Summary: Six years after the demise of Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon is struggling to cope with the grief of losing the brother he had. But what happens when he stumbles upon a lone Spanish family, where one of which is related to Negan? Daryl/OC. Co – Written with WalkingPotterGirl14.

Brave New World

Chapter 1


It had been six years since they'd lost Rick on the bridge when he'd blown himself and the herd up to stop them from destroying the communities. It had been so damn long. And to this day, Daryl still felt awful for what had happened.

He had been struggling with the grief. He should have dragged Rick onto his bike and told him to fuck the bridge. Now Michonne was alone, and Judith didn't have her dad anymore. She had grown up so much and Rick had missed almost all of it.

Maggie hadn't been able to cope. She'd left with Hershel to stay with Georgie, so she could learn how to be a leader. She'd named him, Beth and Jesus as her second, third and fourth in command. Judith was now ten years old. She had found a group of people nearly swarmed by walkers. His heart sank as he thought of Rick, and how proud he'd be of everyone.

He was trying for Rick. The man who had been like another brother to him and was now dead. They'd searched the area for four weeks, but there had been no sign of him. Nothing. Not even a damn body or parts of one.

It crushed Daryl, knowing that Rick was dead, and they didn't even have a body to bury at the Alexandria Safe Zone.

Carol and Ezekiel had married, with Carol wanting him to walk her down the aisle. He had been touched that she'd wanted him of all people to walk her down the aisle. He'd walked her down and visited her at the Kingdom, while helping Beth, Aaron and Jesus run Hilltop.

The Saviors were leaving them alone, but Laura and Alden had joined them after Jed had declared himself the leader of the Saviors. Daryl knew it would be only a matter of time before the Sanctuary fell.

Now, he was staying on the outside hunting, trying to get his mind off of what was happening. As he looked through the woods, he moved his hair to the side and spotted something in the distance.

He kept his crossbow close, as he saw a farmhouse up ahead. It was in the middle of nowhere. He noticed footprints on the muddy ground and kept on following the tracks.

That was until he heard a loud bang, and a searing pain came right through him. He looked down to see that he had been shot in the left shoulder. He started seeing dots in his vision, before he passed out on the forest floor.


Emilia García had been checking over the dwindling supplies that she and her two brothers had managed to find. They needed to find more food soon or start farming and hunting.

But that was when she heard a loud gunshot echo around the house. Swearing, she hurried outside and saw a body on the ground. She cautiously checked his pulse, and he was still breathing.

"Dante, you fucking idiota! You just nearly killed someone and probably attracted walkers to us!" She said angrily. Carlos hurried over.

"What the fuck happened?!"

Emilia sighs. "Dante had a fucking trigger finger, that's what happened," she growls. Dante came rushing out as Emilia and Carlos lift up the person's body. He looked shocked that had happened.

"I'm sorry, he was dark and walking slowly and-"

Emilia shakes her head. "Dante, just go inside. We need to take care of him." Dante watches as they bring the man inside before sighing. At that moment, her sister, Lucia, comes racing down the stairs. "What the hell is going on?"

"Dante shot a random guy." She places the man down on their couch. "Gringo didn't even see it coming. God, a couple inches closer and you could have killed him." She turns to Dante. "You don't even know if this man has people! What if he died and they came after us?"

Dante walks away, clearly not wanting to be yelled at. Emilia rolls her eyes and walks towards the unconscious man. "Is he alright?" She nods her head, resting her hand on his forehead.

"He doesn't have a fever. He should be fine. I think the pain just knocked him out." She lifts him up a bit and then spots that there was no hole. "NO exit wound. Shit." She looks over at Carlos. "You gotta go in. I hate touching guts."

Carlos rolls his eyes. "Baby." He comes over and opens up the wound. Emilia walks over to the other side, placing her hands on either side of the man's head. This was a technique she had always done with her patients whenever they felt pain. There was a certain point in the head where, if you rubbed it right, you felt no pain. It was like ecstasy for a few single moments. She hears the man grunt out in pain and that's when she starts to rub.

"It's okay," she whispers into his ear. She didn't know if the man heard her, but she knew it might help. "You'll be okay. You're somewhere else." The man doesn't make another sound, his body untensing. She loved her trick. Carlos pulls out the still put-together bullet, smiling.

"Done!"

Lucia watches from the door. Emilia walks over to the man's wound before looking at her sister. "You gonna just stand there or help?" Lucia snorts and leaves, going back up the stairs. Emilia rolls her eyes once more. "I swear, I'm going to kill her one day, not the walkers." She gets down on her knees and pulls out her med kit. "You're gonna be alright, stranger. Just believe me."

And then she got to work.


When Daryl woke up next, he noticed that he was in a bed, tucked in. What he saw next was a chair in the corner that held his vest and his bow. Okay…however he got here, the people hadn't taken away his weapon. When he tried to move, he noticed the pain that surged through him. He glances down and saw he was in a different shirt as well.

He peeks into the shirt with a raised brow. They had stitched up the wound. He had been shot and they had saved him too.

What the fuck was going on?

He tries to move but feels that his shoulder isn't going to let him get too far. Before he could even make a step towards the floor, the door to the room opens.

Daryl's eyes snap up and he sees a woman with long brown hair that was curly, and her eyes were a hazel brown. She had tanned skin, certainly from some sort of Spanish descent. He had only seen that skin with them. Or it could be something else for all he knew. He didn't really know much anymore about the world.

"Oh, you're awake." He had noticed she brought what looked like a sandwich. She walks over to the bed and places it on the covers. He looks at her suspiciously. She smiles. "Don't worry. I wouldn't have wasted all that time stitching you up to poison you. Eat it. You need the energy." Daryl looks at her quietly before glancing at the sandwich. She did have a point.

Quietly, he takes a bite into it, looking back at her. "Who are ya?"

She grabs a chair and drags it over to the edge of the bed. "My name is Emilia García. The dipshit that shot you is my older brother, Dante. He tries to be a marksman but sometimes he should really just stick to his knives. You'll probably see another girl cross by eventually, and that's my sister Lucia. The one who unfortunately had to drag your ass in here was my brother, Carlos. I stitched you up."

He nods his head. "Why'd you heal me?"

She snorts. "Why else? We don't know you, but we don't know if you have people. Last thing we needed to know is that if we did leave you to die, then others would come after us. I have a family to protect. I'm not just gonna let some stranger's death take it over us." She tilts her head. "Speaking of stranger, I told you my name. Should probably tell me yours before I take out the stitching."

He looks at her quietly, but after spotting the joking grin on her face, he noticed that she was just playing around. "Daryl Dixon."

She nods her head. "Suits you." At that moment, the door opens and Carlos steps in. "Oh good, you're awake. Can you stand?"

Daryl's brow raises. "Kinda."

"That's all we need. Hermana, dead are coming."

Emilia cursed at his words, knowing that Dante shooting at Daryl had attracted the walkers to them. She gave Daryl his poncho, vest, and jacket, as she started taking out his stitches.

Once they were out of the room, they quickly hurried downstairs. Daryl saw a young woman with wavy black hair smiling flirtatiously at him, despite what was going on. He furrows his brow but looks away.

"What's going on, Carlos?" She asked suspiciously. Carlos sighed as he looked at his youngest sister, while Emilia grabbed the bag that contained their guns, ammo, and what little food and medicine they had.

"We're leaving the farmhouse, Lucia. There's walkers heading straight towards us. Probably got drawn by Dante's trigger finger," Carlos said darkly, glaring at his younger brother as they quickly hurried out of the house.

Daryl took the front while Emilia covered him. Agnes, the sibling's grandmother, was slowing them down. It was clear that the elderly woman was sick. He grimaced as they kept on going, taking out the lone straggler with an arrow or their knives. He glanced at the family. It was obvious that Carlos and Emilia were the ones that were sensible, not Dante and Lucia who seemed to be rather reliant on their siblings keeping them safe.

"Can we stop for a minute please? My feet hurt," Lucia complained resentfully. Reluctantly, they stopped while the woman rested her feet.

"Look, I know we don't know you, but where are we going, Daryl? Is there anywhere that can be called safe?" Emilia asked quietly, as they moved away from Lucia's whining voice.

Daryl looked at her contemplatively. She and her family didn't look like they were bad people. Carlos and Emilia struck him as the two who would willingly help people, while Dante reminded him unpleasantly of Spencer. Lucia reminded him a bit of Trisha, one of Negan's former wives.

Completely reliant on other people, and not wanting to help herself in any way. He grimaced in disgust at her attitude.

"I'm from a community that's called the Hilltop. It's part of the Militia, which are four communities. The Kingdom, Alexandria, Oceanside and the Hilltop Colony are run by the leaders, and we take in survivors," Daryl explained quietly. They walked through the woods and tried to keep an eye out for any walkers.

"Do you think we could probably stay at one of the communities for a bit if you're willing to take us? It's just…my grandmother isn't young, and she needs somewhere to rest…she can't stay out in the woods for long," Emilia said finally. Daryl nodded as it started raining lightly.

"Hilltop's not crowded like Alexandria, the Kingdom and Oceanside, but we'll go to the Alexandria Safe Zone first. Get ya'll introduced to the leaders and the Militia," Daryl said finally. Emilia nodded as Daryl's walkie-talkie crackled.

"Daryl, are you alright?" The voice on the radio asked concerned. Daryl smiled at hearing Aaron's voice. The man was a good friend to him. He had been helping him and Beth since Rick had died.

"I'm fine. Had a little incident but I'm comin' back with a family of survivors to the Alexandria Safe Zone. I'll met ya, Beth and Jesus there," he explained gruffly. The radio crackled.

"We're on our way. Be careful, Daryl," Aaron said quietly. Daryl nodded and ended the conversation. They continued on walking until they saw four walkers up ahead.

Daryl took the first one out with his crossbow, while Emilia used her bow, and pulled the arrow out from its forehead. Carlos had used his knife. Nice and silent.

"How are you doing, Gran?" Carlos asked concerned. The woman sighed tiredly as they stopped for a minute on a hill that overlooked the roads that the militia had cleared.

"Tired, very tired. I don't think I have long left," Agnes said tiredly. Daryl saw how worried Emilia and Carlos looked, unlike Dante and Lucia, who didn't seem to give a fuck.

They waited at least ten minutes when Jesus and Aaron showed up with one of the wagons driven by horses towards them. He wouldn't lie, it amused him to see the shocked expressions on Emilia, Carlos, Dante, Lucia and Agnes's faces.

"What the fuck is this, shit?! Who the fuck are these people, redneck?!" Dante shouted distrustfully, gathering the attention of a few stray walkers.

"Dante, keep your voice down and don't talk to him like that! He saved our fucking lives. He and his friends are helping us," Emilia hissed warningly, her brown eyes flashing.

Dante spat on the grass in disgust and caught sight of them kissing. His expression darkened.

Emilia nudged his shoulder harshly. She knew about how Dante viewed that kind of world and she hated it. He needed to grow the fuck up. A man with a long beard comes off the wagon first. "Daryl, are you alright?"

"'m fine, Aaron. They helped me out here. Just help the old woman to the wagon first." Aaron nods. She assumes the other man is named Jesus, and he gets off. He comes over and holds out his hand.

"My name is Paul, but my friends call me Jesus. This is Aaron. You saved Daryl?"

Emilia shrugs. "I did the stitching. Carlos carried him in." He snorts and crosses his arms across his chest.

"It was nothing. Don't worry about it."

Jesus smiles. "Well, thank you. We don't know what we'd do without Daryl. He's one of the main guys where we are." Daryl snorts and turns away. Emilia and Carlos help Agnes onto the wagon. She stops them before turning to Daryl.

"By the way, hijo, my name is Agnes. I'm their grandmother. I barely got to meet you. I was in a bedroom. Thank you for saving us." Instantly looking into the older woman's eyes, Daryl felt the same kind of compassion he did when he looked at Carol. This person had been through a lot. He could sense that she was nothing but peace.

"It's nothing. Just get ya to safety." Agnes smiles before the two siblings help her into the wagon while the other ones just climb in. Aaron raises an eyebrow at Daryl. He shakes his head. "I don't know. They just are like that."

Aaron shrugs. "Let's hope the others don't mind." Once Agnes was in, they all climbed into the wagon afterwards. "Alright, let's get outta here."


Once they reached Alexandria, Emilia watched as the door swings open. Her eyes widen. This whole entire neighbourhood looked untouched by the world outside. There were houses that looked completed, and gardens and areas where people farmed and made items. It looked like heaven to her compared to other areas.

"Is…is this what all the places are like?"

She looks over at Daryl, who nods his head.

"Ain't completely. Hilltop and the others are still working on good houses, but we all got crops and food. Animals. Been rebuilding from the trees and all that." Aaron stops the wagon and helps the siblings and people off of it. Emilia comes off herself, looking around.

She turns to Daryl. "Hey." He glances over at her. "Thanks for saving us. Seriously. That herd would have overwhelmed the house. We used to have more people but…well…"

Daryl nods. "Thanks for savin' me," he replies. "Even though ya did shoot me," he adds on.

She snorts. "That we did."

Lucia's face brightens. "Oh my god, is there hot water here?!"

Emilia sighs and comes forward. "We aren't staying here yet. Calm down." At that moment, a couple of people emerge from the house that's right in the front. Emilia spots a blonde girl with short hair, a black woman with a katana, and a younger girl that looked like she was about ten. She had a sheriff's hat on her head.

"Daryl brought you in?" The blonde one asks. Emilia nods. "Well, if he didn't put a bag over your heads, I'm assuming he doesn't see you as threats. I'm Beth." She holds out her hand. Emilia shakes it with a smile. "I'm one of the leaders around Alexandria. Jesus is as well, but you already met him. This is Michonne, my co-leader." Michonne nods at her. Emilia could instantly tell she was going to like her. She seemed like she knew her shit and didn't trust no one. Good for her. "And this is Judith Grimes, Michonne's daughter."

"Judith Grimes," Emilia states, looking over at the little girl. "How old are you, chica?"

"Ten."

"Ten. Man, I'm sure you kick ass with that little hat of yours."

"She actually is a great shot." Emilia looks over at where Daryl spoke up. "I taught her. She'll keep your back as long as you keep hers."

Emilia smiles. "I'll be sure to." She looks over at Carlos. He steps up.

"I'm Carlos Garcia and this is Emilia. Those two are Lucia and Dante, our siblings." They give a half-hearted wave. "That is Agnes, our grandmother. We were residing in a farmhouse when someone got a little trigger happy and attracted a herd to us." Dante looks down at the ground. "We just want a place where our abuela can rest. She isn't as young as she used to be. If we keep her out on the road, she will grow ill. We want to keep her as alive as possible. We don't even need to be here, we can go to one of the other communities."

Beth looks at them silently. "You have any farming skills?"

"Yes. I know how to ranch horses, milk cows and butcher animals for meat." Beth's brow raises.

"You're a stock of all trades?"

"Someone had to learn."

She chuckles. "Someone always does. You're right." She turns to Emilia. "What about you?"

"Well, I was an NICU doctor for a long time, but I have plenty of training experience. If any of the communities needs an extra doctor, I'd be willing to lend a helping hand."

"Hilltop does need a doctor," Jesus states. "They could stay in one of the bigger homes with how large the group is."

Michonne glances over at the other two siblings. "What about you?"

Before they could speak, Carlos speaks up. "They ain't special, but we'll find something for them to do. We don't sit on our asses anymore." He glares at Lucia, who glares back. He turns to Agnes. "But this woman? Once she gets rest, I guarantee you will get the best damn cookies of your life."

Judith smiles widely. "Really? Carol's cookies are amazing."

"There will be a competition then," Emilia states. "Battle of the Cookies if you let us stay."

Daryl snorts from where he stood. He had to admit it would be funny to see if Carol's cookies were better than Agnes. A grandmother always did seem to have the best cooking. He looks over at Beth, who looked over at the other two.

"I think there's a place for you at Hilltop," Michonne clarifies. "They need a lot more help since Maggie left with Hershel. I think you would fit there. Daryl works over at the Hilltop with Beth, so you can stay there. We have our hands full here."

Carlos brow furrows. "Can I ask a question?"

Michonne nods. "Ask away."

"This place looks pretty damn reformed. What are your rules here? Do you have a jail if someone fucks up?"

Michonne exchanges a look with Daryl. He nods. He always thought it was better to tell the survivors rather than hold it off. "We do have rules and a jail. I'm sure Daryl will explain it to you once you're in Hilltop. We do have one person who will forever remain in jail here after what he's done."

Emilia's brow furrows. "Jesus. What could the man have done to be in jail in this world?"

Jesus sighs. "He ran a group called the Saviors. Fucking killed half our people. Lot of good people. His men were monsters…don't know about the rest that are alive. The leader, Negan, is the one in jail here."

Emilia freezes. Her body turns completely cold.

"Did…did you say…Negan?"


Enjoy, and review :)