Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Walking Dead Series.

Author's Note: So random inspiration hit and I decided it was time to take on a different approach to Daryl's character beside the relationship side I tend to lean towards. This story will deal more with family themes. I'm thinking of throwing in a bit of Carol/Daryl despite the fact I don't approve of any romantic relationship between them in the TV series ;) But I guess we'll see where this takes me. For the people who read Safe and Sound, the next chapter is in works I promise! Just taking a bit longer than I thought it would :)

Heart of a Girl

Chapter 1: From Here on Out

Daryl Dixon had always felt some resentment towards his younger sibling. Lily Harper Dixon was everything that her name implied; a Southern Gem. She was the Dixon's crowning jewel; a beacon in the trash that was their family. And his father treated her like such. She was his little girl; his perfect child. If that man was capable of love there was only one person in the world to ever receive any and that was Lily. So while he cherished her, bought her lavish gifts they could hardly afford and made sure she was taken care of, her two other siblings were only left in her shadow. And once she was asleep, only then would they get any attention from him. Only it was done by heavy punches and kicks, twisted words and heartbreak.

But Daryl could hardly blame the girl who was fifteen years younger than him. Anyone would fall in love with the fifteen year old if they had the chance. She was a charmer with her silky blonde hair, smooth skin and cobalt eyes framed with long lashes that were nearly identical to his. They were the only thing that proved they came from the same father. Her mother had been some waitress his father had some bender with. She took off the moment Lily was born leaving the child with just a picture and ugly questions about why her mother didn't want her.

But her father had provided enough love to soothe all her worries eventually.

He had filled all her holes and scars but only created them for Daryl and his brother Merle. Which is why Daryl had never been exactly close with his little sister. She didn't belong with him and his brother. She hadn't faced the things in life they had. She wasn't filled with the same anger and rage like he was because of his father. But she was family. And like Merle always said, "Yer kin is yer kin. Can't chose who ya' related to but ya' gotta' stay loyal. We're Dixon's. And when yer a Dixon ain't nobody gonna' give a crap 'bout ya'. So we stick together. Ya' hear me, brother? We stick together."

But even Lily had been Merle's favorite. He never laid a hand on his younger sister even when he was on one of his meth spins and used Daryl as his personal punching bag. But not a hair had been touched on the girl's head. Though Lily never stuck around much when Merle was using. She was too scared, so easily terrified. She hadn't been brought up like them.

"Daryl." He heard a voice and felt a finger prod his side.

He grumbled in response, throwing his tanned, toned arm over his eyes as he felt his head begin to pound. He was hung over alright. So very hung over. He could barely remember last night but the ache in his shoulders indicated he had probably gotten into some bar fight. When he felt another shove he opened his eyes, blinking a few times to get adjusted to the light. He moved his arm away from his eyes and was met with the sight of his little sister standing over him.

Her long hair tickled his nose and he pushed it away with his hand before sitting up.

"What are ya' doin' here?" He grunted, holding his head in his hands.

"Daddy went to work." She replied. "I watched the news last night and some scary things are happenin'. I didn't wanna' be alone."

"So ya' just invited yerself over?" Daryl mumbled, feeling slightly annoyed.

"Merle picked me up." She replied, sitting on the couch next to her brother.

"Fucker let ya' on his bike?" Daryl asked in shock. Merle hardly let anyone ride with him on his bike.

"He used your truck." She answered.

Daryl rolled his eyes, now fully annoyed that Merle had borrowed his truck to pick up Lily without even asking and let her into the house to wake him up. He just wanted to go back to sleep and fight off this pounding headache.

"I brought you aspirin." Lily said, smiling at him. She held up a brown paper bag and rattled it. He could hear the pills. He snatched it out of her hand quickly, yanking out the bottle and grabbing two pills.

"Need water?" His sister asked and he only nodded his head.

She got up from her spot on the couch and went into their dingy kitchen. The sink was full of plates and other eating utensils. It smelled of mold and rotten food, making her pinch her nose in disgust.

"Don't ya'll clean up once in awhile 'round here?" She shouted out.

"Do I look like a women to ya'?" Was Daryl's response.

Lily huffed in annoyance and dug out a glass from the bottom of the pile. She began to wash it.

"Merle told me ya' got in some fight at the bar last night over some pool game." She stated.

"Merle gossips with ya' more than them ole' ladies down the street." Daryl grumbled.

Lily filled the glass with water from the tap and walked back to the couch, handing it to Daryl. He placed the pills in his mouth and downed nearly half of the water.

"You need to be more careful, Daryl." Lily said, grabbing his shoulder and pushing him forward a little so she could see his newly forming bruise. "You're gonna' get hurt real bad one of these times."

"Who cares?" Daryl snorted to himself only to have Lily wrap an arm around his shoulders and mess up his hair with her other hand.

"I care, ya' big jerk." She snapped. "You are my favorite but don't tell Merle that."

Daryl just shoved her away with a glare causing her to giggle at his expression.

"Shuddup." He said, but his voice lacked any annoyance. "Now what was this 'bout the news scarin' ya'?"

"Don't ya' ever watch the news?" She asked in disbelief.

Daryl just scoffed and waved her question away, "Got more important stuff to do."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Sure you do."

Daryl shot her another glare, "Are ya' gonna' answer my question or what?"

The snotty expression on her face dropped and she stared down at her hands for a minute, "I dunno'. I guess, well there's this flu goin' around and the doctors can't seem to control it. They said it's makin' all the patients go crazy. Some guy bit one of the nurses just last week in the county over."

"And that's why yer scared to be alone?" Daryl asked.

"Well, I was just thinkin'." She replied. "'Bout you and Merle. And Daddy. I don't want none of ya'll to catch it. They had to kill some guy because he was goin' all sorts of crazy. I just don't want that to happen to you. Any of you."

Daryl sighed feeling his headache begin to fade away now that the pills were taking effect. He looked over at his younger sister who was staring up at him in worry. She cared about them. She always had. And he cared about her as well despite that fact that he had always been a little jealous and bitter about her. But he was a grown man now. And she was still just a kid. Hearing her so scared tugged at his stomach.

He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her against him in a comforting gesture. He had never been good at comforting her when they were little. Every time she cried either his father had taken over or Merle. The most he had offered her was a pat on the shoulder or a ruffle of her hair. But every once and a while she had broken down when only he was around. And he had gotten better at it. But he would never admit it to anyone.

"Hey, ain't none of us going anywhere, Harper." Daryl reassured.

Lily folded in his embrace, knowing it was a rare moment from her brother. She turned her head into his shoulder.

"You're the only one who calls me that." She mumbled into his skin. "Makes me sound like a boy."

Daryl felt a chuckle vibrate from the back of his throat.

"Ya'll act like ya' hate each other." Merle's voice suddenly interrupted the moment as he walked into the trailer. "Moment I leave and ya'll are all cuddlin' up on the coach. Since when ya' such a pussy, Daryl? Didn't I teach ya' betta'?"

Daryl pulled away from her as if he had been scorched while Lily huffed again.

"That's because Daryl doesn't wanna' hurt your feelings when you realize he likes me better than you." Lily scoffed.

"Don't try n' start that, girly." Merle yelped. "Me n' yer brother are men. Ain't no girl gonna' come between us. Not even you."

"I don't see any men 'round here." Lily gave Merle one of her killer Dixon smiles. "Just some lazy boys who never grew a pair."

"Ya' gonna' let her talk 'bout us like that, Daryl?" Merle quipped as he set down some bags of alcohol on the counter and shrugged off his leather biker jacket.

"Hey, you taught her how to be a spitfire." Daryl replied. "Ya' can't be mad when she comes back to bit ya' in the ass."

"Yer right." Merle said. "I did teach ya' all I know, Lils. Ya' better respect yer older brother."

"Please, as if you had anything to teach me." Lily retorted making Daryl laugh under his breath. If he talked to Merle the way she did, he would surely get his ass handed to him on a silver platter.

Merle grabbed a chunk of Lily's hair and tugged on it, not enough to seriously hurt her but hard enough to jerk her head back.

"Merle!" She whined loudly causing both brothers to laugh this time. "I just got my hair done yesterday. You're going to ruin it!"

"Looks the same to me." Merle shrugged. "Where'd ya' find the money to go yer hair done all fancy anyways?"

Lily soothed out a few strands of her newly highlighted blonde hair, "Hannah's mom works at the beauty salon. She did it for free."

"Good. Ya' don't need to be wastin' money on stupid shit like that." Merle grumbled. "Yer hair looks just fine."

"Was that a compliment, Merly?" Lily giggled.

Merle glared at her, "Call me that again and I'll string yer neck."

Lily held her hands up in surrender when Daryl didn't back her up.

"Why don't ya' make yerself useful and go clean up the kitchen?" Daryl cut in.

"I'm not yer maid." Lily replied, crossing her arms.

"Don't ya' wanna' learn to be a good wife?" Merle sided with Daryl.

"Don't ya' wanna' learn to be anything but a lazy asshole?" Lily snapped.

"Aye', watch yer language. Pretty girls don't talk like that." Merle scolded. "Go clean. Now."

Daryl watched with amusement as Lily pouted immaturely and walked off to go clean the dishes in the kitchen. It was not uncommon to see Merle treat her parental. He seemed to take her under his wing sometimes, similar to how he treated Daryl when he was younger. And Lily listened to him for most of the time. On the occasion she would disregard what he said but she knew ultimately, Merle's word as almost in the same league as her father's. Daryl had never tried to parent her or anything. It was uncomfortable for him. But that meant whenever she was annoyed by Merle or their dad, she would come find Daryl to complain to.

But he didn't mind sitting around and listening to her. She was his sister after all. He had watched her grow up and had been there for her even though their father played favorites so harshly.

"Don't forget to scrub real nice!" Merle yelled out to her. "Don't want no dirt in ma' food latter."

A spoon flew over Daryl's head to smack against Merle's skull. The older man yelped in surprise as the spoon fell to the floor. He picked it up and glared at the girl in the kitchen.

Well, she might be charming and sweet but she was still a Dixon on the inside.

Daryl grunted a little as he lifted up the few rabbits and raccoons he had managed to catch and tossed them into the bed of his truck. He leaned back down to grab his backpack before fumbling with the keys to unlock the door. He slid his bag into the passenger seat and hopped into his truck. As soon as the engine roared to life, he peeled out of the forest and made his way down the dirt trail back to the highway.

Once on the main highway, he tuned his radio in, tired of the silence.

"Any of the non-infected in the Northern Georgia region, please report to Atlanta. I repeat, all non-infected in the Northern Georgia region, please report to the safety zones in Atlanta City."

'Non-infected?', Daryl thought, 'Is this what Harper was goin' on about a couple weeks ago?'

"Fallen towns are as reported: Helen, Dawson, Blue Ridge, White County, Douglasville, Dade County and King County. Evacuation from those towns are to be implemented immediately."

Daryl felt his heart drop into his stomach. Blue Ridge? Fallen towns? Non-infected? He stepped on the gas pedal as hard as he could, over-working his truck to get back to Blue Ridge where his brother and sister were still at. Had that fever gotten to them? He didn't remember much of what Lily told him and he hardly watched the news but he did recall her saying something about how the patients were going crazy. Had they all gone crazy now? Started riots or some shit?

He made his way home as quickly as he could. His hunting spot was about two hours away from the town but speeding down the road as fast as he could, he covered the trip in about an hour. When he approached the town, cop cars were surrounding the entrance. He parked his truck to the side of the road, slung his crossbow around his neck and walked up to the cops, eager to get by to check on his brother and sister.

"Sir, you cannot go in there." An officer stopped him before he could pass by.

"Mike, are ya' sure he's not bit?" Another whispered to the cop stopping him.

Bit?

Daryl glanced down at his clothing to see himself covered in animal blood.

"Sir, I have to ask you, have you been bit by the infected?" The main officer asked. "I need ya' to be real honest with me right now."

Daryl's eyebrows raised in question.

"Bit? I just got back from a huntin' trip." He said slowly, confused. "Look, I don't care what ya'll say. I have to go get my brother and sister. Heard some nasty things on the radio."

"Look sir, this town is infested with the disease." The officer replied. "We got fire Marshalls in the town lookin' for survivors right now. If they find yer brother and sister and they're still alive, they'll be sent to Atlanta. Now I suggest ya' get back in that truck of your's and head down to the city yerself."

"And I said I didn't care what ya'll said." Daryl snapped. "I'm gonna' go look for my brother and sister."

"Sir, now we will force ya' if we have to." The officer replied. "Get back in yer truck and leave. This town is infected."

"I'm not leavin' without them!" Daryl grunted.

The officer pushed towards him, angered by his behavior but one of his companions caught him with his arm.

"Mike, if the man wants to go in there and risk getting bit, just let him go." The man cut-in. "We got better things to worry 'bout."

Mike glared at Daryl but backed off, listening to his partner. Daryl didn't spare them a second look as he got back in his truck and entered the town. It was eerily quiet at first and some bodies lay covered in white sheets on the ground. A million questions ran through his mind but he didn't think too hard about them now, knowing he had to make sure Merle and Harper were okay.

Luckily his trailer wasn't too far into town. He pounded the door open, rushing inside to see Merle packing a suitcase full of clothes, tossing some other things inside with a sleeping bag and a broken-down tent next to it. When Daryl entered, he snapped around, pointing a gun in his face. Daryl held his hands up to ease him off and Merle let out a loud sigh.

"'Bout time ya' get back." He snapped. "We need to go, brother. Town went to hell. Fuckers eatin' each other and some shit. Pack yer things and let's get outta' here."

"Eatin' each other?" Daryl questioned.

"Ain't that what I said?" Merle hissed. "Go get yer shit and let's go. I'll explain on the way."

Daryl ran to his bedroom and grabbed one of the cargo bags in the closet. He unzipped it and tossed it on the bed. He grabbed all the clothing in his dresser and threw it in. He grabbed a few other of his belongings, including some rare pictures and toothbrushes and stuff. Once he had packed up as much as he could squeeze, he zipped it up and ran back into the front room.

"Where's Lily?" Daryl asked.

"At home with Tim." Merle said.

"We have to go get her." Daryl replied before going outside and tossing his bag into the bed of his truck.

Merle followed after him, throwing his stuff into Daryl's truck before pulling his bike out of the driveway. A lady caught sight of them and began walking towards them, her left ankle dragging on the floor. Her skin was a putrid grey and her irises so light, they almost blended in with the white of her eyes. She moaned and gurgled as blood dripped from a large wound of her neck.

"What the fuck is wrong with her?" Daryl shouted.

Merle responded by lifting his gun and shooting her in the head. She dropped to the ground and went silent.

"She's one of them." Was Merle's only explanation. "Now get in the car. We have to go get Lils."

Daryl didn't ask any more questions. He figured Merle would explain later and they didn't have time right now. They had to go get their little sister. Their old house was unfortunately on the other side of town. And with cars and dead bodies littering the streets, Daryl had to maneuver his car slowly around the mess. But they made it to her house within ten minutes.

Daryl jumped out of his truck and slammed the door behind him. Merle was already there; it had been easier to get around on his small motorcycle.

They both began walking up to the porch, high on guard. Merle had his gun out and Daryl had equipped his crossbow with a loaded bolt already in place. Only when they heard the scream did they begin running. Merle kicked the door down and the volume of the scream increased.

"Lily!" Merle shouted.

It was only met by another scream.

"It's comin' from upstairs." Daryl's trained eyes picked up.

The brothers ran up the stairs and pushed open the door to their father's bedroom. The sight of Lily backed against a wall with their father struggling on the floor with a broken leg met their eyes. Noticing their presence, Lily looked at them with wide, terrified eyes full of tears.

"He's-He's…" She struggled to say.

But Daryl knew exactly what she was trying to tell them. He aimed his crossbow and let the bolt release from the string. It flew for a good second before impaling their father in the skull. Merle rushed forward to grab the hyperventilating Lily by her upper arms.

"Come on, girl." He said. "Yer alright. But we gotta' go, okay?"

Lily nodded and let her brother pull her along. They made it down the stairs and out the door in record time. Merle used his free hand to shoot down two of those things by Daryl's truck. He pulled Lily along and opened the passenger side door before shoving her inside.

"Daryl will take good care of you, alright?" He reassured before closing the door.

"It's gonna' take more than a day to get to Atlanta." Daryl said.

"Head down to the ole' cabin couple hundred miles outside the city." Merle directed. "We should be able to hole up there for a few days."

Daryl nodded and got in the truck with the crying girl. He quickly revved the engine and took off. He rounded back to the entrance he had seen the cops, only two of the cars were gone. A group of the grey skinned people were hovered around something on the floor. As Daryl got closer, he could see the body of the officer who had stopped him. A few people were reaching down and grabbing at his ripped open stomach, chewing on his intestines. Daryl grimaced and looked over to his little sister.

"Don't look." He commanded, reaching over and turning her face into his shoulder. His arm muffled her sobs as her tears drenched his dirty skin.

Author's Note: Well, there ya' have it. First chapter. I'm not really sure where this story will go, but it's definitely going to take a spin on Daryl's character as a whole. Hope ya'll enjoyed it. Drop a review and let me know what you think!