So recently my life has been changed pretty dramatically, I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and I thought that I would cope with it how I normally would and write a story. This has the same characters as my First Impression characters. I hope you like the story.

I don't own the Walking Dead otherwise things would be so much different.

"You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have." – Bob Marley

Harley sat on her bed, there was no music blaring from her speakers this time nor was she smoking. For the past year Harley had been having a hard time using her hands and was sleeping more. She would wake up feeling sore and throughout the day would feel pain in her back and shoulders. The young girl didn't know how to tell Daryl or Beth, she had told them that she would be going to the doctors but Harley wouldn't tell the two what it was about. She also hadn't told them that it was a specialist and this was after months of countless other doctor's appointments and blood work.

"I take it things didn't things go as planned." Beth stood at the doorway. She had come home to no music and her roommate's door open which confused Beth. Seeing Harley sitting on her bed, staring at her hands had worried Beth.

"Hell no." Harley stated simply. "I thought I'd find out it was something simple, maybe just something that would go away eventually."

Beth could hear Harley's voice start to shake and made her way across her best friend's room. The young blonde sat down on the bed and put her arm around Harley, she had only ever seen her cry twice before. Once when Harley had told Beth about the scars that graced her body and the other when she had gotten pissed at Daryl. This was different than either of those times.

"You wanna tell me about it?" Beth asked gently. Harley's eyes watered and she buried her hair in Beth's shoulder. Beth stroked Harley's unruly hair, trying to sooth her.

"I haven't been feeling much like myself lately." Harley murmured. "I went to so many doctors and finally they figured out that I have fibromyalgia."

"What does that mean?" Beth asked. She had seen commercials for medicine about the illness but never knew anyone with it or much about the illness.

"It means that I'm going to be in pain and I'm going to be tired a lot. It affects my muscles and my joints." Harley sniffed as she look at Beth. "I don't know what I'm going to do. The doctor basically overwhelmed me with information and at the end of the appointment he mentioned that I may have to make some changes in my lifestyle."

"One step at a time Harley." Beth smiled at Harley, using her sleeve to wipe away a stray tear on Harley's cheek. "I'll get dinner started and you rest, Daryl will be home soon. I'll tell him so don't worry. We'll talk about what to do next during dinner."

Harley sighed and got underneath her covers. Beth got up, flipping off the lights, then walked into the kitchen. After rummaging through the cabinets Beth started dinner. Humming to herself while cooking, Beth thought about Harley. She had known Harley for about five years, the two had become incredibly close during that time and Beth eventually met Harley's brother Daryl. Beth and Daryl had dating for three months and Harley's sibling all but lives at his sister's apartment.

"Something smells good." Daryl smiled as he wrapped his arms around Beth's waist. Beth jumped, she had been so wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn't heard Daryl come in. Daryl noticed and kissed her shoulder. "How was your day?"

"It was okay." Beth shrugged. She turned the burners on low so dinner wouldn't burn then spun around into Daryl's arms. "I talked to Harley about her doctor's appointment."

"What did she say?" Daryl asked, he couldn't help but tense up. He was worried about his sister, lately Daryl had noticed Harley hadn't been herself and it scared him.

"She's in pain, they've diagnosed her with fibromyalgia." Beth explained. "While Harley didn't say it exactly I can tell she's scared. We need to be there for her."

Daryl didn't say anything, he let go of Beth and walked towards his sister's room. Beth tried to tell him that she was asleep but Beth knew he wasn't listening. Daryl paused at Harley's doorway and looked at her bundled up in her covers. He remembered coming into her room when she was sick and even though one of their parents would be home he would skip school to take care of her. Harley would always be wrapped up in her comforter like it was a cocoon much like she was now.

"Hey little mouse, are you awake?" Daryl asked softly.

"Yeah I'm awake brother bear." Harley's voice came from the bundle. Daryl flipped on the lights then made his way over to the bed. He laid down next to his sister, she turned to face him and he could see that she had been crying. It made him want to cry. "I take it Beth told you."

"She did. I don't know much about the illness but I want to know more." Daryl cursed himself at not being good with words, he wanted to be there for Harley.

"I don't know if I can continue tattooing." Harley whispered. Daryl moved the comforter away from his sister and gathered her into his chest, rubbing her back. He knew that for Harley, not being able to tattoo would be devastating.

"We'll figure it out. I'll take the longer appointments if you need me to or we can tag team, you know your schedule is pretty flexible." Daryl tightened his grip on Harley. "You've got me and Beth little mouse, you're not alone."

"I know I'm not but Daryl the doctors said that I'm going to be tired all the time and that this is going to interfere with my life." Harley whispered, not looking at her brother. "They said that with constantly fighting fatigue and pain will be tough and I may feel anxious, that they'll have to keep an eye out for signs of depression. I'll be in pain if I'm stressed out or I travel too much, I have to get the right amount of sleep and the right amount of exercise. Hell brother bear, even the weather can cause me pain!"

Harley couldn't help but sob as she thought about all the changes she'd need to make in her life. The pain she had been feeling, the fatigue, it all made sense now and she wish it had been something a lot simpler and something that would go away.

"I'm twenty-seven years old, I never thought this would happen to me!" Harley yelled. "I don't want to change things, I don't want to have this interfere with my life! I can't do this Daryl, I'm not strong enough."

"Now you listen to me Harley Belle, I don't want to hear you say that ever again." Daryl glared at his sister. "You're a Dixon and even though we originally come from some shitty parents, Dixons are some of the strongest and toughest people around. You are one of the strongest girls I know, Beth of course is the other."

Harley let out a small laugh and wrapped her arms around her brother, breathing in his comforting scent of pine and tobacco.

"From now on I'm going with you to your appointments." Daryl said, it wasn't a suggestion or a question. He was going to be there for his baby sister. "If you have to change your diet then I'm going to as well, hell I'll do whatever weird exercise you need to do too. Whatever it is, I'm there for you little mouse."

"I'm here for you too Harley." Beth spoke from the doorway. She hadn't been there long, not wanting to interrupt the two siblings. She smiled at how sweet they looked, the two toughest people she knew looked so vulnerable at that moment. Beth would probably never tell Daryl but she had taken a picture of them before she had spoken up. "I'll go to your appointments too and help with changing what we eat. I consider you family Harley and that means I'm always there for my family."

Harley got up from her bed and hugged Beth. Daryl smiled at the two as he got up from the bed.

"I came to also tell you that dinner is ready." Beth kept one arm around Harley and the three went into the kitchen to eat.

Over the next week Harley and Beth worked on what would be beneficial for Harley to change in her life and what would be okay to stay the same. Harley was grateful for Beth and wouldn't know what she would do without the young blonde. Daryl had seemed to be avoiding the two girls for some reason, it frustrated his sister to no end but Beth just shrugged it off. Harley questioned Beth but unlike her brother, Beth was much better at keeping a secret. Finally at the end of the week Harley had enough.

"Alright brother bear, why do you keep avoiding me?" Harley stood in front of Daryl with her arms crossed over her chest. Daryl sighed and got up from where he sat with Beth on the couch. He went into his girlfriend's room and then came out with a package, handing it to Harley. Curious Harley opened it. It was a purple hoodie.

The hoodie was plain but it had the ribbon on it outlined in white on the right breast and on the back it said warrior. Harley had looked up earlier that week what the color was for the fibromyalgia awareness ribbon. Harley figured Beth must've mentioned it to Daryl since the young girl can't remember doing it herself.

"You're a warrior little mouse. I uh also got this." Daryl lifted up his shirt to show the purple ribbon that now adorned the left side of his ribs. "I had dad do it."

Harley's eyes watered, she hadn't even figured out how to tell her dad. "Does he know now?"

"I told him that it has something to do with you but that it was your business to tell." Daryl explained. Beth got up and smiled, she pushed up her shirt a little to reveal a similar purple ribbon.

"Why'd you get it there?" Harley asked, curious.

Beth blushed beat red. "It was where Daryl convinced me to get it."

"Wow, after one tattoo you suddenly become a daredevil." Harley snickered. It felt good to joke, to put her mind at ease. Harley hugged both her brother and best friend. "Why did you guys do this?"

"I know that we keep saying that we'll support you but words only mean so much. This is something tangible, something you can see." Beth explained. "I can't even imagine the pain you feel. It's hard to even wrap my mind about something like this, I don't think I ever will be able to full understand the pain. I just wanted you to know that we're there for you, of course this was Daryl's idea."

Harley hugged Beth again, laughing and then hugged her brother. Since the doctor's appointment Harley had been stressed and worried out of her mind about what would happen with her life yet with her brother and best friend by her side things were looking up. She looked over at her paint supplies that lay in the corner of the living room, they were everywhere in the house but Harley had refused to touch them all week. Though things were starting to look up and Harley was feeling a lot better.

"Things really will be okay, won't they?" Harley asked. Beth nodded as Daryl slipped his arm around his girlfriend's waist.

"As long as we're by your side they will be." Beth grinned at her best friend.

"Good thing you'll always be there." Harley sat down with her art supplies, feeling home again.

Harley knew that it would be tough and that she would have good days and bad, some days where she wouldn't even want to get out of bed. Though as Harley sat drawing her two favorite people in the world she knew that things would be okay, she was a Dixon girl. She has the best support system in the world and just like her brother thought, she was a warrior.

So I know it may be a little OOC for Daryl and possible Beth but it makes sense to me. I really wanted to write this and this is special to me. I hope y'all liked it. Reviews are appreciated :)