A/N: Bear with me, please. This is the first story I've written in 10 years! I am a little rusty, but hope to get better with each chapter. I should also mention that English is not my native language. I am a trained interpretor though and my language skills shouldn't be too bad. I won't be writing the southern accent though, because I am not familiar enough with it and the whole thing would be littered with mistakes.

My OC Jarah Mason is based on myself. Her story is pretty much my story and the glimpses we will get into her past will mirror my own. It's my way of laying some of my own demons to rest. The story won't follow the show very much. There won't be to much action and gore, I am just no good at that and it is supposed to be the lovestory between Daryl and Jarah.

I am always open for suggestions and criticism and of course reviews. Drop me a line, I will be ecstatic!

Now enjoy!

Chapter 1

Jarah Mason was used to fighting. Physical fighting, vocal fighting, fighting for something you want, you name it, she's done it all. Growing up with parents who told her from an early age on that she was an accident and wasn't wanted and only brought into this world, because her grandparents forbid them from getting an abortion, threatening to cut them off from their support, Jarah was used to fighting her own fights and not having anyone on her side while doing it. What she wasn't used to though, was fighting for her life. Like LITERALLY fighting for her LIFE. Hers and the life of her little son Jamie, who had just celebrated his very first birthday a couple of days before the world went to shit and the dead started rising. The world now was unforgiving and the slightest mistake can get you killed.

And Jarah had made a mistake... A mistake that now had her pinned by an undead creature on the floor of the pharmacy, fighting for their lives.

She had always been so careful, always checking the tiniest nooks and crannies for the creatures, quickly taking out the ones she found before getting what she needed. But the last couple of days have been trying. Even though he is a little over 12 months old, Jamie only has two teeth, while most kids his age have about eight. And now he is trying to catch up with four teeth breaking through his gums at the same time. He is crying almost nonstop and running high fevers unless Jarah gives him paracetamol suppositories. She had some left from his first teething experience but now she ran out of them and on her way to find safe shelter she came across this little pharmacy and just HAD to try her luck in order to ease his pain and to quiet his cries so they wouldn't attract more zombies. As always she thought about whether or not it was safer to leave her son locked in the car instead of taking him inside with her, but for some reason picturing him alone and locked in the car, slowly dying from starvation if something was to happen to her was more horrible to her than facing walkers in the stores with him by her side.

She was tired, downright exhausted, while she carefully entered the pharmacy with her sons hot head cradled against her neck to keep him quiet and calm. They both hadn't slept much in the past couple of days and Jarah was also very thirsty and probably slightly dehydrated. Every drop of water she found would go to Jamie first, before she drank something. And water has been scarce on her way to shelter.

She moved as quietly as she could, listened for shuffles and carefully checked the aisles and behind the register. She deemed the place secure and took a deep breath of relief and kissed the top of Jamie's head while he whimpered quietly.

„Shhh, I know baby, I know it hurts. I will find something for you to make it all better. Don't cry sweetie, I am right here, be good for mommy, okay?", she whispered quietly and gently before shifting him onto her hip to have her right hand free to look through the remaining boxes of medicine the pharmacy had left. She found some other useful stuff for Jamie and at last she found the coveted suppositories.

"Jackpot sweetheart, we're in luck" she grinned and bagged everything and just as she turned around to leave she heard it. Shuffling, followed by a growl. She froze, her breath hitching for a second while she clutched Jamie tightly to her chest. Then in a split second she decided to make a run for it, and she probably would have made it if she hadn't stumbled over a box that lay around on the floor and dropped to her knees and felt the creature grab at her from behind. She quickly let go of Jamie and pushed him to crawl away from her before she turned on her back, intending to kick the creatures legs out from under it, but that thing was quicker than she thought and was already on top of her, snapping at her face. She tried to reach her knife which was strapped to her right leg, but she had to use both arms to keep the creature from getting even closer. But the last days have taken a toll on her and she was getting weaker by the second. Thankfully she heard Jamie crying and the thought of dying and leaving her son as dessert was not an option. She took a deep breath, channeling all of her strength and tried to pull her knees up to her chest to kick this thing off of her, when she heard the door to the pharmacy opening, followed by footsteps and someone gasping in shock.

"Please save my son, please!" she yelled towards the door, her eyes never leaving the undead thing on top of her. Suddenly a knife came down and sunk deep into the skull of the zombie with a sickening sound and the dead weight came to rest on her. She sighed and rubbed her face in relief, while the person who helped her, pulled the zombie off of her body. Jarah looked up and saw a young Asian man with a baseball hat and kind eyes reaching his hand out to her. She took it and let him help her up.

"Thank you,... whoever you are, thank you so much. It came out of nowhere, I thought I checked everything." Jarah sighed and then turned to find a young woman holding Jamie in her arms. She went over and took him from her before hugging him to her chest, repeatedly kissing his cheek and temple.

"I'm Glenn, this is Maggie... you were in luck that we were coming in here to get some stuff" the young man said.

"I'm Jarah and this is Jamie" Jarah said as Maggie looked at her concerned. "Is Jamie sick? He feels really hot"

"He is hardcore teething and running a fever. I came in here to find some paracetamol suppositories for him. Found them and just as we were about to leave that thing came out of nowhere. I am usually so careful, guess I must be more tired than I thought to miss a big one like that" Jarah explained while she soothingly rubbed circles on Jamie's back.

Glenn and Maggie looked at each other for a moment. Maggie then looked back at Jarah and Jamie and nodded decidedly "You should come with us. We live on a farm, we have water, food, milk and shelter. My daddy knows a lot about medicine,... It would be a good place for you to stay."

"Wow thank you that is a very tempting offer, but we really don't want to be a bother and I am sure you have enough mouths to feed as it is..." Jarah started, already back in her mindset of knowing that she wasn't wanted anywhere, but Maggie quickly interrupted her.

"Don't be silly, we are not leaving you out here, my daddy wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I told him we left you and your son behind. We need to get some stuff ourselves, but when we are done you will follow us back to the farm." Maggie said smiling. Jarah couldn't help but smile herself. Food, water, shelter, all the things they needed were being offered, well almost forced on her by these nice people, how could she decline, she had her baby to think about. She nodded and waited for Glenn and Maggie to work through their list and just fifteen minutes later, they were on their way to the Greene Farm.

Jarah was nervous. Glenn told her that they had a whole group of people staying at the farm. Jarah had never been good with groups of people. Her own insecurities and past experiences lead her to sometimes be socially awkward. Making friends has never been easy for her and she hated being the outcast and/or black sheep. She'd rather be alone by herself, but ever since Jamie's birth it's not about what SHE wants anymore. She has to do what's best for him and that farm and the safety in numbers are what will be best for him. All that and more ran through Jarah's mind, making her grip the steering wheel so hard her hands hurt.

If she had only known what was in store for her on that farm then, she probably would have stepped on the gas to get there sooner...