to realise that it would be bad to bring that topic up in front of Rick.

"Merle is probably at Terminus." You suddenly said, wanting to change the topic to something positive.

"He will be, and we should get a move on if we wanna make it before sundown." Rick pointed out, and the two of you nodded in agreement.

-

Later that day, the group of you were walking straight into Terminus after hiding a duffle bag of weapons in the woods for backup. You wandered straight through the back gate without being stopped and entered some kind of old building where a group of people were seated at tables and seemed to be drawing up maps.

"Hello." Rick called out, announcing your presence.

Everyone in the room froze at the unexpected voice before a man sighed and dropped his paint brush onto the table.

"Well, I bet Albert is on perimeter watch. You here to rob us?"

"No. We wanted to see you before you saw us."

"Usually we do this where the tracks meet." The man continued to say, stepping out from around the table to walk over to you. "Welcome to Terminus. I'm Gareth."

You stood back in silence letting your father do all the talking with Gareth and before you knew it, a man named Alex was giving you all a guided tour around the community.

It wasn't until you got outside to what seemed to be an outdoor cafeteria type area, where someone was cooking a barbeque that it all came crashing down.

Michonne, Alex and the woman behind the barbeque were talking while you scanned your surroundings and the people in the area before your eyes landed on a man wearing prison armour.

Where the hell did he get that from?

You kept looking around, noting all the fresh gardens and tables set up under large umbrellas where a few people were sitting and eating. But then you saw something that you'd never misplace.

Daryl's poncho.

A woman sitting at one of those tables was wearing his poncho. It was his. You knew it was his because it had that little hole by the bottom left where Ricky had burnt it while playing with Uncle Merle's lighter without permission.

How the fuck did this random person get Daryl’s poncho? How did that other guy have prison riot armour?

Alarm bells were starting to go off in your head. All of this was just one giant red flag, and you couldn't ignore it.

You adjusted your hold on Dean who was resting on your hip before you took a step forward until you were between Daryl and Rick, both of them looking around the area on high alert.

"Not to alarm anyone, but that guy is in prison armour and that chick is wearing your poncho. How?" You asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

Both Daryl and Rick suddenly turned tense in realisation, their heads snapping in those people’s direction.

Okay, good. So, you weren’t just being paranoid. It isn't just a coincidence.

Rick suddenly marched forward just as Alex went to hand Michonne a plate of grilled meat. Your father smacked the food out Alex's hand and grabbed the man, wrapping his arm around Alex's neck and holding his back against his chest with a gun to the side of his head.

In an instant, you drew your handgun from the holster on your hip, aiming at other people in the area who had already raised their own weapons at the group of you.

"Ricky, behind me. Now." You ordered, not taking your eyes off the armed people in front of you.

You felt Ricky grab onto the back of your pants, hiding behind your legs before you glanced over at Daryl to find him with his crossbow raised, Michonne and Carl also following suit with their guns.

"Where the hell did you get this watch?" Rick questioned, and you only just realised that he pulled out a silver pocket watch from Alex's pocket which you assumed belonged to someone at the prison.

"You want answers? You want anything else? You get them when you put down the gun." Alex responded.

"I see your man on the roof with a sniper rifle. How good's his aim?"

You quickly glanced over at the roof to find that there was in fact a man on the roof with a scoped rifle. Shit. How did you not notice him earlier?

You quickly shifted your sights onto the man on the roof, trusting Daryl, Michonne and Carl to have the others under control. Your fingers rested against the trigger as you aimed at him with one hand, the other firmly holding Dean to your side.

"Where did you get the watch?" Rick repeated sternly.

Alex began yelling at the sniper to lower the weapon and not do anything. To your surprise the man listened and lowered the sniper, but you kept your handgun aimed in his direction not taking any chances.

"I got it off a dead one. I didn't think he'd need it." Alex tried to say, his shaky hands raised in surrender, but Rick didn't remove the gun from the side of his head.

"What about the riot gear? The poncho?" You questioned, not bothering to look at the man as you spoke, keeping your sights on the sniper.

"Got the riot gear off a dead cop." Gareth's voice suddenly answered. You quickly spun around with your gun raised to find the other man standing directly behind you. "Found the poncho on a clothesline."

"Bullshit. That is my husband's poncho. Try again."

Gareth eyed you cautiously, staring down the barrel of your gun before he glanced over at Rick, dismissing you completely.

"What's there left to say? You don't trust us anymore." Gareth simply responded before turning his attention over to your father. "Rick, what do you want?"

You kept your gun trained on Gareth while Rick spoke with him before Gareth suddenly raised his hand to signal someone and Rick fired his gun without warning.

It all happened so quickly.

Dean and Ricky both screamed in fright, and you looked over at your father realising that he had just killed Alex. A second later, gunfire erupted, and you quickly turned around to shoot Gareth, but the man had vanished.

Shit.

You turned your body to the side, trying to shield Dean in your arms and Ricky hiding behind your body as you returned fire at the other people. Daryl suddenly picked up Ricky in his arms before you all took off running away from the gunfire.

Dean was whimpering in your arms, his body trembling as he buried his face in the crook of your neck. You wanted to comfort him, to reassure him that everything would be okay, but with the bullets raining down on you, now was not the time for that.

After a few seconds of running, it became apparent that those people weren't shooting to kill you, they were shooting by your feet. They were shooting at the ground trying to herd you in whatever direction they wanted you to go in.

Oh, that couldn't be good.

"They want us to go this way. They're shooting at our feet!" You shouted above the gunfire.

"We don't have a choice, keep running!" Rick shouted back.

As suspected, they herded you guys like damn sheep in a pen and before you knew it, you were trapped out in the open between a tall, barbed wire fence and a large warehouse building, nothing but an old train cart to your left.

"Drop your weapons! Now!" Gareth shouted.

You looked up to find him now standing on the roof of the warehouse, another man beside him with an assault rifle aimed at you all.

Damnit, how the hell is this guy everywhere?

"Now!" He repeated when none of you moved.

You glanced around trying to find a way out, but you were trapped between the fence and warehouse that was lined with men with guns aimed at you all. There was nowhere to go.

Daryl looked over at you, his bruised but fearful eyes locking with yours before he dropped his crossbow to the ground and lowered Ricky down beside him. Rick looked between you all, his mind working overtime trying to think of a way out of this, but you knew there wasn't one.

Slowly, you lowered your handgun to the ground before putting Dean down as well, wanting your hands to be free in case you had to fight.

The second Dean was on the ground, Ricky rushed over before Daryl could stop him and he quickly grabbed his brother protectively and pulled him behind you, both of them grabbing onto the back of your pants for safety.

Rick, Michonne and Carl all lowered their weapons as well, none of them looking happy about it.

"Ringleader, go to your left. The train car, go." Gareth suddenly instructed.

There was a train cart on your left with the letter 'A' spray painted on the side. He wanted Rick to go inside there? Great, perfect. This was not going to end well.

"You do what we say, the boy goes with you. Anything else, he dies, and you end up in there anyway." Gareth further explained, noticing your fathers hesitation.

Rick glanced over at you and Carl for a brief moment, giving you both a small nod before he began to walk towards the train cart.

"Now the archer."

Like Rick, Daryl hesitated. He didn't want to leave you and the boys out here when there were several men on roofs with guns aimed directly at you. You gave him a small nod of encouragement, despite not wanting him to leave you either. But you also knew that if you pissed off Gareth and didn't do as he said, it wouldn’t end well.

Daryl sighed, but started to follow Rick.

"Now the samurai." Gareth instructed a few seconds later. Michonne glared up at him but obeyed. "Stand at the door, ringleader, archer, samurai, in that order."

"My kids!" Rick shouted, not taking his eyes off you and Carl as Daryl and Michonne lined up behind him in front of the door to the train cart.

Gareth looked back down at you and although it was hard to see his face from all the way up on the roof of the warehouse, you could see that he was grinning.

"I am not going anywhere without these boys." You stated sternly, your hands behind your back, holding onto your sons as you glanced over at Carl who took a few steps closer to you, his brown eyes filled with terror.

"Relax, mama bear. You and the three boys can go."

Carl quickly grabbed Ricky’s hand while you picked up Dean and you hurriedly walked in the direction of the train cart.

"Ringleader, open the door and go in." Gareth shouted from the roof.

"I'll go in with them." Rick shouted back, not taking his eyes off you and Carl as you walked over to them.

"Don't make us kill the girl now."

Ricks face twisted in anger. He glanced at the door to the train cart before glancing back at you, not wanting to go inside when you and Carl weren't there yet, but seemed to realise he didn't have a choice.

You watched as Rick climbed up the steps before he pulled open the door to the train cart before stepping inside, Daryl and Michonne following before you and Carl reached the steps.

"Go." You said, nodding at Carl to go inside first.

He nodded, his hand still holding Ricky’s as he slowly walked up the steps with his nephew and stepped inside before you followed. Daryl instantly stepped in front of you, his hand cupping the side of your face before he looked down at Dean in your arms when suddenly the door behind you slammed shut.

It was dark inside. The only light was streaming in through the small gaps in the door barely lighting up the cart. You could see Daryl in front of you though, his eyes never leaving yours, like he had been afraid that he would never see you again after getting momentarily separated.

"It's okay." You whispered, grabbing his hand with your free one before glancing over at Ricky who was still clutching Carl’s hand tightly.

"Rick?" A voice suddenly questioned.

Wait. That voice... you knew that voice.

You turned around and had to do a double take when a couple figures stepped out from the shadows at the far end of the train cart and your jaw dropped when you realised who they were.

Glenn and Maggie.

Holy shit, they were alive.

"You're here." Rick responded, sounding as shocked as you were.

A few other people suddenly emerged from the darkness, two familiar faces, Sasha and Bob, but the other men and women were strangers, although Maggie and Glenn didn't seem worried about them.

"They're our friends. They helped save us." Maggie explained, like she could somehow read your mind.

"Yeah." Daryl nodded, his hand still holding yours. "Now they're friends of ours."

"For however long that'll be." The big redhaired man muttered, shaking his head before he turned away.

"No." Rick stated, shaking his head causing the man to turn back towards him. "They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out."

Your father walked over to the door, peaking through the small gap as the redhaired man stepped forward, "find out what?"

“They're screwing with the wrong people."

-

Nobody slept a wink that night, minus Ricky and Dean. Those little boys could sleep anywhere if they wanted to. The rest of you stayed up talking, Daryl telling Maggie about Beth, Glenn introducing you to Tara, Rosita, Abraham and Eugene.

They seemed like decent people, Eugene was a little strange, but was nice enough and Maggie and Glenn vouched for them, so that was all you cared about.

The group of you made weapons out of anything that you could. Gareth had apparently stripped the others of all their weapons, but you still had your hunting knife on your belt and pocketknife. The knives were used to carve wood out from the side of the cart, shaving off the tips and making them into weapons.

Carl helped as well, but also sat in the corner with Ricky and Dean, keeping your boy’s company and trying to distract them from how scary this whole thing must be for them.

"Alright, got four of 'em pricks comin' our way." Daryl announced from where he was keeping watch through the gap in the door.

"Ricky, Dean, you two stay right there, okay? Don't move." You instructed, looking over at your boys who were still sitting in the corner.

They both nodded, but Ricky must have sensed the urgency in your voice because he reached over and grabbed his little brother’s hand to make sure Dean didn't try and move.

You turned back to Daryl who had stepped away from the door, and you handed him your hunting knife. He took it with a nod of appreciation before you pulled out your pocketknife, flicking the blade out with your thumb.

"Y'all know what to do. Go for their eyes first. Then their throats." Rick instructed.

"Put your backs to the walls on either end of the car, now!" A male’s voice shouted from outside.

None of you listened. You all huddled around the door with your weapons raised ready to attack the second that door got pulled open. But then a hatch suddenly opened in the roof, daylight streaming down at you all.

You squinted at the bright light, unable to see what was up there before something suddenly fell through the hole and clanged onto the ground. You looked down in confusion and your stomach dropped when you saw the silver device by your feet.

Oh, fuck.

"Move!" Abraham's voice boomed through the cart.

Daryl grabbed your arm, yanking you away from the canister before shielding your body with his just as it exploded with a loud bang.

The force of the explosion sent you and Daryl to the ground. Your body crashed into the hard floor. In the back of your mind, you acknowledged that the explosive had been some kind of stun or gas grenade and nothing lethal, but that little piece of information was useless right now as you laid on the ground quite literally stunned and ears ringing loudly.

You blinked, trying to get your head straight as you glanced around, the entire cart filled with white smoke as you cough and spluttered. Your vision was blurry, but you could see Daryl lying on the ground beside you, not fairing much better.

Your body wouldn’t cooperate as you tried to move, your limps feeling numb as you tilted your head to the side and allowed yourself to relax slightly when you spotted your sons across the cart. Ricky was covering Deans body with his own, shielding his little brother from the explosion.

Suddenly, the door to the cart slid open, and you watched helplessly as a group of men marched inside and started to drag some of you out.

"Daddy!" Dean cried, peeking out from behind Ricky to see his father being hauled away by the men in riot armour.

"No!" You yelled, staggering up onto shaky feet and reaching for Daryl who seemed to be unconscious in the man’s arms. "Let him go!"

You rushed forward, your head spinning and ears still ringing from the explosion, but then something hard slammed into the side of your head and the last thing you heard was Rick screaming, "don't touch her!" before everything turned black.

-

"My dad's gonna be back. They all are."

That was the first thing you registered when you started to wake up. The second being what sounded like screams and gunfire in the distance.

What the hell was going on?

"They are. And we need to get ready to fight when they do." A different voice said. A voice you knew.

Maggie.

Slowly, you blinked your eyes open to find that you were laying on the floor of the train cart with two sets of familiar eyes looking down at you in worry.

"Mummy! You're awake!" Dean said happily, plonking himself down on top of you in a hug.

You grunted at the sudden impact before Ricky hugged you as well and you laid there for a moment and wrapped your arms around your sons holding them against your chest.

They were okay. Your boys were okay.

Maggie suddenly stepped into your line of sight, hovering above you almost worriedly.

"What happened?" You asked, your voice coming out weaker than you expected before you cleared your throat and tried again. "What happened?"

"They took Glenn, Rick, Daryl and Bob. But there was an explosion not long ago and now it sounds like a war outside. We're not sure what's going on. Can you stand?"

Ricky must have been listening because he suddenly let you go before he grabbed his brother and pulled him off you, giving you room to sit up as you looked around. The others were all sitting and standing around, everyone's eyes on you.

You could hear the sound of walkers above the rapid gunfire, their distinct growls and snarls coming from outside the train cart.

Maggie held her hand out and helped you to your feet before Carl walked over and handed your pocketknife back to you which he must have found on the ground.

"Thanks." You said, taking the knife before suddenly the door to the train cart opened and Rick stood in the doorway.

"Come on! Fight to the fence!" He shouted, briefly looking at you all before he turned and began shooting walkers with what appeared to be an AK-47 in his hands.

Where the hell did he get that from?

Everyone hurried out through the open door before you could even move, but Daryl pushed past them and stepped inside the cart, his wide panicked eyes frantically searching the small space before he saw you standing beside the kids.

"You good?" He quickly asked, rushing forward and grabbing the side of your face, gently tilting your head to the side to look at the bruise on your forehead from the hit that knocked you out.

You grabbed his hand and lowered it from your face, "I'm good. Let's get out of here."

Daryl nodded, before he picked up Dean in his arms and you grabbed Ricky’s hand with your free one and you rushed out the train cart where the others were fighting the herd of walkers.

Shit, there were a lot of them.

"Y/N!" Rick's voice suddenly shouted.

You looked up and only just had enough time to catch the assault rifle he tossed your way.

"You hold onto the back of my shirt, and you don't let go, understand?" You instructed, looking down at Ricky who frantically nodded, grabbing the bottom of your shirt in a vice like grip.

Daryl was taking out walkers with a metal pipe in one hand while holding Dean to his chest with the other and you quickly raised your rifle and began shooting at the walkers, taking them out one by one.

"This way! C'mon!" Your fathers voice shouted.

The group of you ploughed your way through the herd of the dead, clearing a path until you reached the tall, barred wire fence that lined the community. Abraham and Rosita found an old blanket and threw it over the top of the fence to cover the sharp barbs.

Everyone began throwing themselves over the tall fence with Abraham’s help.

"You keep shooting, I'll get Ricky over the fence." Michonne instructed.

You glanced over your shoulder and nodded at your son to go with Michonne who quickly picked him up and rushed over to the fence where Daryl was lifting Dean over to someone on the other side.

Satisfied that your boys were in safe hands, you turned around to find a group of men appearing up on the rooftops of the warehouse, giving you deja vu.

"Y/N!" Your father shouted for backup, raising his rifle towards the men.

"I see them." You responded, wedging the butt of the rifle into your shoulder before you looked through the scope.

The crosshairs were moving all over the place as you tried to hold the gun still, but your hands were shaking too much, so you just squeezed the trigger and shot in their general direction. It seemed to work though because after a few seconds, they were all dead.

You and Rick turned your sights onto the walkers that were getting closer and closer, their rotten bodies stumbling through the courtyard towards you all.

You began to shoot at them too, trying to buy the others time to get over the fence before your gun suddenly clicked, the bullets no longer firing.

"I'm out of ammo!" You called out, dropping the rifle and drawing your pocketknife back out.

"Get over the fence, I'll cover you!" Rick shouted, stepping in front of you protectively while he kept shooting at the walkers.

You hurried back over to the fence just as Abraham helped the last person over and you glanced over your shoulder, "Dad, c'mon!"

Abraham helped you over the fence, making quick work of it before you landed on the other side where the others were all waiting. Rick landed beside you a moment later, stumbling a little failing to get his footing before you grabbed the collar of his jacket and steadied him.

"Thanks." He sighed, breathlessly, resting his hand over yours just as Abraham hauled himself over the fence too.

You glanced over to find Daryl holding Dean while Ricky stood beside him, holding his free hand before you glanced around at the others, relieved that everyone was okay.

Daryl led you all through the woods, tracking your old footprints from yesterday before he found where Rick had buried the bag of weapons. While your father dug up the bag, he argued with Abraham and the others about what to do next, but their arguing came to a quick stop when footsteps approached you all from behind.

You turned around quickly and reached for your knife, but froze when you saw that it was Carol.

Holy shit, she was alive.

Daryl was the first to react, putting his son down before rushing over and hugging her. You let out a small chuckle of disbelief, unable to believe she was alive as you walked over to her.

"I'm so glad you're okay." You said.

"I'm glad you guys are okay." She replied, looking between you and Daryl with a big smile before she glanced at someone over your shoulder.

"Did you do that?"

You turned around at your father’s voice to find him motioning back in the direction of Terminus and suddenly it all made sense. The explosion that Maggie told you about, that was Carol.

Carol nodded before Rick pulled her into a hug and you smiled watching the two of them reunite.

"She had a little help!"

Merle Dixon suddenly emerged from the woods, and you found yourself paralysed to the spot in pure disbelief. He was alive. Holy shit, he was alive and him and Carol had just saved your lives.

"Uncle Merle!" Ricky and Dean both squealed.

Your kids seemed to process this information quicker than anyone else because within a flash, they were sprinting over to their uncle. Merle grinned, kneeling down with his arms out just as your sons threw themselves into his embrace causing Merle to chuckle.

"Have you two grown since I last saw ya? Look how big you are! You're gonna be out huntin' with me in no time." Merle exclaimed, hugging his nephews tightly before he tilted his head up towards you and Daryl, and a relieved smile spread across his face.

"Jesus, man. I thought you were dead." Daryl muttered, trying not to show how much he really cared, but you could hear the emotion in his voice.

Merle just grinned, letting go of his nephews before he stood up and took a few steps towards his brother. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Merle shook his head and pulled Daryl into a tight hug.

"Ain't nothin' can kill me, little brother." Merle reassured, patting Daryl's back before he glanced over at you. "Y/N, get your freckled face over here 'n give ya brother-in-law a hug."

You rolled your eyes at his choice of words, but walked over anyway just as Merle lifted one of his arms off Daryl and pulled you into the family hug. You closed your eyes and hugged the two of them, allowing yourself a moment to let your guard down as you stood in the safety of their arms.

"Dixon, is that you?" Abraham suddenly called out.

Wait, what?

You and Daryl pulled away from Merle in confusion to find Merle looking just as confused as he looked in the direction of the voice to find Abraham slowly walking towards him.

"Ford?" Merle questioned in shock.

A giant smile broke out across the redhead’s face, and if you weren't mistaken, that was the first time you had ever seen the man smile.

"Son of a dick, it's really you." Abraham exclaimed, holding his hand out.

Merle grinned, taking Abraham’s hand before they pulled each other into a quick hug-pat thing that guys seemed to always do.

"Wait, you two know each other?" You asked, looking between them in confusion.

The two of them pulled apart and Merle nodded, "we sure do. I know him from my army days."

"Bro, you got kicked out the army." Daryl pointed out causing Merle to glare at him, but there was no real heat behind it.

"We were in Basic together." Abraham supplied, still smiling brightly. "Man, remember all the shit we used to get up to?"

Merle grinned, "remember that night when we-"

"Whoa, is this story PG rated?" You quickly asked, glancing over at Ricky and Dean who were looking up at Abraham and Merle like they were the most fascinating people on this planet.

"None of Abrahams army stories are PG rated." Rosita spoke up, shooting the redhead a smirk. "We should probably get going. I don't wanna be near that place when those walkers get out."

Yeah, she had a fair point.

"You have to come with me." Carol quickly said, pointily looking at Rick as she spoke before she suddenly turned around and began walking off through the woods.

"She's right. C'mon, Officer Friendly, you're gonna love this." Merle announced, turning and following Carol.

You glanced over at your father in confusion who met your gaze with equal amounts of confusion, but you just shrugged your shoulders before the group of you all followed the two of them through the woods.

Eventually you reached a small dirt road which you then followed, neither Carol nor Merle elaborating any further about where you were going, until you spotted an old wooden cabin in the distance. The door to the cabin opened a moment later and your jaw dropped when Tyreese stepped out with baby Judith in his arms.

Rick made a sort of strangled gasping sound in the back of his throat beside you before he quickly pulled his rifle off his shoulders, holding it out in your general direction. He couldn't speak, but you didn't need him to as you took his gun before he sprinted down the dirt road.

Carl ran after your father and tears started to blur your vision as you watched Tyreese hand over your baby sister to them before Sasha jogged over engulfing her brother into a tight hug.

The rest of you all slowly walked over to them. Merle was holding both Dean and Ricky in his arms while he chatted away with Abraham. Your sons refusing to leave their uncles side, but Merle didn't seem to mind.

Daryl slung his arm over your shoulder, and you rested your head against his chest and wiped the tears from your eyes as Rick handed Judith to Carl.

"Thank you." Your father said, turning to Tyreese.

"Don't thank me, man. Dixon was the one that saved her back at the prison."

Everyone's head snapped in Merle’s direction who was too busy talking with Abraham to hear what was going on, but he noticed the sudden attention because he stopped whatever he was saying and looked around at everyone in confusion.

"What?"

"You saved Judith." Rick stated, like he couldn't quite believe it was true.

"Yeah, I did," Merle nodded seriously, glancing over at the baby girl in Carls arms before he chuckled. "And you lot doubted my baby-sitting ability."

You rolled your eyes, "that is because you keep teaching my sons bad language. We don't want Judith’s first word to be asshole."

"Well, someone's gotta be the fun uncle. It sure as shit ain't gonna be Mr. Goodie Two-shoes over there." Merle responded pointing at Glenn. "No offence, man."

Glenn laughed softly, "no, that's fair."

"I think I like Glenn better. He hasn't taught those boys anything bad." You pointed out, giving Glenn a small appreciative nod.

"Wait, wait, what about that day Glenn gave Ricky the lighter?" Maggie suddenly reminded.

"I swear, I didn't think he'd try and set that poncho on fire." Glenn said defensively.

"That was you?" You gasped, looking over at Glenn who had the decency to look guilty. "I've been blaming Merle for the past two months."

Daryl snorted softly from beside you, "to be fair, it is usually always Merle who does stupid shit."

"I am standing right here." Merle exclaimed, pretending to take offence to the whole conversation causing you all to start laughing.

"Hold on, I'm confused." Rosita suddenly said, looking between your family. "Rick is your father, but he is also Carl and that baby’s father, and Daryl is your husband, and those boys are you sons?"

You chuckled softly, "yeah, pretty much."

"Oh, okay. That makes total sense." Tara nodded sarcastically.

"It's okay, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it and I've known them for a while now." Michonne piped up causing you all to start laughing again.

"We need to go." Rick announced once the laughing had stopped.

You looked over at your father to find him staring at the smoke in the distance. The community of Terminus still burning from the explosion Carol and Merle had caused.

"Yeah, but where?" Daryl asked, his arm still over your shoulder.

"Somewhere far away from there."

-

Next Chapter

-

MASTERLIST pinned to profile

Commissions open! Link in bio & DM for enquiries ❤️

#daryl dixon #the walking dead #norman reedus #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon fanfic #the walking dead fanfiction #the walking dead fanfic #rick grimes #twd #commissions #fanfic commission

[twigg96]

Hi! Can you do daryl dixon x y/n where Daryl gets protective over y/n when a creepy guy won’t leave her alone no matter what she says so he punches him across the face, ending in like comforting fluff/ smut or both ❤️

Hello @dustbunniess!! This sounds like a great idea! I'm so so sorry it took me so long to get this out to you love so much has happened since you asked for this I'm just trying to get by.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon X Reader

Era: Post-Prison, Pre-Terminus Era (Claimers Era)

Pronouns: You/Your, She/Her (No use of Y/N)

Warnings: The Claimers, Daryl with the Claimers, Attempted Sexual Assault, Crass behavior and language, Swearing, Physical Violence, Assault, Blood, Panic Attacks, Confusion, Delusion, Daryl becoming a literal savage, Abuse, Death, Beatings, Daryl reliving past traumas, Doing what you have to survive, Things happen off screen,

Summery: After the prison fell you were left alone in a world you felt was unfair and cruel. And who could blame you? Truly after all you'd been through? You changed from the person you were in the prison. But then... so did everyone else... When Daryl your boyfriend is the first to find you out in the world you see just how much things have changed with the new group he's in.

Separate Ways

It was when the prison went up in flames that you knew it was over. There was no going back. No redemption. The governor… in some sick twist of fate. Had won. Although your family had taken his life, and the lives of all his followers. You were all left to suffer, and after such a horrendous outbreak that you all had thought you defeated too… The difference was. This time you were completely on your own. No friendly face to turn to. No guiding hand to help you. Just you and the corpse you stabbed in the skull.

You had followed the screams out. So sure you were following Rick and Carl… but so soon you realized you were completely and utterly wrong. Trudging through the woods towards the highway you knew was your Emergency escape route you cursed your lack of preparation. No water, no food. You knew you had to act fast. Find shelter before the sun completely set for the night, find food before you starved... trudging through the thick forest you quickly found a path to follow. It had paid off to have followed your boyfriend on so many hunting expeditions and to help him on runs.

Coming to a stop you stilled your breath slowly scanning the wooded area around you. Nothing but trees and leaves surrounded you even though you had thought you heard the soft crackle of leaves, the snapping of a twig behind you. It wasn't loud and obnoxious. Something you've come to expect of walkers by now. Nor was it natural and fluid like the wildlife you had so greatly come to miss. It felt human. Large and concise. Hunting. Shivers ran down your spine. Bobbing and weaving through the tree line you darted back out onto the road that you had left in favor of the camouflage of the forest. Pulling your rifle you aimed blindly. Footsteps coming nearer. Louder. Like a bear charging it even growled. Placing your finger on the trigger you stepped back. "Stop!" You yelled.

A boy scrawny and pale came tumbling out of the brush. No older than Carl he looked up to you, his eyes wide and fearful he shivered in fear. Plastered in mud and blood you stared him down panting as the adrenaline left you both. Slowly he raised his hands high, shaking like a leaf he shook his head. "I-I'm so sorry." He whispered. One of the governor's, you realized. "I-It's my sister. She's hurt real bad... please..."

Glaring daggers at the teen you hissed through your teeth, stepping forward your weapon still raised and pointed directly between his eyes. "And why should I help you?" You growled. "She's all I got left." He whispered a tear running down his cheek. Hmm... at one time in life you would have felt pity. You would have run to his aid in a heartbeat. Now... Now however you scoffed at him. "Shoulda thought about that before you got yerself blown ta hell and back." You hiss lowering your gun. With wide eyes the boy watches in disbelief as you sling your pack off your back and rummage through it. "Y-you're just going to let her die?!" He screamed. "Pretty much sounds like you are kid." You growl, pulling out the last of your protein bars before slinging your bag back over your shoulder. "Standing there ain't doin' her no favors so I'd hop to it if I were you." You muttered taking a bite of your bar and walking down the road a stretch. Stomping on the ground like a toddler who didn't get his way the kid whined. "No I'm asking you for help!" He yelled. You wanted to turn and glare. You wanted to yell and scream. Hell you wanted to shoot him. But the growling and the thick rustling of leaves alerted you to the oncoming horde early. In his rage he must not had heard. Until they were right on top of him. You wondered briefly if his sister was among them.

Alone again you let the road take you where it will. across a bridge and through a town that was overrun with walkers. It was there you adopted a few walkers to help you navigate the thick hordes in the streets. Releasing them into the next life once you made it to the next side of town you sighed the tire marks in town leading to a hospital you'd rather not go near. So instead a set of train tracks that you crossed became your path. Instinctively you listened for trains. Your boots worn with wear stuck in the wood and on the nails. It was there you saw the first sign. "Go to Terminus." Your heart swelled. You didn't know where they were. How close they were. But you had to hope. Maybe. Possibly. They were safe.

Resting against a garage for the night you closed your eyes for what felt like a mere second. It most certainly wasn't hours... or so you had thought. Leaves and twigs had become your best friend in this world. The early indicator of something to come. But this time it was more. Loud. Uncaring if it was heard. Jumping awake you reached for your gun by your side but before you could grab it a large boot kicked it away. The large man standing before you sneered at you. "So she's awake." He laughed as you pressed yourself as far into the metal wall as possible. Three more men stepped out of the woods around you both. The laughed and jeered at you kicking at your feet as you tried to make yourself as small as possible. "Bet she's good." One said. Another had the sheer audacity to grab a handful of your hair and sniff it. As you went to slap him another grabbed your hand the leader with the grey hair chuckled.

"Claimed."

Two voices chimed out at the exact same time. The leader's sleazy voice and another more familiar voice that made your chest hurt with expectancy. You had waited. Hoped. Dreamed. Hell you even dared to pray for the day to come again where you'd hear your love's sweet voice again. But not here. Not now. Not looking down the barrel of weapons pointed against you.

The leader turned. Glaring at the man who dared to oppose him. Stepping into the light of the moon Daryl looked... different. Changed. His eyes were distant and dark even in the night. "Daryl..." The leader hummed his scowl melting as he turned to the archer. Tutting slightly he shook his head snapping his fingers the other men moved in on you. Two men grabbed your upper arms, hauling you to your feet while the others grabbed your shit. "C'mon now..." He growled. Giving your boyfriend a look. "Ya know better by now than to try and just claim whatever ya want... specially if ya know I'm gonna claim it." He cooed circling Daryl menacingly.

You had expected Daryl to act. The Daryl you knew would have. He would never have stood there and took the shit these creeps were giving either of you... but this Daryl... this one you knew in passing but never truly met before... he bowed his head. He turned away. He simply murmured something low. Soft. Something you couldn't hear.

The leader nodded eyeing you. His expression morphing. From wolfish and greedy to concentrated and scanning. "A'ight..." He sighed running his hand through his hair. "You gonna let us teach him a lesson?!" One of the men currently bruising your arm screamed. The others rallied behind him. Cheering and jeering they whooped and hollered. The men holding you jerked you back and forth making you stumble back and forth between the two. There was silence and for a moment contemplation on the leader's face that made your heart race. "Search her... Daryl and I got business to discuss." He growled turning around he spun your boyfriend with him grabbing him by the shoulder and dragging him into the woods.

They dumped the contents of your bag onto the ground. Screams of "Claimed" ripped through the air and you were certain you'd be overrun by a horde any moment. Ripped apart limb from limb by the dead you had survived for years because of a few fucking morons. When all of your supplies including the bag itself and your rifle and ammo were claimed... the men turned their eyes on you.

"Can't touch 'em til Boss gets back." One chimed in as a particularly greedy one stepped forward. "Yeah... but she got pockets don't she?." The man hummed placing his hands on your waist. The others whistled and hollered once more as you backed away as far as the other two would let you.

"Don't you fucking touch me!" You hissed, baring your teeth to the bastard. Nodding he chuckled following you he grabbed you once more this time burying his hands deep in your pockets, attempting to cop a feel. Rearing your head back you growled and head butted the man landing a blow directly onto his nose. The satisfying crunch it left and the blood that trickled down between your brows onto your cheeks like war paint was proof enough. "I told ya not ta fuckin' touch me!" You screamed.

"Hey!" You heard the leader scream from inside the barrier of the forest. Immerging from the shadows of the trees the leader stormed up to the group with Daryl following behind like a kicked puppy. The one you hit writhed on the ground holding his face he whine and whimpered as the others parted like the sea for the leader who grabbed you by the jaw getting close enough to smell the rancid canned food on his breath. "You really got some fuckin' nerve." He bit out. It took everything in you not to spit in is filthy fucking face.

Standing back up straight the man huffed glaring down at you a glint in his eye you didn't like. "Now boys... as you know Daryl and I both called dibs at the same time..." All eyes on you. You swallowed the thick lump in your throat ready to fight to your last breath. "Now Daryl has made me aware of something very important here... a rule. See he did... in fact... call dibs first. He called dibs Long LONG before he met us. This here... This is his wife."

Wife? You blinked but tried not to look too surprised. Daryl was locking eyes with you. A quiet desperation there only you could see. Keep the act up. Stay strong. You glanced between Daryl and the leader. You felt the man holding your right arm tighten his grip adding another fresh bruise to your bicep. "Bull shit." He growled, his hands slid down your arm to your wrist twisting it back and up painfully so that you yelped out in pain and doubled over. "I don't see a fuckin' ring on her finger!" He yelled.

You heard footsteps. Not one set but two approaching you. "He's right... no ring..." The leader spoke directly above you. His boots shufled to turn towards Daryl's. "But..." He spoke again his boots shifting again as you felt a new calloused hand take your left hand, the promise ring you bore sliding off your ring finger made you feel naked and cold. "You were looking at the wrong hand..." The leader said his voice low and cold. The man holding your right arm released his grip stumbling back. Sitting back up you twisted out of the other man's hands for a second before he took your wrist lightly.

The leader held your promise ring up examining it. Your initials were carved into the inside of the ring. Something Daryl had done himself with his knife back at the prison when he found a set having stolen the idea from Glenn of course. "Teach him a lesson boys." The man grunted out gesturing with his head to the man who shook his head and begged for his life. You stood stock still as the others circled him like sharks to the drops of blood that fell from his face. Even Daryl who's eyes went as dark as the night nodded to the command, picking up something from the ground.

Your vison blurred, all you could see was Daryl's back. Blood splattering. You heard the screaming. Jumping at the hand on your shoulder you looked to the man turning you away from it all. "I haven't properly introduced myself yet." He murmured watching you swipe pink tears from your cheeks. "I'm Joe. I'm the leader of this here group. The Claimers. We don't normally keep women long... They get passed around a bit and then... well we get bored and they end up roaming as one of the other biters." He chuckled eyeing you up. Hyperventalating you shook your head pulling away slightly when you felt his arm wrap around your waist. "Now now," He whispered in your ear. "You're a valued honorary memeber." He cooed but his expression became cold and dark. "That means... you work for what you keep. You start with shit. And half yer shit goes to Daryl. Like in any good marriage." He said menacingly, grabbing your wrist. "Oh and one last thing... I get to taste you one time... just part of the deal Daryl and I worked out to let you live."

Cut between confusion and pain you wondered if all the promises Daryl ever made to keep everyone safe were in vain. Who was he? Was he really the man you met back at the Quarry and fell in love with? No... Probably not... He was different. Changed. Evolved into something different. Looking over your finger as Joe slipped your ring back on your finger you felt sick to your stomach. This Daryl, dripping in another man's blood was animalistic. He was brutal and cold.

That night Joe told everyone to just bunk down in the garage. Safer. He said. You tried to clear your head of the mess of a human corpse outside the metallic walls. Following close behind the others you followed Daryl like a lost puppy. "Claimed" Echoed through the building as all the "good" spots were being taken. But Daryl just stood. He waited out in the open and waited with you by his side. Never once looking at you or acknowledging your existence. "Dar-" You tried to speak but was only ignored as he turned away once everyone went quiet. "Claimed." He yelled out when he found the most secluded spot in the garage behind a tarped tactor.

Pointing to the ground he looked around for a moment, waiting for your to sit on the ground. "Dar-" Shaking his head he knelt pulling a blanket from his bag he tossed it over you. "Here." He muttered. Not looking at you. Never looking at you. He stood and walked back out of the garage.

Even with the wool blanket you felt alone and cold. Even more so than when you were actually traveling alone. You hated it. This feeling of abandonment. Blinking back tears your glared at the ceiling wrapping yourself tight in your blanket you tried to fall asleep.

Hours passed. You hadn't slept. How could you with the men snoring like chainsaws all night. But the door opening and closing quietly didn't go unnoticed. Rolling over you turned to Daryl as he approached you slowly. Kicking his boots by your feet he laid down beside you. Lifting the blanket you welcomed him into the warm environment you created with time. You fully expected him to turn you away. To roll away and huff. But instead he scooted close. pulling the blanket over you both.

His arms were around you in a second. Finding tender blossoming bruises he burried his face in your neck. The wetness of his cheeks stained your dirty shirt. "Thought I lost you." He whispered. "Wasn't gonna let anyone take you... Not..." He went silent pulling you as tight as ever. Happiness and warmth swelled in you. Love and security. Wrapping your arms around his neck you kissed the top of his head, running your fingers through his wet hair.

Truth be told he still smelled like a wet dog. Musty and damp. But he washed off. Didn't stop you from feeling angry and betrayed. "Daryl... Why did you tell Joe..." You swallowed the doubt that still reigned suprieme and rampaged like a tornado in your mind. "Why did you tell him he could... have me?" There was a moment Daryl was silent. You thought he would lie. He would divert the situation. But instead he pushed himself up on his elbows and cocked a brow. "Never said that." He whispered. "Did that prick say that to ya? Say ya owed him somethin? "He whispered his eyes scanning you worriedly. You nodded slowly watching his reaction. Nodding Daryl hummed. "Ok."

Blinking you tried to read his face in the dark. "O-Ok?" You whispered. Nodding he lowered himself down to your ear. "Can't say out loud what I want to do ta the bastard. Someone could hear." He breathed. "Oh..." You tensed. You eyes instinctively scanning for threats but the dark felt claustrophobic and you wanted to simply run.

You were kicked awake early the next morning. You hadn't even realized you had fallen asleep. Another night of closing your eyes and suddenly jerking awake to danger feeling entirely unrested... Nothing new but you could never get used to it either. "Up an 'em, sweetheart." The man with greasy hair murmured. In the morning light you could see the shiner that was swelling half the man's face. A large cut ran down his forehead to his cheek that in the old world would have required stitches to keep it from scaring but now would just prove as a lesson to the man to listen better in Joe's twisted system. "Waistin' daylight..." He growled once more glaring at your boy- No. Your husband.

Daryl seemed to respond in kind. Huffing at the man he stood with a low painful groan. "Let's go." He murmured softly offering a hand to you.

You followed on Daryl's heels throughout the day like a duckling to their mother. Keeping your eyes on the wings on his back, you tried to stay strong and keep from physically acting on the men who treated you more like an object than a human. "Why you carryin' yer own bag when you got a bitch ta do it fer ya?" The rotund one called, chuckling as you moved to Daryl's left away from him. "No on would blame ya if ya went off and unwound on her for a bit... hell I'd even let the boys have a turn when I was done." One of the men with a beanie called out smirking at you from across the crick you had all stopped at to refill your canteens in. Holding your middle you glared at him. Daryl stood handing you your canteen. Reaching out you caressed his arm to sooth him. You were safe if he was here. He couldn't be if he was hurt or dead. He needed to act rashly.

"Shut up." He hissed despite it all. The Dixon temper was never one that could easily be quelled. When pushed down it only became more explosive. More dangerous. "What did you fucking say to us?" The three men rounded you. "We're just tryin' ta be friendly like." The greasy haired man that woke you growled. "Don't need no friends." Daryl growled stepping up to him. "Daryl." You whispered, reaching out to touch him but decided against it when you saw the crazed look in your husband's eye.

"Enough."

Joe's commanding voice ripped the fight apart before it could start. "Len, go fetch some firewood and scout the area. Got a feeling we could get lucky 'round here. Tony, go sharpen that damned blade of yours it couldn't cut butter if we had any for fuck's sake let alone take a biter down if we needed. Dan, fuck off with Len. Set up a perimiter. Daryl. Go hunting for dinner." Joe gave out orders like it was nothing. But your heart pounded in your chest and and nearly leaped into your throat when he met your throat reaching into his bag to grab something. You watched Daryl closely. Every muscle tense and primed to act in case Joe acted pulling something. His hand snaking to the pistol he had hidden at his back.

"Honey, I need ya ta wash our shit. Our clothes, specially our socks and boxers are really starting to get ripe and chafe us. I think you could handle that much... huh?" He purred walking up to you handing a small bundle of used men's socks and boxers. The smell was horrendous and made bile rise to your throat. You had to force yourself to breath the same way you would in a hot summer day around a horde of walkers to get by. "Ok..." You whimpered nodding. Freezing when you felt his hand on your shoulder you stood stock still. "And, sweetheart..." He hummed, his grip becoming incredibly painful his soft expression turning hard. "It's sir to you... Yes, sir. Say it." Whimpering you tried not to give into him. You didn't fall to your knees or bow as he desperately wanted you to. Instead you turned to glare at him your hair swirling around your, a single tear as his only satisfaction. "Sir, yes, sir." You growl stumbling as he pushed you forward into the water.

Hours passed by. Joe gave you meaningless task after meaningless task. Anything to see you in a compromising position. Scrub his boots. Wash his hair. Wash your hair. Sort their bags. Weave a basket. (Something you didn't know how to do and utterly failed in doing.) When he ran out of tasks to give you he made things up. Jump in place in front of him. He tried to make you bathe in the crick but when you threatened to cut his balls off he laughed and said it was a joke.

"Hey..." Len's voice cut through your newest meaningless task. picking up acorns while Joe watched. Looking over your shoulder you cocked a brow at the man that seemed far too excited to have just been told to fuck off for a few hours. "We found something." Dan muttered. Walking out of the woods with a string of rabbits Daryl glared hard at the ground. You'd seen him through the treeline throughout the course of the day. Taking aim at Joe at certain angles when he was certain the older man wasn't looking. But Joe always laughed or shook his head. "I know your watching Daryl. Go back to hunting." Or a promise of "I won't touch if you don't shoot."

"We found a camp!" Len cheered, pulling you from your thoughts. "A camp?" You breathed without thought. "Hell yeah girl." Joe murmured misreading your concern for excitment and curiousity. Or rather ignoring it completely as he slapped you hard on the back making you drop the acorns you gathered. "Come on let's show our newbie how it's done..." Joe said smiling so much like the devil that when you actually met him years later you'd never believe it.

The camp was small. It only housed two people. A man and a woman. The woman gathered baby supplies on a pink baby blanket before her. Brunette hair caught the wind just so that her face was concealed an you never truly saw her face. The man was undoubtedly in love with the woman. From the distance you hid you swore the couple were Glenn and Maggie. Your heart pounded deep in your chest. Your breath caught in your throat and you had to stop the scream that threatened to rip through you.

"We flank from all sides." Joe whispered so low you could barely hear him over the ringing of your ears. "Daryl." He whispered, moving closer to the two of you as the others moved into position. "I want to actually see you in there this time. No late arrivals." He hummed nodding as Daryl grunted in response.

"C'mon." No.

"Darlin'... We need ta move." Daryl whispered. No, God please no.

Your entire body shook, your eyes wide as saucer plates. Moving forward in the brush you only stopped when you felt Daryl's hand on yours. Turning to Daryl fear in your eyes you shook your head. Not again.

Pulling you away into the denser brush as Joe began his speech to the couple you could just barely see the others moving in.

Your body jerked when the screams started. Pulling at Daryl's hand you sobbed hard. "Daryl!" You wailed only to be pulled back his hand covering your mouth so your sobs were muffled. "It ain't them." He whispered. Pulling you incredibly tight you felt him bury his face in the crook of your neck hot tears rolling down your collar bone mixing with your own. "It can't be them."

That night you all slept under the stars. Fire lit and as warm as you could be in the middle of fall you and Daryl were of the first to retire, finding a spot in the dirt to bed down you laid against a large tree your back pulled against him. Just like when you two started dating out on the road. His wool blanket provided enough warmth to the both of you that the ground didn't bother you. Even with the rocks and roots digging into your side.

Just as you started to nod off you jerked awake to the sound of sets of heavy drunken footsteps. Daryl's arm wrapped tight around your middle. pulling you close. The others had found liquor at the camp and indulged heavily in it. Only Daryl and Joe refused to touch it.

"Claimed!" One man screamed loud. Belligerent. The smell of booze stained the air and made your empty stomach turn. "Nuh-uh." Another hissed. "I already claimed that spot." Len... Daryl had told you to watch out for him. He had an issue with claiming what wasn't his. he'd claimed what little food Daryl could get out hunting while on patrol.

"Bull shit!" The other man, you assumed to be Ivan screamed back. "It's true!" You tried to tune them out, squeezing your eyes shut breathing slowly, hoping you and Daryl went unnoticed. But as the fight got worse and worse you couldn't help the way you physically jumped when Tony landed on the ground on his back near by the two of you. Covering your mouth Daryl pulled you tight against his body as the two men rolled onto the wool blanket then off again.

You couldn't sleep after that even if sleep found the two that fought just a few moments ago. Turning to Daryl you buried yourself deep in his chest. "What was the wife thing about?" You got the courage to ask when all was quiet and the snores of the men matched the previous night. Shaking his head Daryl laid back staring at the night sky. He was silent for a moment. Whether he was waiting for a break in the snoring or simply listening for any eave's droppers you'd never know. "Probably shoulda done it a long time ago... just..." His words fell off going silent. Sitting up you captured his eyes in yours. "I love you, Daryl." You whispered. "We'll find them... I promise." But he remained cold. His eyes dark, distant. "Get some sleep."

Time seemed to go in a blur after that. Days and nights melded together. Didn't matter which was which truly. You never felt rested. Your stomach never empty. Daryl attempted to feed you his portions. But as the lowest on the poll he got scraps as it was and you hated taking what he had.

You were tired and underfed when you found Rick, Michonne, and Carl. You had believed that they were just visions when you first saw them. Len held you by the arm. "Gotta make sure she gets in on the action with this one!" He yelled, jerking you around. Wide eyed and in disbelief you gapped like a fish. These people looked just like your family.

"Rick?" You managed. Silence. Joe turned to you his eyes questioning before he gripped you hard. Jerking away you tried to free yourself from his grasp. "Hey! Let her go!" Michonne screamed from the grasp of another man. "Don't you fuckin' touch her!" Carl cried. You nearly wailed out and fell to your knees in pure bliss and euphoria. Hearing their voices. Knowing for a fact they were real. But you were on the ground before you could act. Your face to the pavement you groaned as a boot ground against the back of your skull holding you there. "I've got one free ticket to paradise here boys... why not use it while the pickin's good?" Joe hummed.

You screamed as hands grabbed at you before you could even process the cold pavement below or the screams of your family by your side. Swinging with all your might in any direction you could get a good hold on you connected a few good hits. The yelling from your family was nightmarish. You forced yourself to close your eyes Not wanting to witness or watch what could possibly be happening. Daryl had shielded you last time. Alone you felt vulnerable and terrified.

The boot on your head made your head pound and ache. It was crushing your head and it felt as if your brains would spill if they stepped any harder. Your hair was yanked. Your blouse cut down the back. But before anything else could happen. The person on your head. Joe you believed. Stumbled off. A resounding smacking of knuckles to skin echoing through the woods. Sitting up your shirt slid from your shoulders as you stared wide eyed at Daryl. He had gotten one good swing in. Glancing to you was his downfall. He was dogpiled before he had the chance to say otherwise but the others forgot the knife in your boot. They forgot to check Carl or Michonne in their haste.

Blood pooled on the highway. The five of you stood gasping as one family unit once more, covered in blood but victorious above all odds. Gasping and staring down at the ugly hideous creatures below you, tears rolled down your cheeks. Daryl once again refused to look at you. Instead he offered his vest to you to cover you up with. Instead he turned and glanced to Rick a heartbroken boy staring at a man looking for forgiveness.

You were enveloped by Michonne and Carl before you could say other wise. Not that you would ever pull away ever again. Pulling them close you watched the makeshift brothers share a silent conversation. One guarded and afraid.

The other loving and accepting willing to forgive.

Rick held Daryl tight as he cried and the three of you migrated to them. Hugging them tight you rested your head on Daryl's shoulder, closing your eyes. For the first time since the fall... there was a small flicker of hope.

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[darylsdelts]

Breathe

Darylxdaughter!reader

summary: Daryl is your father, upon entering Alexandria for the first night, you struggle with your anxiety and your Dad comforts you as best he can.

warnings: mentions of nausea, anxiety, panic attacks, fatherly comfort.

Arriving at the gates of the new community…Alexandria, you felt your stomach doing flips. Usually when kids were scared or nervous, they would hold onto their parents hand a little tighter but you were the opposite, you almost always were, in every way you were the opposite to ‘most kids’.

When the gates started to open, your father, Daryl reached for your hand, giving it a small squeeze. Your dad always knew what would get you anxious and he also knew how you tried to deal with the feeling, so he knew that you did not want to hold his hand right now, he knew it made you feel like the world was putting its entire weight on you. He also knew that you hated that he could always tell when you’d start feeling the tightness in your chest, it filled you with humiliation.

However, Daryl could feel his own chest tightening with anxiety. Bringing his child into a place that he’s unfamiliar with, full of people he couldn’t trust, scared the shit outta him. It filled him with guilt, knowing that he couldn’t ever promise you safety but he also wasn’t one to ever lie to you.

It was like some sort of internal humiliation, you hated that you couldn’t just breeze through certain situations like your Dad or like Rick, they were never scared of anything.

You swiftly pulled your hand from your fathers grip, earning a glance down in your direction which you tried your best to ignore, he had a way of making his gaze feel like it could burn you alive.

Despite not wanting to be touched or comforted, yous still stuck right by your fathers side. You hated admitting it but being next to your dad did comfort you and being in this foreign community, you needed that.

It felt like an eternity of standing next to Daryl, scuffing your feet against the smooth tarmac whilst the adults spoke about where y’all were gonna be sleeping. Your dad didn’t really give much input, he didn’t seem fond of this place so you decided you wouldn’t be either. You weren’t paying attention to the conversation but you assumed there had been some sort of arrangement when Daryl flattened his palm on your upper back and pushed you in the direction of a house that wasn’t claimed by a family yet.

When it was time to sleep, the group all slept on the floor together even though they all had beds now, and you wanted so badly to sleep in a bed. However, you understood why and you felt safer when you were with the whole group anyway.

But knowing that you were basically trapped in this new place made your tummy hurt and your lungs work a little harder. 

You were sat with your back against the wall, a small space between the windowsill and the cot that Judith was in, and your knees were drawn to your chest. You and your father were the only ones still awake, he was sat on the window sill and watching the darkness outside, always ready.

Your eyes scanned over your found family, all pairs of eyes were closed and they were all unconscious. 

You thought about the fact that this is what they’d all look like if they were all dead in front of you and you feel an uncomfortable wave of heat come over you, from your head to your toes and now your feet felt tingly. You started to overthink: were you really safe here? You felt safe if you were with your dad but with the way he was staring out the window, as if he was waiting for something bad to happen, didn’t make it seem like he felt safe here. What if this place was like terminus? They’re just pretending to be good people. Maybe you’ll wake up and everyone will actually be dead.

The room started to feel way too small, way too much like an enclosure.

You got up as quietly as you could, stepping carefully over your family and heading to the front door.

You were getting that weird feeling, the one where you feel like your heads being pulled back whilst your body drags you forward. Every time you’ve felt this way, your dad has been able to tell and every time he’d always get you to fresh air if you weren’t already outside, so that’s what you were doing.

Once you were on the porch, you shut the door as quietly as possible and walked to the corner of the wooden bannister, sliding down to the ground so that you were sat with your knees tucked against your chest again.

You attempted to take deep breaths like Dad had taught you to, you’d seen him do it himself sometimes too. Dad said that he sometimes got the same feeling as you got when he was scared… but he never really seemed scared.

You tried to keep up the breathing exercise but your jaw began to tingle and your head was getting a little fuzzy, you felt like you were really about to throw up.

You only ever got this bad twice.

The first was before the walkers were around, when you had to wait in your Dads truck whilst he visited grandpa Will. Dad never let you go in with him, you weren’t exactly sure why your dad still visited him because when he came back to the truck he was always angry but Dad never spoke about it. But you always got the bad feeling when your father was in there a little too long.

The second was on the farm, when Andrea shot Daryl in the side of his head, you were forced to sit down on a bench with Lori and Carl whilst Hershel tried to help your Dad. You were sure he was gonna be gone, you were so scared that you pretty much stopped breathing whilst Lori tried to assure you that your dad was strong and he’d be fine. That time you really did throw up.

You didn’t even realise the door had opened when you were pulled from your thoughts as you felt someone brush some hair out of your face.

You flinched and it took effort to focus your eyes on the person, but when you did you saw it was Dad.

“Hey… ya hearing’ me? Ya gotta breathe for me y/n”

Daryl rubbed his large hand on your shoulder and held his other hand under your chin to get you to look at him. When your breathing didn’t seem to slow down, he took your much smaller hand in his and put it flat on his chest.

“C’mon, just like Daddy, darlin’… nice n slow…”

Your tried your best, trying to match your fathers rise and fall of his chest. After about two minutes if repeating the slow breaths, you realised you had been crying. You hated crying, even in front of your Dad, sure, he’d seen you cry plenty but you still hated it, it made you feel so dramatic.

As soon as you realised how wet your cheeks were, you ducked your head down, your hair falling over your eyes.

Daryl knew you were trying to hide, and he let you for all of ten seconds before he sat with his back against the bannister with his legs out straight in front of him.

He snaked an arm around your shoulder and tried to pull you into him.

“C’mere”

When you forced your body to resist, he pulled a little harder.

“Baby, c’mere…”

You reluctantly let him pull you into his side and his hand smoothed over your hair repeatedly as you sniffled.

After a while, you finally spoke, trying desperately to sound angry at him.

“Ain’t a baby.”

You felt Daryl’s chest vibrate a little with a chuckle.

“Yer my baby, dun care how old…”

You didn’t say anything, you liked that he said that, it made you feel safe just like most things he said or did.

You both sat in silence for a bit, daryl still stroking your hair.

Until your Dad speaks in a low and quiet voice.

“I know yer feelin’ stuck n ya ain’t likin’ this place so far but we ain’t even been here one day yet. I dun like it either… feels like we’re all trapped or sum’n and I-“

He stops and sighs.

“Know ya don’t like tellin’ me when yer feelin’ scared or when yer gettin’ anxious but you gotta tell me, baby.”

When you don’t reply, he takes another deep breath.

“Listen, I dun know what ya need if ya ain’t gon’ tell me, darlin’.”

You shrugged a little, you didn’t exactly need anything, you just wished that you could know that you and your family would be fine, but your dad couldn’t promise that for you.

“This place makes my tummy hurt.”

Daryl sighed, feeling guilty that he couldn’t do much to help.

“Mine too… but I ain’t gon’ let nothin’ bad happen to ya, you know that, right?”

“I know… just wish my head didn’t go all weird n I could be strong like you…”

Daryl squeezed you tighter to him.

“You make me brave, y/n… wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have you”.

You couldn’t really understand that. Surely it would be easier to survive without having to worry about a kid. You didn’t understand that your father had meant what he said in a different way, he knew he would’ve given up a long time ago if he didn’t have you to look after, you were his only reason to fight because you were the only thing that mattered to him.

“And… you’ll get better at dealin’ with yer head, I promise… I used to get like that as a kid too… still do sometimes”, Daryl spoke out into the night, he’d never admitted to you that he had also dealt with the same thing at your age, and that he still sometimes had to deal with it. He knew that you saw him as invincible but he sure as shit weren’t, he’d had his fair share of panic attacks, plenty that had gone unnoticed by you and the group because he’d grown up having to learn how to make them invisible.

“Your brain goes weird too?”

“Mhm, sometimes… when things feel like they’re gettin’ too much… that’s why ya came out ‘ere, right?”

You nod against his shoulder, you had calmed down completely now and your eyes were beginning to drop closed against your will.

“I know…” he glances down at you. “C’mon... ya need rest, kid”.

You didn’t have the energy to protest when your Dad practically pulled you off the ground and guided back to the living area where the group was still sleeping. Daryl held both your shoulders as he pushed you toward the windowsill, where he sat down then pulled you down to lay your head in his lap. He laid his leather vest over your shoulders and then let one hand rest on the side of your head, his thumb stroking your hairline, of course he didn’t sleep, he stayed up all night, staring out the window. He still felt guilt eating away at him, he wished that you didn’t have to suffer with your anxiety the same way he did but he was at least glad that he could be there for you, that’s more than he had.

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