Summary: Following the death of Negan, the survivors awaken to find themselves in a world only a month away from the beginning of the End. Can they save those important to them and teach them to survive in the world they know, all while dealing with their personal demons? Or are they doomed to fail and lose them a second time?
WARNINGS/ TAGS: Canon-typical violence; Het; Slash; Torture; Mentions of Torture; Mostly Daryl-centric with chapters focusing on others; William Dixon's A+ parenting; He gets better; Good! Merle; SPOILERS (S1-S6); Dark themes; Mentions of Non-con; Mentions of child abuse; Suicidal thoughts; PTSD; TRIGGER WARNINGS!
Chapter One
Negan.
He was tall and muscular, his lean frame clothed in a thick leather jacket, worn jeans and a scarf and his dark hair cropped close to his head. Amusement and rage glittered in his dark eyes and for the first time in a long time, Daryl Dixon was afraid.
He wasn't afraid for himself, hadn't been since the first time he had seen his daddy take a belt to Merle's back, but he was afraid for his family. They were tired and hungry and, if he were reading Rick and Carl right, furious. His leader was trembling at Negan's feet, darkness clawing its way to the surface with every passing second and Daryl couldn't help the icy trills of terror it sent down his spine because he knew one thing was certain, Negan and his men wouldn't survive the night.
A sharp pain shot through his side and he bit back a gasp of pain, unwilling to alert the predators around him that he was easier prey than they thought. He wouldn't give them that satisfaction.
"This here is Lucille," Negan purred, holding up a wooden bat wrapped in barbed wire, and Daryl swallowed thickly watching as the man prowled down the line, stopping on him.
"And tonight, one of you will have the immense pleasure of getting to know her personally." He paused, a dark smirk crossing his lips when Daryl looked away from him. Lucille tapped his lips and he could almost hear the snarl that crossed Rick's at the gesture. He glanced over at his leader, his brother in everything but blood, and pleaded for him to stay calm. He didn't mind taking one for the team, not if it kept them all safe.
The spiked bat came down hard on the side of his face, just below his eye, and he couldn't help the cry that escaped him as the barbs sliced into his flesh and his jaw shattered.
"Daryl!" Someone screamed, probably Maggie if he was hearing right, but he didn't dare look, keeping his gaze locked on Negan from his place on the ground.
The man reached out, calloused fingers brushing the burning cuts with a child-like curiosity before he sighed in mock pity.
"What a shame, to have to mar such a pretty face. You don't mind, right?" He taunted and Daryl glared at him, crying out when the man brought Lucille down once more and struck his shoulder.
"Watch yourself, beautiful. Anymore dirty looks and I'll rip those pretty blue eyes right outta your head and feed them to the little cyclops over there, understood?"
The hunter didn't respond, slim form trembling in as agony ripped through him from various parts of his body. Negan sighed again, as if put upon and brought the bat down again, and again, and again. Blow after blow rained down over him, the barbs cutting into his skin like thousands of little knives. He screamed, or at least he thought he did, but he could barely hear it over the sound of everyone else's pleas for the man to stop and the agony searing his battered body.
Black spots darkened his vision, and he coughed wetly, the coppery taste of blood on his tongue and playful blue eyes flashing in his minds eye. Still, he forced himself to stay awake through the beating, biting his lip to stop the cries that wanted to escaped.
"Enough!" Rick roared and the blows stopped. "He's had enough. Please, he can't take anymore."
Negan stared down at the bloodied form at his feet, taking in the way the blood seemed to enhance the beauty the man had already possessed and frowned inwardly. When Gabriel had told him about the group that had taken out Terminus, then taken over Alexandria, he had failed to mention the man at his feet. In fact, he had given detailed explanations on everyone but this man. The only things he knew was that the man was proficient in killing walkers, he was extremely loyal to Rick Grimes, and his weapon of choice was the crossbow currently slung over Dwight's shoulder. The priest hadn't told him anything else and he wondered why, when the man had even told him of the two year old little girl in the group. Reaching out, he gripped the slim form by the hair and pulled, forcing the man's face up, and to his surprise the kid was still awake.
Pain-filled, defiant storm blue eyes met his and he couldn't stop the trill of lust it sent through him. This man was strong. Dangerously so.
"What's your name?" He asked curiously, even though he'd heard the sick girl cry it out before. He wanted to know if the boy would answer.
His captive's thin blood-stained lips curled into an impressive sneer before the man answered reluctantly.
"Daryl."
Negan hummed, looking over at Grimes, who was staring at the bloodied beauty with pain in his eyes. Lovers perhaps?
"What's your job?"
Daryl didn't answer, so he tried another method. Gesturing for Dwight to come forward he watched impassively as the man aimed the archer's crossbow at the little cyclops.
"Tell me or the little thief will loses his other eye."
"Scavenger, hunter."
The older man's eyebrows shot up. It was hard to find true hunters in this day and age. Most of the people before were city folk and knew nothing of the forest. Hell, he still couldn't hunt to save his life and he didn't have any hunters in his group. They mostly got by on canned food and meat they got from the people on the hilltop.
A gunshot sounded and he frowned Dwight went down from a bullet to the brain. Not even a second later, another shot rang out, then another, and his men began to drop like flies. A dark, bloody smile crossed his captive's lips, eyes glazing over.
" Jesus." The boy whispered, eyes sliding closed and Negan scowled throwing him to the ground, turning only to gasp as a sharp pain bloomed in his chest.
He glared at the perpetrator, the hilltop idiot with the long hair, only to find the man standing behind him gun raised and fury in his grey-green eyes. The man fired off again and again and then Negan's gaze went black.
Paul bit his lip harshly as Negan's corpse fell on top of Daryl's broken form, paying no mind to the chaos around him. He absently noticed Rick approaching, covered in the blood of Negan's men, but he ignored him, kneeling and gathering the archer in his arms. Cuts, marred the hunter's smooth skin, the deeper ones leaving his skin slick with blood and dark bruises bloomed all over him, and he could see that at least four of his bones were broken.
His love looked horrible.
A soft whimper escaped the beauty's lips and he let out a bloodied cough, hazy eyes fluttering open to meet his.
"Hey there, darlin'."
"T-tol' ya not ta call me tha'." The other replied weakly, gasping in pain moments later. His hand went to his side and Paul followed it, biting back tears when he felt the gunshot wound hiding under the blanket around his lover.
Rick kneeled beside him and took Daryl's other hand.
"How ya doin', brother?"
Daryl shook his head. "Ain' good, Rick. Ain' good."
"You'll live through this. I need you," He smiled, "are you with me?"
The hunter smirked. "Ya…ya be-better g-get me h-home to m-my l-lil…Asskicker."
Paul choked out a laugh, wondering who Lil Asskicker was but unable to ask as his lover slipped into unconsciousness.
He stood, his precious cargo cradled in his arms, and turned to see Rick watching him with curiosity in his gaze.
"After we get them treated. Me 'n you are gonna have a long talk."
Paul swallowed thickly.
Somehow, despite his nickname, he really didn't feel like Jesus and he did not want to be left alone with Rick Grimes.
Looking into the man's darkened eyes, his heart sank and he realized that he really didn't have a choice.
"How long?"
Jesus shifted beside him, ducking his head shyly and Rick fought back a smile.
"About three weeks. Took a week of me pestering him to finally get him to agree. And another week before he realized I was serious about him."
They were back behind the walls of Alexandria, sitting on the porch of the makeshift hospital as the Hilltop doctor treated Daryl. The man had forced them out of the room after taking one look at them and they hadn't been barred entry until he was finished. The others were all off in their own homes, barring Maggie who was also inside being treated for the miscarriage scare she'd suffered. Luckily, they'd found that the baby was fine, although she needed more food and a stress free environment.
"Daryl's been hurt, and badly. When I met him in the beginning of this he was so jaded and hardened by the world that he refused to get close to anyone for fear of being hurt. If I could I would go back and force everyone that hurt him to see how wonderful he is. How caring and protective he can be over those he calls his own. He's my brother, Paul, and if you hurt him in anyway…you won't live long enough to regret it."
Paul didn't say anything at first, thinking on what had been said. Then he smiled a small, sincere smile, more genuine than any of the others Rick had seen on his face.
"You don't have to fear for his heart with me, Rick. But know if I hurt Daryl, I will gladly hand myself over."
He stood and turned back to the house.
"Oh, and Rick?"
The former deputy glanced at him.
"Yeah?"
"I wish we could back and show them too. Maybe then, he won't be as broken as he is now."
This said he entered the house and slipped past the doctor and into his lover's room, smiling as he saw the man sleeping peacefully with a small infant lying beside him. He kissed the archer's brow chastely.
"I wish they could see you as you are now. Maybe then you would see how wonderful you truly are. "
Unbeknownst to the two men a star flew across the sky at that moment and when they awakened the next morning…their lives would be changed forever.
TBC…
A/N: This chapter kinda ran away from me, Lol. Hope you liked it and remember, R&R.
