A/N: I was rewatching all the seasons and this just... Ugh I think I'm in love. I never usually like my story ideas as much as I like this one. This is gonna flip back and forward from the past to the present every few chapters. I always wanted to explore what Daryl would have been like as a teenager so this was fun.

"Lex, hush. Wait here for a minute."

"But-"

"D'you want dinner or not?" The sixteen- year- old rolled her eyes at her older sister, then crossed her arms and pouted.

Scarlett Monroe was careful of where she stepped. The tracks were only minutes old. She was close. Then, she saw it. A beautiful deer, seemingly oblivious to the world of chaos around it. Scarlett was so enraptured with it that the caution in her strides temporarily dissipated. She stepped on a twig, causing a loud snap. The deer's ears shot up and its head turned in her direction. Scarlett could have sworn the animal was staring right at her; their eyes locked together as if frozen in time. The serenity of the moment, however, was unfortunately interrupted by the sound of an arrow whizzing through the air. The deer broke it's gaze and let out a cry of pain before collapsing into a heap. Scarlett was momentarily confused. Then it dawned on her. There was another hunter nearby.

Swiftly, she drew her bow and spun around and pressed her back against the bark of the closest tree. She heard the footsteps of the other hunter coming closer. The subtle sound of leaves crunching under heavy boots met her ears, along with deep, heavy breathing. It came closer and closer, causing anxiety to wash over her. She let out a sigh of relief when there was the sound of the deer carcass being moved across the grass. There was rustling and a grunt came from the other hunter. A man, she concluded.

Her relief was short lived however, when the movement stopped, the deer being dropped to the ground with a thump. The footsteps began to approach her again, slowly but surely. She cursed when she realised the end of her bow hadn't been completely hidden by the tree. She was sure the pounding in her heart was going to make it explode. She strained her hearing, closing her eyes to focus solely on that one sense. The footsteps were gradually getting closer and closer. She once again readied her bow and turned from behind the tree. She gasped. She was face to face with a crossbow, arrows from each weapon almost touching. It was a very familiar crossbow. Looking up at the man's face, her hands began to shake violently.

An older looking, dirty Daryl Dixon was staring down at her in shock. "Scar..." Her name barely left his mouth as he let his crossbow drop to his side. She could see he obviously expected her to lower her weapon as well, but she didn't. Instead, she kept it trained on him, despite the protestations of her whole body. A sob threatened to escape her mouth when he took a step closer. She backed away.

"You just- just stay the fuck away from me, Daryl!" she screeched, her voice getting caught in her throat.

He took a step back, his mouth hanging open. She continued to back away further, her legs wobbling slightly from the shock, until she stumbled over a fallen branch with a shout of surprise. She fell, her back hitting the ground, her bow falling out of her hands. Daryl quickly leaned over to help her stand back up, but she batted his hands away.

"I said stay the fuck away from me!"

He growled in frustration and snatched up her bow from the ground beside her. Scarlett mimicked his aggressive noise as she finally pulled herself back onto her feet and lunged at him.

"Give me back my bow, you son of a bitch!" she yelled, not caring about the attention she could be bringing on them. Daryl refused and instead pushed her away.

"No! First, you tell me why the hell you're screamin' at me! I ain't done nothin' to you!"

"The fuck you did! I ain't explainin' myself to you, you asshole! Now give me my fucking bow back!"

"You weren't one for bad language, Scar. The hell is goin' on?" The way he said it was almost calmly, even a tone of worry.

Suddenly, the well of furious energy Scarlett had been drawing from felt all used up, and the tears she had been holding back for seventeen long years finally began to fall. Once the sobs started to rack her entire body, Daryl dropped both weapons and pulled her into his arms. Scarlett felt something she hadn't in a very long time. She felt whole again, even if it was for just a brief second. She cursed her body for its actions, as her arms instinctively wrapped around his middle as he held her close. She couldn't believe he was really there; it was his sweaty, filthy chest she was crying into. She had missed him so much. So, so much.

"Jesus, Scar! Are you- wait, what?"

Scarlett jumped in Daryl's arms and reluctantly pulled away, reaching for the red cloth she just knew he still had with him. She marvelled at how it had survived seventeen years. It was manky and stunk to the high heavens but she didn't care. Lexi had never ever seen her cry before and now was not the time. She turned to the younger girl.

"Lex, it's okay. He's a- he's a friend."

"Sure didn't sound that way a minute ago."

Daryl frowned at Lexi, scanning the girl's face, before shrugging his shoulders. "It's complicated." He said in a measured tone.

And then, Scarlett laughed. She laughed harder than she had in years and couldn't stop herself. Tears reappeared in her eyes as she clutched her stomach. Both Daryl and Lexi stood awkwardly as they watched Scarlett clearly losing her mind.

"So-sorry. Daryl, this is..." she paused and took a breath. "This is my little sister, Lexi. Lexi, this is Daryl. He's a friend from high school."

"You ain't got a sister." Daryl stated abruptly, still frowning. Scarlett clenched her jaw. "Da met someone after you... They were together for a bit. She died havin' this one."

Scarlett wished he would stop eyeing Lexi so suspiciously. Her heart pounded, and she subconsciously picked at the peeling skin under her finger nails. He was making her nervous.

"You have a camp? A group?" he asked, moving his gaze back to Scarlett as she discreetly gave him back his cloth.

"No, just us. Always been just us."

"Good. You're comin' with me then. Need help moving this beauty and you ain't gonna last much longer by yourselves. No offence, Scarlett. I'm with good people."

Scarlett nodded without even a slight argument. She didn't notice Lexi, who was completely baffled by the situation. Scarlett never cried, and she would never trust someone like that unless they were family or... Lexi's eyes widened when she figured it out.

Scarlett never had a serious relationship for as long as Lexi could remember. There was this one guy called Fitz; he was a ruggish guy Scarlett had brought in for question once on a case. He asked her out soon afterwards and so followed the playful banter.

That was a happy period in Scarlett's life. Lexi never saw her that happy ever again. She was sure Fitz was going to marry Scarlett and they'd have loads of little adorable children. Then, Fitz found out that his highschool sweet heart had had a baby. He left Scarlett.

To Scarlett, it was ironic. It had also broken her.

But this guy. This guy definitely had a serious relationship with Scarlett. Lexi could tell simply from Scarlett's aura; her posture had even reverted back to it's straight, tense self it always had been when she'd bump into Fitz again.

"Ya'll were a thing, We'ren't cha?" she whispered, her voice almost squeaking as Scarlett started packing up their camp. Daryl was standing watch. He didn't seem like Scarlett's type. Sure, Fitz was a little rough around the edges, but Daryl grunted and had a redneck flare about him. Scarlett hated hicks. She cringed whenever she heard her accent mirrored. Maybe this was why.

Regardless, her sister blushed bright red and glanced over at the man's back, at the wings stitched onto the back of his jacket.

"Yeah. We were. Don't badger me 'bout it, Lex. It was a long time ago."

"But by that reaction I'm taking it that it was serious?" she whispered, hoping to have her suspicions confirmed.

"Yeah. It really was." There was something heavy in the moment as Scarlett sighed. She stood up and slung her pack over her shoulder. She gave Lexi a fragile smile and raised her voice slightly so Daryl could hear. "Now, come on before he gets cranky."

"I heard that, Tink!"

Lexi raised an eyebrow at Scarlett as they both walked over to Daryl. "Not a word, Lexi."

It wasn't a long trek from where Lexi and Scarlett had set up camp to where Daryl's people were. Scarlett was surprised at how they hadn't run into each other already, especially once she saw how big of a group they had. The RV was a massive give away as to their presence. As she and Daryl walked side by side, the deer slung shred over both's shoulders, Lexi trailing behind them with her and her sister's packs, heads began to turn at the nearby fire.

Scarlett spotted an elderly man wearing a fishing hat sitting up on the RV with a lamp. He jumped in his seat, nearly toppling forward at the sight of the two women. "Rick, Shane! There's, uh..." He didn't need to say any more. Two of the men by the dim fire a few metres away, shot up out of their seats and took their hand guns from their belts. Their group looked scared. Once Daryl came into sight however, one of them, in a sheriff's hat, relaxed. The other remained tense, rigid.

"Daryl, what's going on?"

Daryl ignored the man, giving only a grunt as a reply, and pulled the deer off Scarlett's shoulders, supporting his game on his own, and then dropped it on the ground by the RV. The two sisters remained quiet. Scarlett trusted Daryl and so Lexi didn't dare go against her sister's judgement. Not to mention, these other people had guns.

"Rick, this is Scarlett and her kid sister Lexi." The dirty-blonde teenager glared at the hunter's description, but soon forgave him when he took up position in front of them, almost possessively.

"Daryl, we can't just take them in," the sheriff began, shifting from one foot to the other. "We don't know anything 'bout them and at the moment we can't afford to be watchin' our backs. We've gotta find Sophia."

The sheriff's mistrust of them reassured Scarlett. In her mind, it meant that he was a responsible and probably a good leader. She could already feel the vibes off of him. Daryl was right.

The other man, presumably Shane, had huffed and dropped back down next to the fire, his head in his hands. He was almost growling, his jaw strongly clenched. The tense rivalry between the two was almost palpable, and Scarlett could definitely sense it.

"I can vouch for 'em."

Scarlett noted the look of surprise on Rick's face at this. These people obviously hadn't seen Daryl wearing his heart on his sleeve. He hadn't opened up to them it seemed. She wasn't shocked by that. It was understandable.

"You know them, Daryl?"

"I do, and I'd trust Scarlett with my life. And she can hunt too. She's real good."

Rick raised his brows. Lexi looked to Scarlett, puzzled.

"I taught her how. I ain't got a doubt in the world that she'd be an asset to the group. Dunno 'bout the sister but she's with Scar."

Rick looked slightly taken back at Daryl's familiarity with Scarlett. She was confused for a moment. Did the man not think Daryl had a life before this like everybody else? Did nobody care? Scarlett looked to the rest of the group by the fire. There was a young boy, three women and Shane. They looked close knit. Was Daryl not included in this apparent family of sort?

"He taught you how to use your bow?!" Lexi squeaked in Scarlett's ear, quiet enough that Rick wouldn't hear. At least that's what Scarlett hoped. "That's so romantic!" Scarlett gave the younger girl a light slap on the shoulder, feeling humiliated as she turned bright red.

Rick turned to them, his thumbs in the loops of his belt. Scarlett felt the eyes of the rest of the group on her. Their camp was just off the side of the road, close to the RV, but far away enough that the conversation wouldn't be heard. They were looking at the girls curiously. The little boy had his mouth wide open as he stared.

Rick sighed and turned back to Daryl, saying something under his breath to him. Daryl gave a small nod before going over to the Monroes and picking up the deer, slinging it back over his shoulder with ease.

"See yea in a bit," he said quietly to Scarlett as he passed by. Scarlett looked back to Rick, who was eyeing her suspiciously. She suddenly felt like she wasn't wearing any clothes. Although Daryl said these were good people, she felt far, far more comfortable with him there with them. Now, she felt exposed.

"Daryl says you're a hunter. We could use another. He can only catch so much." Rick spoke calmly, but his posture suggested he was still weary.

Scarlett smiled at Rick's unofficial welcome and Lexi gave a whoop. "Yes! A proper night's sleep! Hey, is that food I smell?" The teenager's nose all but rose in the air as she sniffed. Scarlett rolled her eyes and gave the girl another slap on the shoulder. "Manners, Lex. You're not five. We've just joined these good folks."

Rick eventually let his stone cold, serious face break and let out a chuckle. "No, s'okay. Go on over to the woman with the short hair. That's Carol. She'll fill your stomach real good."

Lexi almost levitated with happiness before running down towards the camp. She shared a few words with Carol and then went to sit on a log beside Daryl. He was too busy skinning the deer to take notice of her.

"I'm trusting Daryl on this one. He doesn't seem the like to trust easy and he swears you're good. Scarlett, right?"

Rick held out his hand and patiently waited for her to reply. Her eyes were still on Lexi and Daryl. Rick cleared his throat, making her jump. "Sorry what? I mean, yeah. Scarlett Monroe. Homicide detective. Sheriff, I see? Nice to bump into a fellow law enforcer."

She gave the man a smile, trying to ease the tension of the situation. Rick gazed down at his shoulders and ran his fingers along the brass.

"Deputy actually. Not much law to be enforcing these days, except from stopping all these people from killing each other."

"I'm assuming Merle's the shit stirrer then. Couldn't ever keep his damn trap shut." Scarlett frowned at Rick's silence and the look of guilt on his face. "Merle is with you guys, right? Ain't no Daryl without Merle. Where's the asshole?"

The man's silence continued as he looked down at the dirty concrete. He was with them then. Was. She was surprised Daryl wasn't a puddle of misery. He loved his brother. He loved his brother so much, regardless of the horrible abuse he would give Daryl, and the hardship he caused him. That man meant the world to him.

"He dead?"

"Am I gonna get decked like when Daryl asked the same question?"

"He is then? I'm feelin' a weird mixture of relief and pity. No Will then either?"

The look Rick gave her was enough to tell her that the oldest Dixon had never been with them.

"Good. Hope that bastard died slowly."

"Hey, are we gonna have a problem here? Merle didn't play nice with others, you able to?" Rick's tone turned stern as he took a step forward to lean closer to Scarlett. He was on the defence.

"Don't worry, Deputy Sheriff. Will Dixon ain't someone worth losing my temper over. You got questions for me then? Go ahead, you gotta make sure your camp is safe." She spoke casually, although her sight was locked on Lexi. Scarlett didn't trust these people yet, and Lexi was the only thing she cared about right now. She was slightly protective of the teenager.

Rick opened his mouth to say something but closed it a moment later. Scarlett couldn't quite figure out what he was thinking. He was apparently a hard man to read.

"I know there ain't really a need to ask, you seem fairly capable, but it wouldn't be fair if i didn't. How many you killed?"

"I've no idea," It was an honest response and Scarlett was pleased that it satisfied Rick.

"How many living you killed?"

Scarlett should have expected a question like that but didn't. She was caught off guard and froze.

"How many people have you killed, Ms Monroe?"

Scarlett looked up into the man's eyes, his tired eyes, and the dropped her gaze to her feet. "Three," she said, a lump forming in her throat. It wasn't an experience she liked reliving. "Three men stumbled into our camp and tried to rape Lex while I was tied up." Her voice wavered and she bit her lip. Her stomach churned at the memory.

There was silence. Scarlett stayed with her head down, unable to even look at Rick's facial expression.

"You should go get some food. You can track like Daryl, right?"

Scarlett looked back up at him, shocked at his reaction. He held up his hands in defence. "They attacked you, tried to rape your sister. You did what you had to. Now, can you track?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I can. Daryl taught me." Rick noticed her tone was distant. She was somewhere else, somewhere horrible.

"Good. We'll need your help tomorrow." He held his hand up above his eyes and gazed at the sky. The sun was beginning to set. "Go get food and some sleep. Carol's little girl went missing and your help would be very much appreciated."

A little girl. A little girl, missing in this awful and terrifying world. The thought of it horrified Scarlett. The thought of it being Lexi... "I will help as much as I can, Rick. Whatever you need."

He nodded, shadow beginning to darken his face as light began to fade. Scarlett gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder and headed down the slope towards the fire. She could tell that the man needed some reassurance. She couldn't imagine what the weight on his shoulders felt like. The group had obviously nominated him as their leader. Whether it naturally or forced, Scarlett wasn't sure. All she knew was these people had put all their faith in Rick and were depending on him to be strong.

When she finally made it to the camp, she took it all in. It seemed that Daryl had eventually taken notice of Lexi and was now sitting facing her on the log, one leg resting on each side on the ground. The two were talking over their dinner of tinned beans and spam. Scarlett wasn't sure about how she felt regarding the two's interactions. Lexi just stared up at him in wonder. Scarlett prayed to the good lord that the young girl wasn't developing a crush on her ex-boyfriend. That would get awkward very very fast.

"Those two are cute. Lexi told us you knew Daryl before all of this?" The kind, sweet voice made her jump.

It was... Carol? That was her name? She held out a plate and fork to Scarlett and a kind smile. She seemed calm. Scarlett didn't understand how. If a twelve year old Lexi was missing... Scarlett shuddered.

"Thank you. I'm-"

"Scarlett, yes, I know. Your sister told me."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. Lexi and her big mouth. "Sorry if she's being a bit... I don't even know what word to use..."

"Peppy?"

Scarlett snorted and almost dropped her plate when her hand went to cover her mouth. She was laughing and couldn't stop. "Oh-oh, god. I'm sorry! I'm just so tired and you just summed her up and... fuck. I need food and sleep. Thank you. Thank you so much."

Carol smiled again, this one maybe a little more natural. "Go! Sit down and eat! I'm sure Daryl will let you bunk with him tonight. Lexi can stay in the RV with me and it's too late to be putting up a tent when you're too tired."

She forced a painful smile. Oh, hell no. That was a very, very bad idea. "Sure, thanks." Curse these polite words. She would need to clear up everything with him before then. After that she might be sleeping in a bush.

She sat down next to Lexi, who was still animatedly chatting to Daryl. He looked over the sixteen year old's shoulder to Scarlett, a pleading look on his face for her to shut the girl up. Scarlett simply gave him a good hearted middle finger.

She was just about finished scraping the last of her food up off the plate when Rick rejoined them. She hoped he would introduce them, because Scarlett was getting sick of the suspicious and curious glances fired in her and Lexi's direction. Lexi didn't even notice them.

"Guys," Rick called, grabbing everyone's attention. Before this, Scarlett hadn't noticed the dark haired man, Shane, sitting opposite her at the fire. If looks could kill, Rick would be dead ten times over. This fuck was his problem?

"Who are these people, Rick, and why they eating with us? We taking in just any strays now?" Shane growled, his lip curling up with his words.

Scarlett did not like this man. She did not like this man at all. And by the way she saw Daryl shifted around beside Lexi, he didn't either.

"Shane, just relax for a minute. This is Scarlett Monroe and her sister Lexi-"

"They drug dealers too, Rick? We gonna have to handcuff them to a rooftop too?"

So that was what happened to Merle. Sorry way to go. Scarlett braced herself for Daryl's retaliation.

"You shut your stupid fucking face, Shane!" Daryl yelled, standing up and accidentally shocking lexi. Scarlett wasn't sure if he was angry about his jackass brother or was defending them.

"You don't know shit 'bout Scar, not Merle either! Scar ain't like that!"

"Can't see anyone with a backbone hanging out with your sorry ass-"

"Shane!" A brunette woman that stood next to a young boy, presumably her son, scolded the man like she was calling off a dog.

"Daryl," Scarlett said calmly. "Sit down and stop fuelling the damn fire." Daryl was fuming, huffing and puffing as he sat back down. Not once did his eyes leave Shane's.

"Oh, would you look at that. He's some girl's bitch. Never thought the great Daryl Dix-"

He didn't have a chance to finished his insult before Daryl launched out of his seat and tackled Shane off the log. "You shut the fuck up, man!"

Scarlett was sure Rick paused, letting Daryl land a few punches, before hauling him off Shane. "Are you quite done, Shane?" Rick asked him, his voice strained from remaining calm. Dary sat down, this time at Scarlett's side. Shane spit on the ground as he stood up. He wiped his hands on his pants and stormed off in the direction of his tent. Nobody missed the glare he sent Rick. Scarlett had a feeling it wasn;t actually Daryl that Shane had a problem with.

"So, that's Shane then?" Lexi asked innocently, her voice quiet but loud enough to break through the painful silence. With a brief shake of his head, Rick went on to introduce them.

"Scarlett can hunt and track like Daryl. I'm hearing things about him being her teacher-"

"You beat I was! Ya ain't gonna just pick up these skills off the streets."

Scarlett sighed.

"I can hunt, I can cook... I can do whatever needs to be done so I can earn my keep. Lexi can-"

"Speak for herself." The youngest Monroe sent Scarlett a playful glare. "I can do anything too. Whatever you need. Just can't hunt. Someone refused to teach me..."

Scarlett gave her shoulder a light slap, yet again. "Ssh, Lex. I hear there's a search going out for your daughter, Carol. I'll help however I can." The older woman nodded her thanks and looked to the ground once the tears began to well up in her eyes. She had noticed Carol staring longingly at Scarlett and Lexi when they interacted. Scarlett, at that moment, felt emotion well up in her own chest at the sight of the poor woman. All she would do was try and find that girl.

Once dishes were cleaned up and everyone started turning in, Scarlett made it her mission to finally speak to Daryl alone. She watched as Carol ushered Lexi into the RV and then scanned the camp for Daryl.

"Hey," he said quietly, his breath warm against her ear as he stood behind her. "You can bunk with me tonight if you want."

"I need to talk to you first."

"We can talk in my tent-"

"No, Daryl. Seriously. We can't just pick up where we left off. Things were serious back then. We were young. And things have changed. Which is why I need to talk to you."

He was frowning when she turned to face him, and looked down at her with his beautiful blue eyes. They weren't helping her already nervous heart. She grabbed his hand and led him away from the main camp, but still in the sights of Glenn, who was on watch. Just far enough to be out of hearing range, which was good in case this escalated to yelling.

"Why do I feel like I'm a teenager being broken up with? We ain't even-"

"Lexi isn't my sister, Daryl."

"Yeah, thought that. Never thought your dad would go for it again. She your cousin or something? She still looks real like you."

"And you."

"Huh?" Scarlett was getting frustrated with him. He really did have no idea.

"She ain't my sister, Daryl."

"Yeah, you said that. What are ye-"

"She's my daughter, Daryl! Your daughter!"

His face went pale, an impressive feat due to his tanned complexion. He just stared into her eyes. Blankly. It was as if he was going into shock. Maybe he was. There were many outcomes she had dreamt up of this moment.

"What?" The words barely left his mouth, sounded as if they had gotten caught in his throat.

"Please don't make me say it again, Daryl. Please, just... tell me what you're-"

"You have a daughter." It was a statement, but it was better than just 'what?'.

"Yes, I do."

"And I have a daughter."

"Yes, you do." Scarlett began bracing herself for his full reaction but was pleasantly surprised.

"How old is she?"

"You were always good at maths, Daryl. Thought you'd be able to figure that out."

"Sixteen. I have a sixteen year old daughter. A teenaged daughter."

Tears ran down Scarlett's cheeks as she looked at his face. Almost lost in the shocked expression, was a small smile that gently tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Does she- does she know I'm her-"

"No, Daryl... She thinks I'm just her sister. It's what I've always told people. I was only a little older than her when I had her and.. I wouldn't have gotten jobs. People assume young mothers-"

"You shouldn't have had to lie. I should have been there. I'm so sorry, Scarlett."

This was never ever the reaction she had imagined from him.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Daryl, please stop."

Gradually, his breathing deeped. She thought he was about to start hyperventilating, but was slowly calmed down once Scarlett wrapped her arms around him. There were still tears running down her cheeks as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. He brought his own arms around her and kissed her neck before resting his chin on the top of her head. She wondered if he realised how affectionate he was being, but at that moment she didn't care. At that moment, she was back in that ice skating ring, seventeen and with him, both without a care in the world. Well, there was that test on Sylvia Plath. The memory made her smile. Until he asked that dreaded question.

"Can we tell her?" Scarlett pulled away from him and frowned. "And tell her I've been lying to her, her entire life? Daryl, I dont- I don't know if I could do that. Could we just...just go back to your tent and pretend we're back in high school and Amy and Haley and David are still-"

He cut her off with a kiss; their first kiss in over seventeen years. It felt like it was only yesterday.