A/N 1

This story has been on my computer sitting in the files collecting dust since sometime in Season Three. I'm thinking this will be another multi-chapter, got a few already written. It takes place around the time in the prison when Carol goes missing after T-Dog was bitten. Daryl doesn't want to believe that she's dead. He steps up after Lori's death to save little asskicker.

Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own the walking dead.

Hunter's Heart ~ Chapter 1 ~ Hope

"What the hell happened?" Rick shouted to Beth, as they came running up from the courtyard. Daryl listened as killed a few more walkers that were in the courtyard.

"The gate was open!" Beth cried back to him,

"Where's Lori, Carl everyone else?" Rick growled out.

"Maggie led Lori and Carl into C-block!" Hershel shot back to him. Beth was holding onto her dad tight, silently crying.

"T was bit!" Beth cried,

"Anyone else?" Rick questioned,

"I couldn't tell," Beth said, shaking her head, and looking at her Dad.

"Stay put!" Rick cried out and ran over to help Daryl and Glenn.

As they are killing more walkers, and running around the courtyard.

Glenn ran up to Rick, "Those chains didn't break on their own. Someone took an ax or cutters to em" Rick looks over to the gates at the two prisoner's over there.

"What you think they did it?" Glenn asked, staring at the two prisoners in the distance.

Daryl turned and looked towards the prisoners as well.

"Who else?" Rick growled,

Daryl was looking around the courtyard for more walkers, and his eyes caught Rick's when they moved to the prisoners. Just as they were going to move to question the prisoners, the alarms started sounding around the courtyard, ringing a dinner bell for more walkers to come down on them.

Daryl growled, "Oh! You gotta be kiddin' me!" Daryl moved around looking up at the alarms, as Rick shouted his name, throwing him the keys, Daryl caught them, slipped them on his belt as Rick started to shoot the alarms. But that wasn't turning them off. So he ran with Rick down to the two prisoners, his bow at ready, and he restrained himself not to shoot them.

Rick was yelling furiously at them, and asking about the backup generators. Oscar explained that he'd worked down there only for a few days, but he could lead them to the room so that they could shut them down. Daryl didn't fully trust him, and he was confident that Rick didn't either, but they had no choice, they had to get those damn alarms off. Them sounding was bringing a shitload of walkers to the fences of the prison, and there was no sure way that those fences were gonna hold. Still Daryl kept himself alert to everything going on around them, and they shot Walkers as they moved along.

Once in the generator room, things became pretty clear fairly fast. One of the other prisoners and Rick were locked in a fight, and Daryl had his hands full with the walkers at the door. Finally, having enough of trying to keep them out, he was pretty sure that he could take them out, so Daryl let the door fall open, and he took the walkers down. Panting, things had escalated with Rick, and the prisoner, and Oscar holding a gun trained in on Rick, Daryl snuck up behind, until finally Oscar turned the gun on the prisoner and blew the man's head off. Daryl swallowed, and his eyes found Ricks as Oscar, gave him his gun back.

Then they hurried and cut off the alarms, and decided what they were going to do next to cleanup this mess.

Daryl, Rick, and Glenn moved deeper into the tombs after they got the alarms cut off, Beth and Hershel had just told them that they had seen Carol and T-Dog got through the door after fighting off some walkers, it looked like T had been bitten.

Moving quickly, as they were pretty sure they were on T-Dog's and Carol's trail, Daryl had been following the blood trail, there was a lot of it, and it was human blood, not Walker black. Daryl knew it was a bad bite, the only thing he didn't know was if it was Carol's blood too. His heart was racing in his chest. As Rick cried out Lori's name, Daryl kept silent. He didn't want to draw more attention than not. But he wasn't going to get after Rick about it, it was his wife, and if Daryl had been crying out Carol's name he'd appreciate the same. Let him do what he needed to do. They were all just barely holding together as it was. Daryl swallowed thickly when he saw a body ahead. It was T-Dog, he looked at Glenn, who choked out a ragged breath at the sight, and turned to Rick shaking his head sadly. Daryl walked away from the two of them, seeing a piece of fabric on the ground, he bent to look at it and pulled it into his fingers. His heart stopped beating a second. Then pounded painfully in his chest, he picked up the gun right next to it. Both were Carol's.

As Daryl held Carol's scarf in his hands in the tomb, tears pricked in his eyes, and he felt a faint lump fill his throat. 'This is Carol's scarf' Daryl was speechless. Rick's gaze left the mangled body that was once T-Dog his gaze going up to meet Daryl's.

The hunter, was stalk still, his eyes unfocused. Rick felt tears prick in his eyes and swallowed down the lump in his throat as he walked over to Daryl. But Daryl didn't seem to notice him, as he stared down at the scarf in his hands.

"We'll find her, brother." His voice was thick with emotion. Carol meant a lot to him, but he knew, she meant a whole lot more to Daryl, the two of them had been close since what happened to Sophia. They'd all seen it, they all knew that the two of them loved each other, but he was certain that the two of them didn't know it. Rick placed his hand on Daryl's shoulder, and felt him shudder, and drag in a ragged breath. He steeled his features and nodded.

"We'll find her." He rasped, nodding and turning towards the door. Rick looked back at Glenn, who had taken in the whole scene. Glenn made sure that T wouldn't turn, as he looked back up at Rick. Between the two of them, Rick grabbing T's shoulders, and Glenn his feet they dragged T-Dog's body behind Daryl.

"Come on," He said to Glenn, as they followed the hunter. Daryl was taking down any walker in their path, swinging his bow up like a bat, or sinking his hunting knife into a walker's skull. He was leaving a corpse, after corpse, on the tomb's floor. Following the path, they were sure that Carol would have taken, if she had been able to escape. Rick could understand Daryl's anger, and he felt the same way in finding Lori. Rick still loved Lori, and he just didn't know what to do with the fear that he carried over what would happen when she finally gave birth to the baby. He was moving at a fast clip, almost reckless, if you could call the hunter reckless, he was on a mission. They searched through those tombs thoroughly, but hadn't found a trace of Carol.

Daryl finally stepped back, taking over for Rick as they got back to C-block being the stronger of the two. He helped them lay the big man down, then Daryl found a blanket and covered his friend.

Making their way out of the cell block, and into the bright sunshine, they found Beth and Hershel only. Daryl who'd been hoping, that he'd find Carol just out in the yard, was once again devastated that she wasn't. His heart was in his throat, but he swallowed that emotion down and fingered the scarf that he'd stuffed in his pocket. Daryl refused to believe that she was dead, she couldn't be he'd find her. He couldn't lose her he wouldn't accept that.

Hershel, nodded at him as they walked back out into the yard. "Where are the others?" He asked Daryl, who'd been the first out he just shook his head sadly.

"T-Dog, Carol?" Hershel's eyes met the hunters. He didn't like what he saw in them.

"Walker's got him," Daryl muttered, his chest tightened, and he rubbed at it.

"Carol?"

Daryl's gaze dropped,

Rick swallowed, and looked up at Hershel.

Daryl was fingering Carol's scarf, "I'll find you," He whispered, and stuffed the scarf back down into his pocket. And started to head back towards the tombs, only to stop short when he saw, Maggie, and Carl walking out of the doors and Maggie was clutching something in her arms. Something small, like a newborn, he searched for Lori and didn't see her.

Carl looked as if he'd been crying, and then he huffed out a breath when he saw Rick walking over to them, and Maggie was sobbing, and shaking her head unable to say a word.

Rick stumbled and started over, "Where is… where is she?" His voice broke as he began to understand what was happening, and starts to stumble towards the prison, but Maggie tries to stop him.

"No! Rick, don't!" Maggie sobs, as she drops her hand when she realizes he was beginning to understand. Rick starts crying, and looks towards his son, dropping his weapons, and collapsing forward on himself.

"Oh no… No! No!" He cries, folding over, and looking at Carl.

Maggie stumbles forward with the young baby in her arms, sobbing, shaking her head at Glenn as he tries to comfort her.

"Ahhh!... No!" Rick crumbles to the ground, lying on his side, and bawling.

It was heart wrenching, and Daryl closed his eyes, trying to shut the image out of his mind, tears pricked behind his closed lids, and an even larger lump filled his throat that he couldn't swallow this time. He let out a slow breath, and another and he felt more like himself again.

Daryl, swallowed and slowly walked over to Rick was kneeling there, he wasn't crying anymore, but he was just sitting there, "Rick? You with me?" Daryl knelt down, moving his hand in the sheriff's face, "Rick?" Daryl concerned about Rick, kept watching him until he heard Hershel talking, so he straightened and walked back over to the others.

Hershel stepped over as Daryl came over to them wanting to have Hershel take a look at Rick, but they were looking over the baby at the moment. "Let me see the baby" Hershel called out.

Daryl walked over "What are we gonna feed it, we got anything a baby can eat?" Daryl called out gruffly.

Hershel met his eyes after looking over the baby girl, "The good news is she looks healthy. But she needs formula, and soon, or she won't survive."

Daryl felt something snap inside him, "Nope, no way, not her. We ain't losing' nobody else, I'm goin' on a run." Daryl growled out, pulling his crossbow over his head gearing up.

"I'll back you up," Maggie called out to him, Daryl nodded, as he was moving away slightly.

"I'll go too," Glenn said.

Daryl nodded at Glenn and Maggie, "Ok, think where we're goin'," And Daryl turned to Beth, pulling her away from the others, and whispered, "Beth, kid just lost his mom, his dad ain't doing so hot." He murmured,

"I'll look out for him" Beth nodded at Daryl, meeting his eyes. Daryl nodded, and looked over to the two prisoners calling out to them, "You two get the fence! Too many pile up, we got ourselves a problem! Glenn, Maggie vámonos!" Daryl called out, walking backward, towards where the cars were parked.

"Rick!" Maggie cried out as Daryl watched Rick move towards the prison like on a mission, with an ax in hand. Daryl just shook his head and ran towards the vehicles he didn't have time for that.

"Get the gate!" He called out to the two prisoners, yet again, everyone was still standing around like they were in a daze, he was getting frustrated. "Come on. We're gonna lose the light!" Daryl shouted at all of them.

Glenn ran up beside Daryl, "There's a Piggly Wiggly on 85." He started,

"No, the baby section's been cleared." Maggie shook her head, "Lori asked me to keep an eye out, I haven't had much luck." She told them both,

Daryl pulled his crossbow off from around his shoulders, "Is there any place that hasn't been completely looted?" He looked at them.

"We saw signs for a shopping center just North of here," Glenn told him,

Maggie shook her head and looked at Daryl, "Yeah, but there's too much debris on the road. The car will never get through there." She said,

Daryl cleared his throat, as he checked the level on his bike "I can take one of you." He grumbled, while pulling on his vest, and looking at the motorcycle. Daryl knew he shouldn't go alone. People needed people, but he was in a hurry, he wasn't losing anyone else that day, and Carol… Carol had so much hope for that baby. She was gonna live.

"I'll go," Maggie said, and Daryl nodded.

Glenn walked over, shaking his head, "No, Maggie, after everything that you've been through, okay, I'll go." Glenn took her hands in his,

Maggie shook her head, "I want to go, for Lori, I have to" she whispered,

"Okay. I love you. Be safe." Glenn leaned in and kissed her.

Maggie would go with him. He waited as they kissed, and got on and straddled his bike. Maggie got on the motorcycle behind him. "Hold on," He told her gruffly when he started the Triumph. When he didn't feel her hands, he shot a look over his shoulder, "Wrap 'em around my waist or yer gonna fall off, no reason ta get yerself killed." He waited until he felt her scoot closer to him, and her hands came to rest on his belly, her legs just brushing the outside of his.

"You guys be careful," Glenn told them.

Daryl nodded, and started moving forward, his legs walking the bike until it was moving fast enough and took off towards the front gate, and Oscar opened it for them. Daryl had to swallow down a lump that filled his throat yet again at that normally it was Carol seeing him off, and telling him to stay safe, and he gives her a nod. Once again, he felt tears prick his eyes, but blinked them back as he left the gate, and sped towards somewhere that had baby formula, food or anything.

They'd been on the road for a little over an hour, and each place they'd stopped, it had been a bust. Daryl had stopped the bike, there was a tree blocking the road, and they had to stop and look at the map to see if there was anything else around.

Maggie was standing beside him, pointing at the places they already had hit, and growing more and more emotional. She was quietly sniffling, and wiping her eyes.

Daryl winced and reached for the rag that he carried in his back pocket and held it out to her. "It's clean, just changed it out this morning." He whispered, holding out the rag to her with a nod of his head.

Maggie took it with a grateful nod. She wiped at her face, but the tears just kept coming. Daryl turned away when he heard a walker shuffling their way. He pulled his crossbow off his shoulder, and took aim, and the Walker fell to the ground. Daryl walked over and retrieved his bolt, using his boot, he braced it against the walker's head, and pulled the bolt out it came out with a squelching sound, and Daryl wiped the bolt off on the walker's chest. Bending, he then reloaded the bow, and straightened and slung his bow and quiver back over his shoulder when he turned to walk back, he saw that Maggie was watching the trees as well, her eyes were still damp, and she was still sniffling, but she was alert to her surroundings.

"Sorry…" She sniffed,

Daryl frowned, "Ain't nothing ta be sorry bout." He muttered gruffly,

"I know I'm just…" She started to cry again, and Daryl chewed on his bottom lip. Trying to think of anything he could say to her, he felt like an ass, for just watching her cry.

He cleared his throat, "Was she bit?" He asked his tone soft. He wanted to know what happened, why the baby was here, but no Lori, they hadn't always gotten along, but they'd all become a family to him, more of a family he'd ever had, and that family had taken a huge loss today. He swallowed thickly.

Maggie sniffled, and crossed her arms in front of her, tears flooded her eyes again and fell down her cheeks unnoticed. Daryl felt like an ass, he chewed on his bottom lip, shifting back in forth on his feet. Hesitantly, he brought his hand up and put it lightly on her shoulder. "No, but I had to cut her open, to get the baby out." She sobbed, "There was something wrong, she started to go into labor in the tombs, and we couldn't get her back to Dad." She swiped at her eyes with his rag. "Daddy, only taught me the basics, I-I, I have never done a C-section before, and she didn't want to lose the baby." She cried as she told him what she had to do.

"I'm sorry," He said, shaking his head sadly, "Did you…" He trailed off not able to finish, he biting his lip.

"Carl did," she paused, and gulped in a ragged breath, "He said it was his mom, he'd do it so he shot her so she wouldn't turn, Lori, she ahh, she didn't want Rick to have to…" Her voice cracked, and more tears spilled down her cheeks, "I-I she asked me to, I... she the baby..." She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

Daryl felt like she'd punched him in the gut as he felt tears prick at his eyes, it was all too much. Carl, had to end it? He felt terrible for asking Maggie, and she was bent forward folded in on herself, he couldn't leave her like that.

But he didn't know what to do as he stepped closer and hesitated. He wasn't good with words, but hell, he could hug her, he wasn't a hugger. He'd hugged Carol after Sophia... Stop thinking!

'Fuck it,' Daryl thought. Awkwardly, he stepped forward, reaching out he gathered Maggie close. He didn't like touching people, but he couldn't stand to see her sobbing anymore. "Shh..." He soothed, "You did what you had ta, with it only being you-" His voice broke slightly, and he cleared it. "You said something was wrong, she told ya to do it, it ain't yer fault." He rubbed her back awkwardly, letting her cry into his chest, he remained alert, eyes moving around them to make sure no more walkers were gonna come out of the woods and try to eat them.

After a while, Maggie's sobs quieted, and she stepped back, and her eyes shot up to his, and she felt terrible, here she was crying and putting all this on him when he'd lost Carol when Glenn told her she'd immediately wondered how Daryl was handling it. "Oh, my god, I'm so sorry about Carol," She cried, her hands going to his chest, he stiffened, even though his hands were still on her shoulders, he dropped them to his sides.

This shocked Daryl, not that Maggie was sorry, but his reaction to her words. His eyes burned, and a painful lump filled his throat, and his chest tightened to the point where it was painful to take a breath. Daryl swallowed thickly, his throat working to hold back the emotion that was bubbling up to the surface without his permission. His breathing had turned ragged, as he fought against the emotions trying to break him.

His eyes darted around them to make sure they were safe, still no walkers had come out of the forest, he almost wished they had, it'd help, he didn't want to break. Daryl couldn't afford to, but his heart had other ideas. Merle'd be calling him a pussy at this moment, but he couldn't stop the emotion from bleeding into his heart, and he knew it showed on his face. Daryl couldn't lose Carol without her knowing. He wasn't sure he could live in a world where she wasn't. There wasn't a life to be had without Carol in it, and that was festering as he tried to swallow down that painful lump.

Daryl took a ragged breath, and swallowed thickly, his face twisting, as he met Maggie's eyes, "She had so much hope for the baby-" He got out, but his voice came out rough like he'd swallowed glass.

The emotion on Daryl's face was so raw, and pain filled that it broke her heart, without thinking Maggie launched herself at him, "Oh, Daryl…" Maggie cried as she threw her arms around his neck. She felt him stiffen, and the breath hitch in his chest, but then after a moment, his arms came up, and they tightened around her waist, he tucked his face into her neck, and she felt wetness there hit the side of her neck.

Maggie pretended not to notice, knowing Daryl, probably would be embarrassed if she squeezed him a little harder if she knew he was crying. Maggie wouldn't mention it. She just held him. How could she be so heartless, she'd seen Rick fall apart, and Daryl had just stepped up. She knew he had to be hurting, and he had been. Maggie couldn't help it, she squeezed him tightly. She felt him let out a heavy breath, and his arms tightened around her waist.

It had cut deeply into his composure when Maggie, said she was so sorry about Carol, and when she'd launched herself at him, and he'd caught her, and then at first he didn't know what to do. He'd never been hugged before just because he was feeling sad. It cut into him sort of like when Carol had come to him in the bedroom after he'd got that bolt in his side, and she'd told him he was just as good as Shane and Rick. But then he'd realized Maggie was probably trying to comfort him if he'd had a mirror and saw his face, and he'd probably been comforting himself too. Shit, Merle'd be calling him a pansy ass.

Daryl hadn't cried in years, he couldn't remember the last time he did, and didn't remember what it felt like, but when he felt the wetness on his face, he wanted to lash out and scream, but instead he just tucked his face into Maggie's neck. The World be damned, he could break if he wanted. But still, his head and his heart were at war, as he battled to compose himself. And it didn't help having Merle in his head calling him a pussy either, but he pushed that all away, and took Maggie's comfort, because even Daryl Dixon had his limit. Carol was his limit, and losing her before he could tell her he loved her... Loved? Did he love her? He'd never had that, and God... Did he just want to curl up into a ball and not be an adult right now. But he'd suck it up for her, for Carol because he knew she was still alive, Daryl sniffed back the rest of his tears, and pinched the bridge of his nose, wiping his eyes before he stepped back, then nodded at Maggie.

The raw emotion on Daryl's face had thrown her, she'd never seen him emotional at all, not that she didn't think he was capable of it. But it had thrown her and had also fueled them both. His eyes were dry now, and there was determination in his eyes. "Alright, we ain't losin' that Lil girl, Carol-," His voice faltered, "Wouldn't want that we're gonna find lil girl some food!" He folded the map, placing it in his saddle bag on the bike and then straddled the bike waiting for her to get back on it behind him. This time, she immediately put her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his back. He'd instructed her to do that when it had gotten colder out. They were losing the light, but he estimated they had at least an hour and a half left, but they weren't going to bunker down anywhere. That baby needed food, and it needed food tonight. With his eyes alert, he drove the bike down in the ditch and around the downed tree. They barely made it by on the motorcycle, had they had a car, they would have had to reroute once again.

They drove another twenty miles, around the obstacles that in the old world would have taken thirty minutes, but with the debris in the road, and the cars blocking, and the occasional walker it took another hour. It was another thirty minutes before sunset now, and Daryl figured as he looked at the shadows around them. Maggie's hands tightened around his middle when they read a sign that said 'Carolyn's Daycare Center.' Daryl turned off the road, and onto a gravel road, it winded until they reached a driveway, his eyes everywhere, as the fading light gave nothing away. They parked the bike, hid it actually, he found a brush pile up the way and instructed Maggie to help.

"Why hide it, we should have a fast getaway?" She wondered out loud.

He cleared his throat, and swallowed, "Naw, gotta hide it, better to come in on foot, in case we have company, dead or alive" He muttered while meeting her curious eyes, "will draw the geeks and the living we don't wanna draw attention." He explained. Maggie watched from beside Daryl as he moved, he was quiet, she was beside him and couldn't hear him. She had to keep looking at him to be sure he was still there.

"How do you do that?" She wondered, curiously from beside him. They were so close to one another that their shoulders were almost brushing, but she still couldn't hear him.

"Do what?" He asked distractedly, as he continued through the woods, they'd decided to stay off the main drag, and head through the woods to the daycare center.

Maggie blushed, she didn't realize she asked him it out loud. She cleared her throat, and brushed a stray hair behind her ear, "Your quiet, Glenn say's you just appear outta nowhere and scare the living shit outta him." Maggie snorted out a giggle.

Daryl smirked, then gave a side-eyed glance at her to see if she was serious, he prided himself on being able to read people, "Hunting... gotta be quiet to catch an animal..." He shrugged,

"Even now, I can't hear you walk..." She responded,

Daryl sighed, and quirked up his lip, "Nowaday's, ya gotta be quiet, noise gets ya killed..." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Can you teach me?" She asked watery eyes looked up at him, and he glanced at her again, Glenn was capable. He narrowed his eyes, but there was a question in them.

She stared at him, "Glenn doesn't want to teach me how to fight, he tried, then clammed up." She wrapped her arms around her middle, "Please?" She swallowed, "Like you said, with the living, becoming more of a threat, I want to be able to defend myself if a group like Randall's men come to the prison we need to know how to fight." Her voice trembled, and she saw Daryl wince. She wasn't watching the ground, and stumbled over a root, but Daryl caught her shoulder and righted her.

Daryl sucked his teeth. Maggie was capable, and he'd seen her in action. She was one of the strongest fighters "Ya know how ta fight" He met her eyes.

"This world scares me, Daryl, I don't want to-" her voice broke, and she closed her eyes tightly, "People, living people scare me..." She broke off and met his eyes as they walked, "I can't tell Glenn this, but Randall..."She licked her lips, and her eyes watered, he hoped she wasn't going to cry again, "What you said, he said, scared me... What living people can do." She admitted she blinked back the tears, and he was relieved.

"Better, and fight the living, I want to be able to defend myself... Glenn won't fight me. He won't he won't hit me."

Daryl stopped suddenly, and scowled at her "And you think I would!" Daryl snarled, and he started to turn away.

Maggie's hand flew to his forearm, and he flinched, freezing and staring at her hand, but she didn't remove it "No!" She shook her head. "No! Daryl, look at me..." She paused till he did, and she could see the hurt in his eyes. Sure he was angry, but there was more hurt in his eyes. "No, you misunderstood that. I know, you wouldn't hurt me." She squeezed his forearm. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Daryl ground his teeth together as his jaw clenched tightly. The old pain had caused him to snap at her. He knew she meant well yeah, he'd had grave reservations about men hitting a woman, but to defend themselves Daryl wasn't going to hold back well he'd hold back enough. He won't hurt them, but he'd teach them.

Daryl let out a heavy sigh, then gently touched her hand that was still on his forearm "Ain't nothing ta be sorry for," He swallowed thickly. Then shuffled his feet, and while rubbing the back of his neck "I don't know whatcha think my life was before the dead rose, but I ain't ever hit a woman... but I'll teach ya to fight, I ain't gonna like it, though," He sighed heavily.

Maggie's eyes watered at his admission, of course, she didn't think he'd ever hit a woman. He'd suffered in his life. She knew that her heart broke. She swallowed, "Daryl?" And his sad eyes met hers, "I hope you know, that I'd never think you'd hurt me... I asked because your someone I trust." She whispered.

He faltered in steps, and looked at her, then averted his eyes, as painful memories were creeping up from his past. He started to move again, to bolt away.

"Daryl, " She took his hand, and he froze in place, his head whipping around meeting her eyes. He didn't want to hurt her more, so he let her take his hand, and brought her free hand up to her heart, and his gaze dropped from her eyes to her hand, and his eyes met her wet ones, and a lump filled his throat. He swallowed, and blew out the breath he was holding, "I just, I'm sorry if what I said hurt you... I can see it did" She choked out,

Daryl only nodded, and she dropped his hand, feeling terrible as she walked along side of him, they kept walking for a few more paces, before his sudden outburst startled her again.

"Alright!" Daryl growled, and sighing heavily, "... Long as Short Round is ok with ya askin' me" Daryl met her gaze, his eyes intense, "He know this?" the intensity in them unraveled her.

"He knows, he suggested it." Maggie supplied,

Daryl scowled, then frowned and ran a hand through his hair. He was gonna kick Glenn's ass when they got back, well hell if they got back. Daryl had a bad feeling when the first signs of thinning of trees were spotted. He held up his hand to Maggie and crouched low at the tree line. "Shit..." He growled, and Maggie crawled up alongside him.

"No... Now what are we going to do?" She whimpered, the daycare was no more, it'd burned to the ground.

Daryl shook his head sadly, "We look for another, that baby girl ain't gonna go hungry, on my watch."

Maggie nodded at him, and they got to their feet once again, it was a crushing blow to both of them, but they recovered, and jogged back to the bike. They'd go to the town over and look, the problem with that was that they were heading deeper into the red zone, and it was going to be dark soon.

"Daryl, what if we don't find anything?" Maggie asked haltingly. She could feel Daryl's stomach muscles clench, as she asked, the words, and hid her face in his back. He was tense, and she felt his breath hitch.

"Ain't gonna happen, we'll find something!" He hissed out. They rode in silence the rest of the way to another daycare center that they had marked on the map.

Daryl cut the engine on the bike and waited for Maggie to get off the bike. Then he jumped off himself, and brought his crossbow over his shoulder, and checked his gun, checking the clip, and the safety, he wanted it off. Daryl took point, as they walked to the daycare center.

"Companies close, stay tight," He muttered quietly, as they walked through the yard. He made sure to look around and be sure that there wasn't anyone to jump out at them. They only ran into one walker, and he put it down. All the doors were locked, but the windows weren't boarded up. So Maggie took the butt of her gun and broke the window. While Daryl covered her and took out another walker. Then they both waited to make sure no corpses came out after them.

"Do you think there's more of them?" Maggie whispered,

"Half a dozen, maybe," Daryl paused, and raised his crossbow, taking down another that had come to investigate the noise that the broken window made. Daryl and Maggie made quick work of them, and then he retrieved his bolts quickly.

Daryl let Maggie go in first and covered her now that nothing dead or alive, had come out guns blazing our teeth chomping. Daryl climbed in after her, sending a well thought up to JC that they would find some formula for the little one back home. He was doing it for her, for Carol. She was heavy on his mind right now. He couldn't let his mind go with the thought that she was dead. Daryl stumbled over a kids toy, and then just kicked it out of the way, he looked up at some drawings on the wall and had to school his features as one of them read the name, Sophia. Well, the name was 'Sofie' but it still made him think of Carol. He swallowed tightly and continued forward.

Daryl, moved through the dark room, pulling open cupboards and looking for anything that resembled something for babies. He found some diapers and threw them in his satchel, and some kid vitamins, toothpaste, and one bottle of baby aspirin, another of cough syrup, and cold medicines. They'd have to come back when they had more time to clean out this place. It wasn't looted like the rest of the places he'd been in. He opened another drawer, and pulled out some baby clothes, frowning, he wasn't sure if they were small enough, but the Lil' baby couldn't run around bare-assed, that wouldn't be right. The thought had him shaking his head, as he found some more baby clothes and put them in his bag. They still needed food.

Daryl held his bow out in front of him and walked down the hall, he'd heard a sound, he met up with Maggie, nodding as he quietly reached into the half-door, and turned the handle. He nodded to Maggie to slowly open the closet door, that's where the scuffing noises were coming from, he stood alongside, and a little behind her taking aim with his crossbow, and holding his light in his teeth. Maggie slowly opened the door, and Daryl's light hit a startled possum.

He shot off his bolt, "Hello Dinner" He spoke around his flashlight, his words coming out muffled, and he smirked when Maggie wrinkled her nose.

Maggie rolled her eyes at the hunter, "That is not going in my bag." she muttered, and Daryl snorted, as he picked the animal up.

Maggie moved away from him and knelt on the ground when she opened the cupboard and let out a relieved breath when she found two cans of baby formula. She quickly stuffed them in her bag, looking up at Daryl, who was cleaning out the cabinet above her where he'd found more formula. Then pulled out a gallon of distilled water, "Baby water?" Daryl quirked his brow.

"A girlfriend from school swore by it, but there's no way we know if it's any good any longer." Maggie frowned,

"Ain't gonna have an expiration date, Maggie." He furrowed his brow,

"Do we take that chance with her, though?" Maggie looked at him.

"We're taking the chance on the formula." He sighed,

The water was sealed up tight, even had the plastic around the bottle on the outside, no breaks in it as Daryl inspected it. They could always boil the shit outta it again. There was no chance in hell that they weren't trying it first though.

They made their way back outside, using the door this time, Daryl took down the last of the Walkers, which were just a few strays. It was dark now, he sighed.

Maggie came up beside him, "Everything ok?" She asked,

He nodded, "Trying to route the best way back," He murmured, "The quickest way back." He scratched his chin, and smirked at her.

"You didn't!" She scowled at him, and he shook his head.

"I put it in my bag, ain't gonna leave it behind." He raised a brow, "Dinner's dinner." He shrugged, "Why waste the meat?" He asked her.

"Because it's possum!" she shook her head at him.

"We've had possum before," He snorted out a laugh rolling his eyes. He'd already gutted the animal, and put it in a bag in his saddle bag on the Triumph.

They made it back to the prison in record time, waiting for the prisoners to open the fence. Daryl winced again as he rode by them. Maggie tightened her grip on is middle, patting his stomach in comfort. She knew what he was thinking about. It bothered him slightly, but they'd bonded on their trip looking for the formula. Daryl cut the engine on the Triumph and waited for Maggie to get off the bike before he moved to get off.

They both silently made their way into the cell block, Daryl pulling off the bag from Maggie's back as she walked over to Glenn and they hugged quickly. Daryl handed the formula and a bottle to Hershel, and he quickly prepped the bottle and gave it back to Daryl.

Daryl scooped the baby out of Carl's arms and was handed the bottle, as he started to feed the baby girl.

AN2

Thanks for reading. Please leave me a review. I'm still working on my other stories Unbroken will be the one that's updated the most. Thank you for reading, and have a safe and happy holiday weekend.