Chapter Text
The dark forest was quiet as you moved through the thick brush.
Blood stained your hands and was soaked into your hair, but you were still alive and the new cruel world hadn’t won yet. You didn’t know where you were, but as long as the bastards who had gone for you while you slept were long gone, then all was good.
At least for now.
The cold air was not friendly as it seeped into your bones and surrounded you. You had lost your warm jacket to a pack of Dead when they had grabbed at you, tearing through the warm material. You had managed to stick an arrow in two of them before taking off in a sprint, leaving your only source of warmth behind.
You couldn’t remember the last time you had more than a few hours of sleep at a time. When you were able to, you found a sturdy tree and strapped yourself down high up in the branches with a bungee cord, but even that had its faults. The Dead could still smell you and would circle the tree, causing more and more to converge on your hiding place. It wasn’t the most ideal situation, but it was all that you had and it was better than being beaten and raped by passing groups or having to relive the nightmares that lived in your head.
As long as you focused on surviving and kept distracted, your emotions wouldn’t overwhelm you and you may just survive the new world.
The sound of running water reached your ears and you nearly wept at the sound. You had run out of water yesterday and even if everything else was going to shit, the world let you have this. It was something.
You picked your way through the woods, keeping an arrow notched on your bow just in case. You found the stream not much further down the path and wasted no time in kneeling down by the bank and gulping down a handful of cool running water. Boiling it be damned, you thought.
After you had drunk your fill, you pulled your bottle from your pack and filled it to the brim. You then dunked your head into the water, trying to scrub the blood that stuck to your hair. You weren’t even sure if it was your own, your assailants, or the Dead’s blood. You decided that you really didn’t care.
You were so wrapped up in trying to feel human again that you didn’t hear the person sneaking up on you until the hammer of the revolver was pulled back. Your hands went to your bow, but their voice made you pause.
“Don’t even think about it,” a gruff voice said and the deepness of it made you shiver. It was never good when a man snuck up on you. “Hands where I can see them.” Slowly, not seeing another option, you raised your hands and turned to him, keeping your eyes lowered. His worn leather cowboy boots came into your view and as you lifted your (Y/E/C) eyes, he lifted the barrel of his revolver.
The man before you was tall, his hair was curled around the nape of his neck, and a brush of stubble was across his cheeks. The look in his eyes was deadly and it made you swallow thickly. You had managed to evade strangers for a while now, the ones you had been running from had been a fluke. A couple of men traveling that had come across you. You figured they had given up on you and continued on their way hoping for a new victim.
However, this man could be worse and that was offering no comfort to you. Your eyes flicked between the gun and the boots, trying to gauge your chances of escaping without a hole in your head.
“Please,” you said quietly, “take whatever you want.” You then steeled yourself and pushed to standing slowly and faced down the man with the gun. “But if you try to lay a hand on me, I will kill you. Even if I have to come back and tear you apart with my teeth.” You let your threat settle between them and the man lowered his gun slightly, but didn’t drop it.
“Was that a threat?” He asked.
“More like a promise,” you answered. You moved to grab your bow, but the revolver moved back into place instantly. “Asshole,” you bit out. He narrowed his eyes at you and took a step forward, but then a voice called out.
“Rick, stop!” You started at the voice and hole opened up in your chest. It sounded like… No, you wouldn’t let yourself think about him again. Not after the many times you had thought you heard the voice of your brother.
A figure came through the trees, still cloaked in darkness and you took a step back, tripping on a root, sending you down to the forest floor.
“Rick!” The voice said again and your heart thudded in your chest. It nearly stopped as the figure stepped into the light of the moon. “Oh my god.” You didn’t say anything as you beheld the man that stared down at you, his eyes wide.
Tears immediately started falling and you didn’t care if the man with the gun was there. “Daryl…?” You choked out and then he fell to his knees next to you. “Daryl!” You cried as you looped your arms around your younger brother.
You had finally found him.
Daryl clutched his sister to him, nearly crushing you into his chest. He smoothed his calloused hands over your hair, breathing in the smell of you and feeling the vibrations that went through you as you cried. “(Y/N),” he sighed, holding you tighter.
You pulled back, your hands going to his face, brushing the hair from his cheeks. “I thought you were dead,” you said, looking into his eyes, the eyes of your mother.
“Ya know it takes a lot more than an apocalypse to kill me,” he said in his low accent and hearing that deep Georgian accent was like coming home.
“Daryl,” the man, Rick, said. “Who is this?” Daryl looked back over his shoulder and his form went rigid.
“Put the damn gun down, Rick. Point that thing someplace else, will ya?” Rick looked at Daryl for a moment before holstering his weapon. Daryl then gripped your arms and helped you up. “It’s okay, yer okay now,” he said in your ear. Keeping an arm around you, Daryl turned to Rick.
“Rick, this (Y/N), my sister,” Daryl said and Rick’s face turned from concerned to surprised.
Rick didn’t say anything as Daryl shouldered your pack and handed you back your weapon, smiling slightly at the sight of your mother’s old bow.
“It was in the garage,” you told him, “figured nobody was comin’ for it.”
“Glad you took it,” Daryl said, adjusting his crossbow on his arm. “You were always better with it than Merle.” That made you stop.
“Is he…?” You trailed off, not willing to ask the question.
“Merle’s dead,” Daryl said and something about his face told you not to push the issue, at least not yet. You could tell that he wanted to ask questions of his own, but he also wanted to get out of the woods.
“Where are we goin’?” You asked, trying to keep up with the men who had much longer legs than you.
“We have a place,” Daryl said, “you’ll be safe there.”
“Daryl…” Rick said, his voice full of warning.
“Just…wait, Rick. Alright? Let me get her some place warm and then we’ll start askin’ the questions.”
“What questions?” You asked, through shivering teeth.
“Don’t worry ‘bout it,” Daryl said, tugging you along further. A few more moments and a large chain link fence came into view.
Along with a large group of the Dead.
Your footsteps faltered as you beheld the sight, reaching for your weapon.
“S’alright,” Daryl said to you and then he took a flashlight from his belt and flashed it twice. A second later, a light from what looked like a tower, mimicked the movement. Suddenly, there were shouts.
“Hey! Over here!”
“Come on and get us!”
“Hey!”
The shouts just kept coming and more voices joined in. Just how many people were here, you wondered. Daryl and Rick lead you towards a large metal gate. The Dead were too preoccupied by the new waves of noise that they managed to get onto the gravel road without incident. Still, Daryl kept his crossbow in front of him and Rick kept his hand on his gun.
You were between both men as they approached the gate. Then the large gate rattled open and a young boy in a sheriff’s hat ushered you inside, slamming the gate behind the three of you. As soon as the latch was secured, Daryl relaxed and then finally looked you over, taking in your face. The look in your eyes and the way you carried yourself was a lot like your older brother, but so much was strictly you and it nearly brought tears to his eyes.
“Who’s this?” The kid in the hat asked.
“Daryl’s sister, apparently,” Rick said as he stared between you and Daryl.
“I’m Carl,” the kid said, waving awkwardly. You nodded to the kid, noticing the gun on his belt.
“Let’s get inside before we freeze to death,” Daryl grumbled as he led you through the yard and toward a large building. As you looked around, it finally clicked as to what this place was.
“You live in a prison?” You gasped.
“It has fences and beds,” Rick said as he strode next to you . “We’ve made it home.” You nodded, taking in the sights around you, but you couldn’t shake the sounds of the Dead just down the small hill. You kept your eyes forward, tightening your grip on your brother.
The four of you stepped through another gate and headed for a large cell block. As soon as the metal door closed behind you, the sounds of the Dead were drowned out and you let out a breath. “Come on,” Daryl said, pulling you further into the building.
He took you into an area with a few tables and beyond that you saw a few people looking at you through a gate that you were sure was locked.
Carl went over and stood by the door, his hand on his gun. Daryl took your bow from you and set it gently on the table and then helped you with the quiver on your back, careful not to brush up against any of the fresh scrapes and bruises he could see on your bare shoulders.
“Beth,” Daryl said to a young blonde girl, “can ya grab me a blanket?” She nodded without having to be asked twice and quickly returned with a wool blanket that you figured was from the prison inventory. Daryl quickly pulled it around your shoulders, rubbing your arms with his large hands. “Yer gonna be okay,” he whispered, taking a seat next to you and looping an arm around your shoulders.
“This is Daryl’s sister,” Rick announced to the others and you got a look at the others in their group. There was Beth and a woman next to her that was keeping a protective watch over the blonde. You figured that was Beth’s sister and an asian man who was holding hands with the woman. Then there was an older woman with short gray hair who stood next to a tall dark skinned woman who had a sword along her back. An older man with one leg sat at the table next to yours and then of course there was Rick and Carl. Judging by the way Rick was standing in front of the kid, you figured Carl was his son.
“I didn’t know you had a sister,” the woman with the short hair said, breaking the silence.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” Daryl grumbled as he took a piece of your hair and moved it from your face, trying to keep you warm. “She’s my older sister,” Daryl continued, “but younger than Merle.”
“How’d you find us?” Rick asked, clearly not fully comfortable with your sudden appearance. You felt Daryl tighten his grip on you. You reached over and held onto his hand.
“I wasn’t lookin’ for people,” you explained. “In fact, I wasn’t even headin’ this way. I was tryin’ to get more North, but I got turned around when I started running from them.”
“The Walkers?” Rick asked and you looked at him in confusion.
“The Dead,” Daryl clarified.
“Oh, no,” you shook your head, “Yeah, I mean they’ve been around. Pretty big group of them not too far away a couple weeks ago, but no, I was runnin’ from people not…Walkers,” you said, trying out the word.
“People?” The woman next to Beth asked.
“Couple of men who tried…” you trailed off and then shook away the fear that crept up your spine, “A couple of men tried to take me, they had rope and knives, but I managed to cause a distraction. Let out a couple of the Dead from a nearby van and they went for them so I could get away.”
“I would have killed them,” Daryl growled from next to you. You looked at him and nodded slightly.
“I know.” You then looked back to Rick, “I wasn’t planning to stay after I found the stream. If you hadn’t of found me and pointed a gun at me, I would have never known my little brother was here.” Daryl rested his head on your shoulder and you leaned into him.
“(Y/N),” Rick began, “I need to ask you some questions.”
“Rick,” Daryl warned.
“Daryl, I know she’s family, but—”
“It’s fine,” you cut him off, “ask your questions.” Rick looked at you for a moment before nodding.
“How many Walkers you killed?” He asked.
“I don’t know, I don’t keep count. More than two dozen at least?” You offered.
“How many people you kill?” Rick asked next and you felt your heart stutter.
“Three,” you said.
“Why?”
“Two because they tried to kill me and,” you paused, trying to find the courage to finish. You leaned away from your brother and leaned your elbows on your knees. “The third was because he asked me to.”
“Who?” Carl asked, interjecting. Tears pooled in your eyes, but you wouldn’t hide them anymore. It was Daryl that spoke next.
“Carter?” He asked quietly. You looked at him and nodded. “Her fiance,” he clarified for the others. You felt your hands shaking and you knew what his next question would be. “(Y/N), if Carter…if he’s dead,” he paused and the tears began dripping off your chin. “If he’s dead, where’s Hannah?”
Something broke inside you at her name. It wasn’t sadness anymore, it was just hollow. You looked at your brother with a frown, your face wet with tears of guilt. “No,” he whispered as his arm fell away from you, to cradle his own head. “No, no, no,” he said, the anger growing.
“Daryl, I’m sorry,” you said, nearly pleading as you gripped his shoulders. “I took my eyes off of her for thirty seconds. Then the camp was overrun and neither of us could get to her in time. Carter…he saw it happen.” Daryl shook as he listened. He could barely speak so you looked to the confused faces of the prison group. “Hannah was my daughter,” you told them, “she died at the start of all this.” Daryl fell to the floor, leaning back on his hands as he took in the news. His niece, only six years old, was dead, taken by this new world.
“Maggie,” Rick said quietly as he watched his friend slowly fall apart, “can you get (Y/N) some dry clothes and help get her situated?” Maggie, the woman you thought to be Beth’s sister nodded and disappeared through the gate as Carl held it open. “Let’s just give them a moment, everyone,” Rick said and ushered everyone out as you held onto your heartbroken brother and let the grief wash over you both.
Once Daryl had calmed down, you helped him up and he wrapped his arm around your waist and then pulled you in for a hug.
Neither of you said anything as you held each other. You just breathed him in and relished in the feel of family once again.
“Come on,” he said, his voice low, “let’s get some sleep, we can talk more in the morning’.” He took you into the cell block and up the metal staircase and into a cell. Maggie had brought fresh clothes and an extra blanket for you. Daryl pulled the mattress off the top bunk and lay it down on the floor. He then pulled back the blankets of the bottom bunk and gestured for you to lay down. As soon as you settled onto the cot, he lay down on the mattress next to you on the floor, staring up at you.
“I’m sorry,” you whispered. He shook his head, reaching for your hand. You let your hand fall over the edge of the bed and grab onto his.
“Wasn’t yer fault,” he promised, “don’t you ever think it was, (Y/N). Never.” You nodded at his words. “Get some sleep.” You wanted to stay up, talk to him, but the overwhelming fatigue took you and soon, you fell into the darkness as you held onto Daryl’s hand.
The only family you had left.
When you woke up the next morning, you were alone in the cell.
It took you a couple of minutes to wrap your head around everything that had happened. You had found Daryl, you were safe behind fences, you were alive. Those three things were all that mattered as you sat up in the bunk and rubbed the sleep from your tired eyes.
The clothes you were wearing were the ones you had been wearing as you ran through the woods the night before. Peeling off your stiff boots, you changed into the clothes Maggie had gotten for you. You and Maggie were roughly the same size so luckily everything fit well enough. Stuffing your feet back into your boots, you grabbed one of Daryl’s button ups and pulled it on, noticing the prison walls didn’t do much for warmth, but it was better than being in the woods or up in a tree.
The sun was filtering in through the windows near the ceiling and you could hear the other prison residents starting their day.
“Good morning.” You jumped slightly at the sound and turned to see Maggie coming out of a cell at the end of the walkway. “We didn’t officially get to meet last night, I’m Maggie.” She offered you her hand and you took it, pushing up Daryl’s long sleeves.
“(Y/N),” you said, “thanks for clothes,” you said, gesturing to the jeans and tank top.
“Not a problem at all,” she said with a grin and then gestured for you to follow her down stairs. “If you’re looking for Daryl, he’ll be back soon. Michonne found some Walkers down by E Block so she, Rick, Daryl, and my husband, Glenn, went to take care of them. Shouldn’t be long. My sister, Beth, said she saw them take a walkie so if they’re in trouble, we’ll know.”
“Michonne is the woman with the sword?” You asked, already feeling the anxiety rise as you thought about Daryl going after the Dead.
“That’s right,” Maggie said, still cheerful. “She’s a hell of a fighter and from the way your brother fights, I’m assuming so are you.”
“I can shoot,” you said.
“Then it’s a good thing we have you now, (Y/N),” Maggie said with a grin. You and her made it down to the lower level. Carl was sitting with Beth as he cleaned his gun. Beth watched on in curiosity. You didn’t know how old Carl was, but it made you feel a bit sad to see the kid with a gun, but this was the way the world was and it was better than becoming a victim.
Maggie sat across from her sister and patted the seat on her other side. You sat down, slowly, fiddling with your sleeves. Beth slid over a container of peaches. “I can never finish a whole can by myself,” she said, “too sweet.”
You looked down at the fruit in the syrup and your mouth watered. It had been weeks since you had anything besides squirrel and canned tomato soup. “Thank you,” you said with a small smile as you dug into the canned fruit.
“So,” Beth continued, causing you to look up, “what was Daryl like as a kid?”
“Beth,” Maggie warned.
“You can’t tell me you’re not curious,” Beth said and then looked back at you with patience. You swallowed another peach.
“Uh, he was like most kids, I guess. Looked out for me, even though I was older, played in the woods, was always runnin’ around being…Daryl,” you said with a light laugh that took you by surprise. It had been so long since you laughed. “He was a good kid and an even better man. I can tell he still is.” Beth smiled and Maggie mirrored her sister, Carl was listening, but not offering any of his own commentary.
“You look like him,” Beth noticed. You laughed again. Maggie then reached out and touched your arm. You looked at her and saw the sorrow in her face.
“I’m very sorry about what happened to your family, (Y/N),” Maggie said sincerely. “We’ve lost people, but I could never imagine what it would be like to lose a child. I’m so sorry.” A wave of…something washed through you and you lay your hand over hers.
“You’re actually the first person to say that to me,” you said after you realized it was the truth. “Thank you.”
“We look out for family here,” Beth said, “and you’re Daryl’s family which means you’re ours now.” Your throat was too thick to speak so you just nodded.
Before anyone else could say something, commotion sparked behind you as two people walked in with grins on their faces. “Victory is mine!” The woman said, her grin lit up her face.
“You found some?” Beth asked, suddenly very excited.
“Hell yeah,” the woman said as she dumped a duffel bag on the table and Maggie looked like she wanted to say something but before she could, the unknown woman unzipped the bag and showed the table what she had found.
Cases of baby formula.
Your blood ran cold.
“Sasha fought off four Walkers for that stash,” the man said, clapping Sasha on the shoulder.
“Shut up, Tyreese, you helped,” Sasha said, shrugging off his hand. He smiled at her and then Tyreese noticed you.
“Who’s this?” Sasha turned to look at you and then looked at Maggie. .
“This is (Y/N), Daryl’s sister, we found her last night,” Maggie explained, but you couldn’t focus on Sasha and Tyreese. All you could do was stare at the formula.
They had a baby here.
“(Y/N),” Beth said, lightly touching your wrist. You looked at her finally. “This is Sasha and her brother, Tyreese.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Tyreese said kindly while Sasha just looked at you, much like how Rick had looked at you the night before.
You tried to speak, but again the words were locked in your throat. Maggie noticed. “Sasha could you go put this with the others,” Maggie asked and then gave Sasha a look that had the other woman hauling the bag off the table and disappearing around the corner.
“Who’s the formula for?” You asked, finding your words.
“My sister,” Carl said, “she’s still working her way up to solid food.” It was then that it clicked. Rick had a daughter. That was why he dispersed everyone so quickly when you and Daryl had your moment.
“Yeah, it can, uh, take some time,” you said roughly, trying to keep a pleasant look on your face. The only thing going through your mind was Hannah’s little hands wrapping around your fingers and the smell of her head after her baths or even the little noises she made when she slept on your chest. It was all coming back to you at once when you had worked hard not to think about your baby.
“Are you okay, (Y/N)?” Maggie asked and you turned to her, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” you said, getting to your feet. “I’m just gonna go get some air. That okay?” You asked, still not sure if there were rules here.
“Yeah, the yard is safe, just don’t go into any of the far cell blocks,” Maggie said and you nodded. You left the cell block behind as you quickly made your way out into the open air. There were more people here than you expected and then you realized there must have been more people in Cell Block D. You avoided their gazes as you walked through the courtyard, shaking off all the memories that threatened to overtake you. Finding a picnic table, you sat on the top, resting your elbows on your knees as you looked out over the yard.
You could see the Dead as they tried to break through the fences, but a group of four were walking along the chain link and stabbing the Dead through their decaying skulls. The sounds of their groans were nearly deafening even at a distance. It was a sound that would never leave you, even if it all stopped one day, that noise would follow you forever.
You stayed there as the sun rose in the sky, leaving the morning behind as noon approached. You didn’t know how long you were out there until a hand came down on your shoulder. Daryl looked down at you with concern. “Hey,” he said softly.
“Hey.”
“Maggie said I’d find ya out here,” he said, taking a seat next to you, “she said ya left after Sasha brought home the formula.” You just nodded, keeping your eyes on the yard. “Probably should have warned you about the little one.”
“It’s fine,” you told him. “You didn’t know about Hannah.”
“I’m sorry, (Y/N),” he whispered, “M’sorry we weren’t there to protect ya’ll. I figured because of Carter’s service record that he’d get ya out and then when we tried to get back into the city…”
“There was nothing left,” you finished, remembering the napalm that rained down from the sky.
“Yeah,” he nodded.
“We got out, but it was so chaotic and when we got back to the house, the Dead were everywhere. I managed to get the bow and some clothes and food for Hannah, but then we had to run and we couldn’t get back.” You turned your eyes to him. “I didn’t know if you would make it or if you had Merle with ya. I tried looking for both of you when it happened, but I had Hannah and I…”
“Ya had to keep her safe,” Daryl said.
“And I couldn’t even do that,” you said, wringing your hands.
“You can’t blame yourself for what happened, (Y/N/N),” he said.
“Since when do you call me (Y/N/N)?” You asked.
“Haven’t gotten the chance to in a bit,” he said and you nodded, understanding.
“I’ll work on not feelin’ guilty for Hannah and Carter, if you stop feelin’ guilty too. Deal?” You offered your fist just as you had when you were kids. He nodded and then tapped your fist with his. Then, he reached over and tugged you closer to him, planting a kiss to the side of your head.
“It’s really good to see ya, girl,” he whispered. You leaned into him before pulling back.
“You smell like rotting corpses,” you told him and he grimaced.
“Had to take care of a few Walkers down in E,” Daryl said, “Imma go get a new shirt, you just try and relax for a bit. Yer safe here, (Y/N), don’t forget that.” You nodded and he squeezed your shoulder once before heading off to go get a clean shirt.
After Daryl left, you decided to walk the yard. Slipping through the gate, you meandered through the field, keeping a wide distance between you and the far fences. They had a well-groomed garden going as well as some pigs. It seemed that even amongst all the death and chaos, they were doing well. It was enough to lift a bit of the weight off your shoulders.
As you walked through the tall grass, you let your fingers brush against them and felt the warm sun on your neck. You sighed at the feeling, letting the peace swirl around you.
“You know, Beth did the same thing when we first got this place under control.” You turned to see Rick approaching you and in his arms was a beautiful blonde little girl. You stayed where you were as he approached, your eyes on his daughter.
“I can understand the draw,” you said.
“Not everyday you feel some sense of security,” Rick said as he stopped in front of you. “I figured you should meet the remaining member of our little family,” he said. “This is Judith.” Your heart swelled at her name.
“Hello, Judith,” you said with a grin. “Aren’t you just the prettiest rose in the garden?” Judith looked over at you, her hands holding onto her daddy’s shirt. You looked up at Rick. “She’s beautiful.”
“You wanna hold her?” He asked and you went to argue, but he was already moving her from his arms and holding her out to you.
“Oh, okay,” you said as you took the baby and held her against you, feeling the familiar weight of a child in your arms. She reached up and took hold of your nose, her curious eyes roaming your face. “Hi, sweetheart,” you cooed.
“She likes you,” Rick said and you smiled at him. “Look, I just wanted to apologize for last night.”
“For what?” You asked, your brows pulled together.
“I shouldn’t have pointed the gun at you or pressed you with questions, especially after Daryl told us you were his sister.” You bounced Judith slightly as she played with a lock of your hair and turned to Rick again.
“Don’t ever apologize for protecting your family, Rick,” you said sternly. “I would have come in handcuffs if it meant that you felt that your children and your people were safe. You can’t be too careful in this new world, so no apologies necessary. Isn’t that right, Judith?” you said, scrunching your nose at the baby. Rick looked at you and nodded his head.
“I see it now,” he said.
“See what?”
“The Dixon in you,” he explained, “but it’s all Daryl, not Merle.” You snorted and looked up at him, your eyes shining in the sunlight.
“You just haven’t seen the Merle side yet.”