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Chapter Text

They weren't really sure what had happened. One minute everything was fine and the next there were screams coming from outside. Walkers. They had broken through one of the walls and were attacking the unsuspecting Alexandrians.

"Grab your stuff and anthin' you can use as a weapon," Rick instructed to the group who rushing through the house as Rick continued to bark orders. "Glenn, Maggie, Rosita, Eugene, Tara, and Carl, head to where they keep the vehicles. We're gonna need a truck, maybe two if we can. The rest of us will get guns and meet you there."

The group ran out of the house with their packs on and were met by the biggest herd they had ever seen. Carl took Judith before he took off with the others to find some cars while Rick, Daryl, Carol, Abraham, and Sasha ran towards the building where the guns were stored. Some of the men were already in there.

"If we can get up high we can start takin' 'em out before too many more get through!" Tobin said.

"It's too late!" Rick shouted over the screams and growls. "Alexandria's done. You gotta get out of here!"

"Can't! Gotta save the town!" Tobin ran out before Rick could say anything more. Rick shook his head and focused on grabbing many guns and as much ammo as he could.

"Time to go!" Abraham shouted as the walkers drew closer and they took off, heading towards where the cars, and the rest of the group, were.

The others were waiting in one of the trucks. Glenn and Maggie were in the front, the woman had Judith on her lap, while Carl, Eugene, Tara, and Rosita sat in the truck bed.

"Hold up!" Daryl shouted and Rick turned to see him running over to someone kneeling on the ground. It was Aaron. He was leaning over Eric who, even at this distance, Rick could see had a large bite on his shoulder.

"No, no, no," Aaron said miserably, tears running down his face.

"Aaron, we gotta go," Daryl said, "Can't do anythin' for him, we gotta go."

"No!" Aaron shook his head as Daryl reached down and grabbed his arm, hating himself as he did so.

"Go," Eric choked out, "You have to go."

"I can't leave you here," Aaron said miserably, but Eric just smiled at him.

"You have to," he said, "Go with Daryl. Survive. You'll be fine."

Aaron sobbed harder. "I love you."

"I love you too," Eric said and then looked at Daryl. "Now go."

Aaron let Daryl pull him away. The hunter ran, dragging Aaron with him as he and the others jumped into the truck.

"Let's go!" Rick shouted and Glenn pressed his foot o the gas. The group stayed huddled in the middle as Glenn tore his way through the walkers, they shot any that came to close or got in the way. They were close to the exit when they heard a scream and Carl jumped out of the truck.

"Carl!" Rick shouted after his son and Glenn slammed on the breaks. Rick made to go after the boy, but Daryl stopped him.

"I got him! Go! Get out of here!" he shouted.

"We aren't leaving you here," Carol protested.

"I'll get Carl an' meet ya out there! Now go!" Daryl said, looking at Glenn. The other man nodded and as soon as Daryl hopped out of the truck he took off again. Daryl ran after Carl. The boy was taking down walkers, alongside that girl, Enid.

"C'mon, we gotta go!" Daryl shouted and the two teenagers followed him.

"Where are we going?" Carl asked.

"We ain't gettin' through on foot," Daryl said, running in the direction of what had been Aaron and Eric's house. They were almost there when-

"Mommy!"

Daryl looked around and saw Sam standing there, crying as a walker bit into his mother.

"Sam, run!" she screamed, but the boy didn't move. Seemingly too shocked.

"Keep runnin'!" Daryl shouted at the teenagers, "Get ta Aaron an' Eric's house!" They nodded and took off as Daryl ran over and grabbed Sam. Daryl lifted the boy into his arms and glanced at Jessie.

"Thank you," she rasped before Daryl took off with the boy. Sam had his face pressed into Daryl's neck as he cried.

"What are we doing here?" Enid asked. Daryl ignored her and opened the garage door.

"Get on," he said, walking over and sitting on the motorcycle, sitting Sam in front of him.

"We won't all fit," Enid protested. Daryl looked at the herd of walkers that had started to move in their direction.

"We don't got a choice. Get on."

Enid and Carl climbed on and Daryl took off at full speed, swerving in and out of walkers.

"Come on, come on," Daryl said, urging the bike to go a little faster. They were almost entirely surrounded, walkers reaching their arms out to grab them when Daryl finally broke through and made it out the gate. He kept driving, turning down various roads and making sure he lost any walkers that tried to follow before finding the rest of the group.

"Where are we going?' Carl shouted over the roar of the bike.

"Up if we can!" Daryl shouted back, "That's where the others will be!"

"How do you know?" Enid called.

"Just do!" he said. That was the plan if they ever got separated like this. Find a landmark or a high place that would make it harder for the walkers to climb up and reach them. Of course, that had been the plan in Georgia. This was Washington, there weren't a whole lot of mountains around here.

Daryl drove and drove until they finally found a path leading up into the forest. He stopped for a moment.

"Tire tracks!" he said, "They're fresh!" He looked around, they were right by the water tower they had seen before. There's their landmark.

"How far do you think they went?" Carl asked.

"Far as they could," Daryl replied, "Ain't a lotta mountains round here so they would've looked fer as much cover as they could get."

They took off again, not stopping until Daryl noticed headlights flashing off to the side in the trees. Daryl stopped the bike and climbed off.

"Wait a minute," he said to the kids as he took a few steps forward. "Rick?"

"Daryl." The relief was evident in Rick's voice as he broke through the trees. "Carl!"

Carl ran forward and hugged his dad tightly.

"I'm sorry," Carl said quietly, "I had to help her."

Rick looked over at Enid and smiled slightly, nodding in understanding. He then turned his gaze on Sam.

"His mom got bit," Daryl murmured to him, "Couldn't leave him there."

"What about his dad and brother?" Maggie asked, passing Judith to Carl. Daryl shrugged.

"Sam, do you know where your dad and brother are?" Rick asked gently.

"They got them too," Sam said, "Me and mom were running, but then she got bit." He started crying again. "What's going to happen to me now?"

"Well, you'll stay with us now," Rick told him simply.

"Won't I be in the way?" Sam asked quietly.

"Why would you be in the way?" Maggie asked.

"My dad always said I was in the way," Sam shrugged and Rick glanced over his shoulder at Carol.

"You won't be in the way Sam," he said, "Not with us. Now, why don't you go see Carol and she'll give ya something to eat, okay?"

The boy nodded and walked over to the woman.

"What do we do now?" Glenn asked and Rick took a deep breath. He had known this was coming for a while. But now it was here, they were back outside, Rick wished he had been wrong.

"We'll figure it out," Rick said, "Once the kids go to sleep, we'll talk."

An hour later, Carl, Judith, Enid, and Sam were sleeping in the back of the truck.

"So what do we do?" Carol asked.

"We keep moving," Eugene said immediately, "Find somewhere else to stay."

"Not yet," Daryl said, "We should stay here. Go back ta Alexandria in a couple days and see what's left. Guns, food, it'll all still be there. Maybe even another car."

Rick nodded slowly and they all knew Daryl was right.

"Alright," Rick said, "Give it a couple days and then we'll do that. For now, everyone get some sleep."

"I'll take first watch," Daryl said, walking over to a tree and leaning against it as the others settled in for the night.

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Carol woke suddenly. She didn't know how long she'd been asleep, but determined it hadn't been too long as Daryl was still on watch. She wasn't too sure what had woken her until she saw Sam climb out of the truck and slowly walk into the forest.

Daryl made to stand, but Carol was already on her feet. She met his eyes and nodded before following after the boy.

"Sam."

They boy stopped and turned to her, his eyes wide with... was that fear?

"Where are you going Sam?" Carol asked and the boy shrugged.

"Are you gonna tie me to a tree?" he asked.

"No Sam, I'm not," she said, walking over and kneeling in front of him, "And I probably owe you an apology for that. I had to make sure you didn't tell anyone about the guns and I didn't know how else to do that. I'm sorry I scared you."

"It's okay," Sam shrugged.

"You want to tell me where you were going?" Carol asked.

"I dunno," he said, "I don't want to be in the way."

"Sam, we already told you, you're not in the way," she said, resting a hand on his shoulder. She didn't miss the way the boy flinched slightly, "Whatever your dad said and whatever he did... He was wrong. You are not in the way, you could never be in the way. What your dad did to your mom and to you was wrong and it wasn't your fault."

"How do you know?" Sam asked.

Carol hesitated for a moment. "Because my husband was the same. He used to hurt me and he always tried to hurt my daughter. He was wrong and so was your dad."

"Is he dead?"

"Yes, he was bitten years ago," Carol replied.

"What about your daughter?"

"I lost her too," Carol said sadly, "Same with two little girls I adopted..."

"Is that why you don't like me?" Sam asked, "Cause you lost your other kids?"

"I do like you Sam," Carol said.

"Then could you adopt me?" he asked hopefully, "Or, half adopt me? I won't call you mom or anything, just... I feel safe when you're around."

"I threatened you," Carol pointed out.

"But you never hit me."

Carol felt her heart break and she pulled him into a hug.

"I can't make any promises," she said, "But I'll do my best to keep you safe. In the future, we'll see, okay? But for now, you've got a whole group of people who care about you and will look after you, okay?"

Sam nodded.

"Now, let's head back. It's late and it's not safe to be out here alone." Carol took his hand and they walked back to camp. Carol kissed the boy's forehead before Sam climbed back into the truck. She looked over and noticed Daryl staring at her, smirking. She looked down at her feet for a moment before walking over.

"He okay?" Daryl asked.

"He will be," Carol replied, "He's been through a lot."

"Good thing he has you lookin' out for him," Daryl said, "With all that bad shit, kid deserves ta be happy."

"He's not the only one," Carol said, looking pointedly at the man lying next to where Daryl sat. At some point after she'd fallen asleep, Aaron had apparently moved from the spot he'd originally lied in and moved to lie next to Daryl. He had his hand resting on Daryl's leg and Carol smirked when Daryl started blushing slightly.

"Yeah, well..." he said with a shrug, "Him an' Eric were good people. Eric didn't deserve ta be bit an' Aaron didn't deserve ta lose him."

"You lost him too," Carol said quietly and he looked up at her in surprise. "The others may not have seen it, but I did. You were over there more often than not, sometimes even spent the night there. I told you before Daryl, I know you."

"Ya don't care?" Daryl asked and she smiled at him

"You're happy for the first time in months. I saw you actually smile when you were with them," Carol said, "That's what I care about."

He smiled slightly and ducked his head, feeling his cheeks grow warm. She brushed some of his hair back and he looked up.

"If you ever need to talk..." she said and he nodded.

"Same goes for ye," he replied, "Things ain't gonna be easy, but if ya need anythin'..." He trailed off and she smiled. No, things wouldn't be easy, but they were a family, a bit of a larger family now, and they'd make it through.

Chapter Text

It was two days later and they were returning to Alexandria. The entire group was going as they didn't want to risk another herd coming through and being cut off from each other.

They slowly walked through the destroyed gate and looked around in horror. Most of the walkers were gone, but there were still a few stragglers. They started making their way forward when they suddenly heard a strangled noise.

Aaron had stopped and was staring down the street, a pained expression on his face. The group followed his gaze and saw Eric. Only it wasn't Eric anymore. Aaron took a couple steps before stumbling and Daryl's hand shot out to steady him. Aaron grabbed Daryl's arm and looked at him, his face pinched.

"I... I can't," he choked out and Daryl stared at him for a moment before he nodded. He released Aaron and started forward, the walker stumbling towards him. Daryl drove the knife into it's skill and slowly lowered Eric to the ground.

The group all walked forward and Aaron dropped down next to Eric's head, tears falling freely.

"We should bury him," Maggie said quietly and Aaron sobbed, but managed to nod.

"Here," Carol said. She had run into one of the houses and returned with a sheet to wrap Eric in. Daryl took it and nodded his thanks.

"Aaron," Daryl said quietly.

"Can we bury him at our house?" Aaron asked.

"Ya, course," Daryl said. It was decided that Daryl and Aaron would bury Eric while the others looked through the houses for supplies. The kids would be going with the two men as it would be safest for them with any walkers still around.

"We'll meet you over there," Rick said quietly, "We'll sweep through and gather what we can."

"A'right, shout if ya run into trouble," Daryl said before they parted ways.

They arrived at the house and set Eric under the tree before Daryl went to retrieve a shovel.

"Why don't you go get yer stuff?" Daryl suggested to Aaron.

"I... I should help you..." he stammered.

"Aaron, I got this," Daryl told him, "Go get yer stuff, a'right? Take yer time."

Aaron nodded and slowly walked into the house. Daryl turned to the kids.

"Y'all stay here, don't go climbin' the walls." He looked pointedly at Enid and Carl.

"We won't," Carol told him.

"Yeah, we can just walk through the gate now," Enid smirked, but sat down with Carl, Judith, and Sam nonetheless as Daryl started digging.

He wasn't sure how long he was digging, occasionally looking over at where the kids were playing with Judith. He had just stopped for a moment, wiping the sweat from his brow, when he felt a tug on his arm.

"A'right Sam?" he asked.

"Yeah, is it okay if I go inside?" the boy asked. Daryl looked between Sam and the house.

"Ya go in an' ya don't go anywhere else, understand?"

Sam nodded and went inside, slowly making his way up the stairs. He heard crying coming from one of the rooms and when he walked over he saw Aaron sitting on a bed, a photo in his hands. Sam walked over a rested a hand on Aaron's arm. The man jumped, not having heard the boy enter.

"Sam, everything okay?" Aaron asked, wiping his eyes.

"Yeah... are you okay?" Sam asked.

"I'm fine," Aaron nodded and Sam huffed.

"I hate when adults do that," he said.

"Do what?"

"Lie and say things are fine when they're not," Sam replied, "My mom always told me things were fine when they weren't and now you're doing it too! Even though you were just crying and I saw you!"

"You're right," Aaron said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said I'm fine when I'm obviously not. I miss Eric, I loved him very much and it's just hard to believe he's gone."

"My dad used to call you guys names," Sam said quietly and Aaron stiffened, "Mom always said not to listen to him. That you and Eric were good."

"And what do you think?" Aaron questioned.

"I think you're good," Sam replied and Aaron smiled at him. "I miss my mom and my brother, but I don't miss my dad... is that bad?"

"No, that's not bad," Aaron said, "Your dad did a lot of bad stuff and right now I'm just glad you're safe."

"Carol said she's going to look after me," Sam said.

"Oh yeah?" Aaron smiled weakly at him, "Well, Carol's great so she'll take good care of you."

"And Daryl will take good care of you," Sam said and Aaron's smile grew slightly as he chuckled. Kids were seriously more perceptive than they gave them credit for.

"I think you might be right," Aaron said, "Now, how about you help me pack up my stuff and then we'll head back outside?"

They packed up anything in the house that would help them and even some stuff that Aaron could remember Eric by before heading back out. The rest of the group was just walking up.

It wasn't a long funeral as they were all still worried about walkers coming back. Afterwards, the group walked away, giving Aaron some time. Daryl stepped back a bit, but stayed close by.

"I thought by having him not come recruiting anymore he'd be safe. I thought he was safe here, but he wasn't..." Aaron said, "You were right about this place... All those times you said it wouldn't last."

"I wish I was wrong," Daryl mumbled, "'m sorry."

"You're not allowed to die now, I hope you know that," Aaron said seriously and Daryl smirked.

"I mean it. I've already lost him and I can't..." He broke off as a sob escaped him and Daryl walked over to rest his hand on Aaron's shoulder. It was one of those moments where so much was said with no words.

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The rest of the group were going through everything they had found. Well, most of the group. There were two houses they hadn't gone through: Aaron and Eric's house and Sam's house. They had gone inside to clear the place of any walkers, but hadn't searched through it yet.

Now, Carol and Sam stood outside, waiting until the boy said he was ready to go in. After a moment he reached up and grabbed Carol's hand before leading her inside.

"What are we supposed to get?" he asked.

"Well, I'm going to look for anything that can help us," she told him, "If there's anything you want to bring, some clothes, toys or something? Just put whatever you want to
bring in your backpack."

Sam nodded and headed upstairs as Carol went through the kitchen. When she had cleared it out she went upstairs to find Sam.

"You almost ready?" she asked and he nodded.

"Is this stuff okay?" he asked her and she walked over to see what he had laid out. A couple books, a toy car, a stuffed bear that Carol figured he'd probably had for ages, his A stamp, and a picture of him, his mom, and his brother.

"It's perfect," Carol smiled, "Is this all you want?"

"I need some clothes too," Sam told her. They got some clothes together and put all his stuff into his bag.

"Not too heavy? Need me to take anything?" Carol asked as he slipped it onto his back, shaking his head.

They left the house and rejoined the others just as Aaron and Daryl walked over.

"What now?" Daryl asked and Rick looked around at them all.

"Now we survive."