"He saved me. He pulled me out of the darkest nights of my life, he led me through this maze of loneliness and self-hatred but somehow got me out into the other side. Most important, he stayed no matter how fucked up things got. No matter what I told him, no matter how many times I went crying for help he always gave me a shoulder to cry on, he always saved me from drowning any further." carol spoke staring at the unconscious daryl through the doorway Ezekiel stood quietly behind her watching cautiously she sighed and continued "the least I can do is be here when he wakes up I mean he's gonna need a familiar face trust me on this its safer this way." Ezekiel nodded "i understand, he's important to this war, your people told me that he's key to that groups downfall he has a spy in the camp or something." carol wiped a tear from her face.
She crossed her arms across her chest leaning into the door frame "it's not why I should be here I left them, him, because I thought I couldn't do it anymore, couldn't kill for them anymore but now he's here like this I can't imagine what he's gone through what he lost this time because I wasn't there to help them." he smiles "are you saying you'll fight." she shrugged "for him i'd burn the world to ashes and kill every living thing all for him because he'd do it for me, has done it for all of us more than once." daryl tossed in the bed violently soft whimpers floated to the door then came the cursing as he sat up and gripped his shoulder curling into the pain.
carol silently coaxed Ezekiel away from the door and walked into the room sitting at the end of the bed he looks up through his dirty matted hair, right into carols his blue eyes gleaming with tears "carol?" he questioned softly she smiled sadly and nodded "yeah I'm here its okay its all gonna be okay." daryl glanced around "wheres here?" his voice cracking from the dryness in his throat "i remember after Glenn I was shoved into the back of a van but its all black after that." she grazed the side of his head feeling a matted spot in his hair he winced as she touched it "you where unconscious when rick and the others pulled you out of the van must have blacked out from blood loss and cracked your head pretty hard, there was a herd, those men that were gonna take you half are dead the others ran off after maggie took out their leader but their organizing under another man his names Simon, was his second or something, morgan found me then we found you guys just as rick and everyone was finishing off the herd. these people helped morgan and me get to you guys their gonna help take out the rest of those men and they saved you daryl." he sighed "so where is this place, what do I need to do, who do I gotta kill."she shook her head and pulled him up carefully toward the large window opening it "daryl welcome to the kingdom." his eyes widened watching people scurry back and forth flowers and plants in patches all around.
he noticed more than anything that everyone except for the really young was packing heat "this place weapons are welcome..." he questioned she nodded moving back to the door "not only are they welcomed their encouraged and people are trained daily." she steps back and leans out into the hall grabbing something leaning against the wall "which reminds me,..." she pulls his bow into view "a gift from Dwight, when those other men ran or died, he fought with us kept the van secure kept you safe and alive, you saved him he saved you said he owed you his life and someone elses too said he'd keep you informed on the inside, daryl you did that gained a total strangers trust and got him to be our inside man all by saving him once." he grabbed the bow from her "knew I was right about him I just knew it." she smiled brushing the hair from his pale face
"you strong enough to have a look around." he shook his head scoffing softly "course women I ain't an invalid." she chuckled lightly "yeah yeah and you weren't when you got impaled looking for my girl either." he shook his head "i wasnt then either could still walk around fight all that." he groaned softly grabbing his head dropping his bow "are you really sure your up for it." he sat back on the bed brushing his hand across his face "yeah yeah if we take it slow." he pushes himself back up and pulls his bow onto his shoulder walking to her. He pulls her into a hug "'m sorry I was stupid got angry." she rubbed his back "its okay hun you did it with the best intentions." he pulled back and she wrapped her arm around his elbow squeezing gently "come on." he smiled softly.
they walked out the door together when they walked outside he noticed rick and michonne sitting at a table with two cokes they looked up when they herd the scuff of daryls boots rick nodded at them daryl tipped his head in reply and carol walks him over and michonne stood carol stepped back as michonne hugged daryl and put her palms on his cheeks "you okay?" daryl nodded once "yeah feeling a pint low maybe and my head hurts but yeah im okay as I can be." rick stood up and michonne stepped back.
daryl hugged rick tightly rick squeezed back just as hard "thought we lost you brother." daryl stepped back and smiled talking loud enough for just them to hear "thought you'd know by now rick nobody can kill a Dixon but a Dixon." rick smiled softly "you know what I'm starting to believe that I mean hell you dixons only die on your terms."rick said with a smile.
carol smiled and stepped forward brushing her fingers to the side of his hair "sit, i'm gonna go get you something to drink and see if they got somethin' for your head." she feels him brush closer to her fingers then nods "okay." he sits down and lays his head down on the table.
michonne sat next to him and rubbed his back lightly "would a visit from little ass-kicker make you feel better." he turns his head to look at her "jude's here?" michonne nodded "yeah we stopped off at Alexandria Carl and Judith are here Eric and Aaron came too, everyone was worried about you." he nodded brushing his cheek against his arms like a child she smiled "I'll go get her." she walked off.
rick sat across from him and touched his arm "it's just us man you sure your up for this fight the kingdom has a lot of fighters you don't need to." daryl sat up eyeing rick hard "i gotta for Glenn for our fucked up broken family." rick nods "i get it really but do it only if your up for it." daryl nods and carol approaches the table a red cup in her hand setting it down in front of him a couple pills he swallowed them dry as she sat on the table top next to his arm her hand reaching out for his shoulder he casually leaned forward into her hand and took a drink from the cup looking up at her his eye's growing wide she smiled "thought you'd like that they got a still out behind the stable." he took another drink and set the cup down "'s good." he turned to rick "so how many men we talkin' here." he rested an arm on carols leg she moved her hand down his arm grazing his skin consent touch keeping them both calm and grounded.
rick thought about it "there are about 60 men left out of negans crew 59 not counting dwight and this place has 10 more than that without us." daryl nodded "yeah and how many we got left." rick looked down at the table "8 with you two." rick glanced at carol "that is if you will fight." daryl looked to carol "if you guys fight i'll fight with you." she insisted delicately.
michonne walked back with carl and judith in tow carl passes judith off to michonne and daryl stands carl eye's him cautiously and daryl holds his arms out and scoffs softly "come-on kid ain't got all day." Carl smiles walking into daryls hug. daryl grabs his shoulders Carl nods "I'm glad your okay everyone was worried." daryl smiled "couldn't have a kid beat me on how many bullets we've taken for the group you and me we're tied again kid 2 fer 2." michonne walked up behind Carl "and both of you better not be thinking about getting more." daryl smirked letting go of Carl "awe come on 'chonne thats no fun." he walked over plucking the little girl from her arms the little girl grabbing for him "de de de de de de." she babbles making to grab his cheeks he smiles kissing her forehead "hey little ass-kicker how are you sweet heart." he sat back down sitting her on the table next to carol drinking the rest of the moonshine in the cup reaching out a free hand to the girl who grabbed one of his fingers carol brushed the little girls hair back watching daryl's color coming back slowly and the light in his eyes getting brighter like the little girl was pouring life force into him.
daryl glances up at rick "when do I get to see what we're working with here." he asked rick glanced at carol who answered "the guards should be training in the field right now if you want to go check them out now." she smiles he nods "yeah lets go." he stands and picks Judith up from the table and hands her off to rick she reaches back out to him and her lip starts to quiver rick smiles down at her "just take her with you she misses her uncle daryl." daryl smiles and picks her back up and chuckles softly "spoiled little girl." she tucks her face into the side of his neck and he reaches a hand out to help carol off the table she grabs it and steps off the table "thank you daryl." michonne noticed him tip his head slightly turning red.
she moved over to rick as daryl and carol walked off rick looking after them in silent awe michonne smiled "well that man is just all sorts of surprising." rick shook his head softly "his brother said that daryl was better than him that he always was I noticed it right away that after his brother was gone he was better and since he died daryl became more whole, more of the man he was meant to be this version of him is the best him he's ever been because he has a purpose now a better family."
carol leads daryl and Judith to the field she cautiously grazes her hand across his back "your feeling better huh." they stop walking and he brushes judiths hair back his nose into the top of her head and he looked up "mmhm much." she smiles brushing her fingers through his hair "it's amazing your already look so much better." he laughs "i heal fast darlin' always have, had too since I was little." her breath hitched softly.
she breathed out "i know, I know-." she gasps softly "but hey..." she sniffed "it's kept you alive this long huh." he reached his hand out and brushed a tear from her eye "hey, hey..." he whispers "'m okay really, we are okay or will be." he pulled her into his side he tucks her under his chin "we can do this together whats left of us we can this is like terminus, like woodbury, the farm we can get past it." she chuckles "this is a surprise your comforting me I mean you do usually but you don't use your words so much as your presence." he stepped back and smiled "well I did knock myself out I could be delirious." she slaps his arm softly "stop."she grabs his hand with one hand the other laying on his cheek above the little girl in his grip "your a good man always have been."
he nudges her hand with his chin and frees the hand she was holding and grabs the back of her neck softly leaning down he stops a few inches from her lips in a silent question and she curls a hand in his hair and meets him the rest of the way lips meeting lightly they pull back at the same time she smiles grazing a finger over his lips "i love you."she vowed he grabbed her hand kissing her knuckles securing her hand in his he whispered "i love you too and you ain't leavin me again." she laughed "wouldn't dream of it." they continued hand in hand to the field.