Chapter 1, our home.

Peace.

Is that what this feeling is? It feels so foreign-so alien to Rick. This has to be the first time in a long, long while since he felt absolute peace. Watching the newcomers walking out of the dull grey bus into their home, their home. Not long ago they where prisoners of a mad man, the Governor.

Thinking back to the day he met the Governor face to face, the day he had to make a decision weather to hand Michone over to him for peace. But deep down inside he knew he wouldn't hold up his end of the bargin.

Moving his tired feet he walked over to the fence overlooking the prison field, icy blue eyes scanning over the the trees on the outside. Taking in a deep breath he could feel the cool morning air filling his lungs, the humid mist vanishing quickly as he exhaled. Even the morning seemed more peaceful, but how? It is just a time of day to everyone, but it still felt like a giant load was lifted off his shoulders.

"We did good", Daryl's voice broke the comfortable silence, Rick turned slightly to see Daryl standing next to him,"Give 'im time, he'll come 'round", scoffing slightly Rick returned his gaze to the tree line.

"Eventually", the topic was his son, Carl. After they came back with the Woodbury folk Carl went up to Rick, he could tell Carl wasn't happy seeing the Woodbury folk joining them,"he's just mad 'cause he thinks I brought the enemy into our home"

"Wouldn't blame him though, I wouldn't be thrilled to see them after what the Governor did"

"I don't think it's just that", Rick's gaze found a few walkers stumbling out of the trees towards the prison. It must be the smoke still coming from the right guard tower,"the smoke is attracting too much attention"

"Don't worry much 'bout it, what we need to worry 'bout now is our supplies"

"We got plenty still-"

"It won't last", Daryl cut Rick off,"we weren't planin' on bringing people back, now we got more mouths ta feed", Rick frowned at Daryl's last comment.

"You saying we don't have enough food?"

"Nah, just not gonna last as long", it's true. Daryl saw how much food they got from the prisoners that where here, it was a lot but not as much as they thought. With the new additions to their family the food will go faster."I'm thinkin' of maybe takin' Carl out ta hunt"

"Carl?", Rick questioned, he didn't really like the idea of his son being outside the prison at times like this. The Governor is gone, sure, but for how long? It's only a matter of time before he returns, or if her returns."he doesn't know how to even track Daryl"

Daryl shifted slightly to meet Rick's stare. He could understand that Rick didn't like the idea, and sure he would never have even imagined that he would offer something like this,"that's why I wanna bring 'im along, watchin' and learnin' 's better than me just telling 'im what ta do"

"I don't know, it was only yesterday that we where attacked by the Governor. Now my son being out there...", Rick trailed off,"I appreciate the offer, and I'm sure Carl would've too, but there's no telling what'll happen"

"I'm not sayin' right away, after we're sure that psycho is really gone we'll take it a day at a time"

Rick sighed, thinking about what Daryl said. Daryl had changed a great deal since Herschel's farm; although they all had changed since the dead came back to life. The people they had been before all this started could not survive in this world, change was sometimes good, but not all the time.

"Back at the farm", Daryl spoke again,"when I stayed far away from y'all, did me some good. Got me thinkin' 'bout things"

"Like what"

"Why I even bothered being 'round since Merle wasn't there"

Rick recalled when they went back for Merle on the roof top back in Atlanta. It had come across his mind a few times back then why Daryl stayed, but never had the time to ask the Dixon ticking time bomb."why did you stay"

"Guess I spent so much time lookin' for Sophia I forgot 'bout Merle for awhile. But after the barn incident I went further away, but never left. Think I didn't know what ta do next"

"Well I'm glad you stayed, if you left back then I doubt we'll be here right now", Rick patted Daryl's shoulder, just a small friendly manner. Daryl shifted his gaze before saying.

"Yeah, thought I would've been better on my own. When I left with Merle...it wasn't the same"

"We grown on you, or you gone soft"

Daryl huffed,"I ain't soft"

"No, just family"

The conversation ended there in a comfortable silence. The feint sounds of conversation rising within the prison, it was odd, never did Rick think that there would be this many people in the prison, their home.

With one last glance at the horizon they headed back into the prison.

"Are you sure it's safe Harold", Herschel chuckled at the woman no older than eighty asking her; what he assumed, husband. He also looked no older than eighty.

"Yes, Christine they have fences and bars here"

"We have fences and bars", Herschel said extending the word 'we', he was making them feel welcome, apart of their family."follow the rest of your people, we'll make sure you two have a cell in no time"

"Thank you, we didn't catch you name friend?"

"I'm Herschel"

"Thank you Herschel, I'm Harold and this is Christine", Harold gestured to the woman next to him. They followed the rest of their people where they waited along the C block cells, anxiously waiting for what to happen next.

Spotting Rick and Daryl walking into the cell block he hobbled along with his crutches to them,"you took your time out there"

"What's happening", Rick asked looking at the crowd surrounding the cell block.

"Nothing yet, we where waiting for you"

" how are we going to do this", a new voice asked. Glenn stood next to Herschel still wearing half his riot gear,"the only other clear cell block is the one where the prisoners where staying"

"And now with more walkers in the tombs, it might not be clear anymore", Hershel reminded them.

"We can start clearin' out a block", Daryl suggested.

"I'm almost done blocking off the breach on the far side", Glenn added.

"Then you get done with that, Maggie can help. Daryl, you and I will get some helping hands to clear the D block. Once all the breaches are blocked off we'll start clearing the tombs"

They all nodded in agreement, Rick looked back into the cell block and frowned,"where's Carl?"

First fic, please please review and tell me what you think, good bad or whatever, or you can pm me, guess I'll update soon.