CHAPTER 1: Annabelle Jade Grimes

"Hey, Annie, Eric and I are going to check out the group we saw yesterday. See if we should recruit them, you should help us out."

"Fuck no," Looking away from her car's engine she's working on Anna laughs, "Remember last time I went with Y'all? That family rather die than follow me. Which is what happen."

Saying, Annabelle Jade Grimes is not a people person is an understatement and it's not because of the world she lives in today. She's not shy, scared or nervous around people either, she just doesn't like talking to people. Even before the dead came back alive to eat the living she didn't get along with people. Aaron shrugs while standing beside his boyfriend and saying.

"You were having a bad day."

"Aren't I always, though?"

She sends him a look before picking up a wrench from the toolbox. Eric and Aaron look at each other then back to the woman who keeps fixing the same car. Anna has been living in Alexandria for a few months now and the only ones she got along with were Aaron, Eric and the newest kid, Enid. Plus Deanna and her husband, but that's only because Annabelle is their go-to girl when it comes to safety and advice.

"Yup." Eric answers her with a tilted smile, "But that's just because you need to get laid."

"I did get laid." She snorts as rolls under her car, "And was called a slut for a month."

She was so used to that name, Slut. Not just because the folks in Alexandria call her that behind her back, but from the good old days when the dead stayed dead. Annabelle used to be a stripper and when she wasn't doing that for a living she was hustling people at 8-ball at the local bars. So the names similar to Slut like tramp, bitch, and whore were often used when talking to or about her. To make matters worse she has never had a steady place to stay, she moved around from motel to motel or even to her car. Which is also a reason that made her never get a steady job. She has been doing the slut lifestyle since she was 18 years old.

"Oh come on, join us," Aaron tries to persuade her, "This group is rough around the edges too."

It's no secret that Annabelle has a stronger personality than most, it came with living in different places constantly and conning people for what they have. She doesn't do nice, she does the truth and some attitude. Anna has always been that way since her life was shit even before the roamers. Some even say her life was shittier than the life they're living now. If Anna had, to be honest, she would agree, she only had a few good things in her life back then.

Her brother is one but she hasn't talked to him for at least a decade. So the odds aren't in her favor to find him in at the moment. She only had two other people in her life making it worth living, her two best friends. They were rough on the edges and not above the law just like her. Those three were the only people she lived for back then but she screwed things up with her brother 16 years ago. Then she got split up with her best friends in the beginning of the outbreak. So her life went from shit to shittier and it was like that for awhile until she came to Alexandria, that's when things started looking somewhat okay.

"Plus, Deanna has a good feeling about them." Eric thinks out loud hoping it will get Anna to come out with them.

"She has a good feeling about everything." She points out in a bored tone, "She's letting Pete do whatever to Jessie because she has a good feeling that he will one day stop."

The boys are silent for a moment knowing what Pete was doing in his home with his family was wrong but it was up to Deanna to do something about it. So the community had to leave it be until she did something, which she never did. The guys finally realize it's no use trying to get the stubborn woman to join them, she'll just keep fighting them on this all day.

"Okay, Debbie Downer. You can stay here." Eric speaks up, "But when we get back, I don't want to see you still working on that damn Impala."

"OK, mom."

She jokes while checking out her black busted up 1968 Impala Sports Coupe. She needs to clean, buffer, paint and shine the crap out of it but the car itself was smooth as can be. Anna saved up money for this car when it was in the worst possible condition back when she was just a teenager. This was the car she drove at 18 when she left home for good. It's also the car she slept in when she couldn't afford a place for a night. She had this baby her whole life, it meant more to her than her parent's life. People around here had no idea how hard it has been to keep this car after the shit the fan.

"Are you just going to keep working on your crap car?" Aaron sighs as she nods to his question, he then suggests after a moment, "Then you should try to get my bike working while you're at it."

"That bike is practically mine." She shakes her head laughing, "I'm the only one who ever works on it."

"And I love you for that." He grins, "We'll see you tonight, hopefully with that group."

"There better be some hot guy for me in that group." She calls out as Eric and Aaron began walking to the gate, "I'm getting lonely."

"Don't worry the leader is sexy in my book."

Eric laughs as she watches them leave, Aaron sends his boyfriend a look and he shrugs in return. She smiles thinking about them, they were like family to her now. They were the only ones nice to her when she came there, but in everyone else's defense, she was pretty bitchy at the time. She didn't have much of a family before everything happening, well blood family that is. Only her one brother. Everyone one else in her real family wasn't worth thinking twice about.

Thinking about her brother, the only blood family she missed, she goes into her car and into the glove box to get out a few pictures. This car and she have been through so much that she knows every nick and cranny in it. So she knew exactly where her favorite pictures are. She smiles at the sight of her old crumbled up pictures, she only has a few and they look like something got spilled on them but you could still see what's in the picture. One was her older brother on his first day as sheriff. The other was her two best friends, one had the other in a headlock with a big smile and the other with a pouting face.

She lets out a shaky breath as she looks at the pictures, it hurts her heart how these are all she has of them. She takes them out once and awhile when she's alone just to remind her that at one point she did have love ones around. People around here doubted that, sometimes she does too after thinking about how she left off with her brother and best friends.

"I'm pregnant!"

The whole family cheers and squeals instantly at Annabelle's sister-in-law announcement. She knows she should be too but she couldn't help roll her eyes as people circle around Rick and his wife, Lori Grimes. She loves her brother and all but for everyone else in the room, they could suck a dick for all she cared. Besides Shane, she got along with him just fine when he didn't flirt with her.

Lori is glowing with a bright smile she touches her soon to be big belly, Rick has his hand wrapped around her waist as he talks to their family and friends. Annabelle however, is leaning on the wall furthest from the group in the middle of the room holding a nearly empty beer bottle. She's looking at the time on her watch while anticipating someone's arrival soon.

"Congratulations, son! We're so proud of you! I'm going to a grandma!"

Annabelle and Rick's Mother shouts while jumping in excitement. Now Annabelle sees why Rick wanted her to come so badly for the weekend, she didn't even know everyone else was coming. He didn't add that useful information when he called her, it was a smart move on his part, though. She wouldn't have come if she knew, the only family she talks to is him. He kept telling her it was and even Lori tried to get her here and she never tried to get her to come, she lets her come but that's about it.

"Annie, come on over here!"

Rick calls out to her using one of his many nicknames for her, he sends her his biggest doughy older brother eyes. Sighing she drinks the rest of her beer and begins walking to him but stops when she sees the look her parents, his wife, and her parents give her. She holds up her beer and makes the excuse.

"I need to get another beer."

She wasn't on good terms with anyone in the room beside Rick and Shane. Lori and she pretended to like each other for Rick's benefit but when it came down to it Lori wanted Annabelle to fall off the face of the Earth. She couldn't stand the way Anna lived and acted. Which is why it was weird when she got a text from her saying she should come over. Rick always wants her over but it was hard since she kept moving from place to place. It didn't stop him from trying, though.

He's been trying since she left home, she moved out right after of high school. Rick is only a few years older than Anna so he offered her to live with him when she did leave. She never took it, though, she wanted to get out of their small town as fast as she could. She couldn't stand their family or the people around them and he knew why. He's her brother, after all, he didn't have to ask her why when he already knew. Their parents loathed her and the town shunned her at all times. He was the reason their mom and dad let her stay with them for so long and he was the reason she didn't leave sooner. Thinking about it made Rick so mad at who his parents are because he loved his sister more than anything and he couldn't comprehend why they treat her the way they do even when it's irrelevant.

Truth be told, Annabelle was technically his half sister. Their mother cheated on their father and she wasn't his. It was at the time when their parents were hitting all the bumps in the road. Rather than divorce their mother like he should have done to take his anger out, he took it out on her since she was born. She was just a reminder to her mother of her mistakes so she neglected her since day one. The only one in the family that has her back is Rick, but it wasn't enough for her not to be emotionally scarred.

Rick lets out a worried breath as he watches her walk into the kitchen. She was still that five-year-old girl to him who used to cry every night. He could remember her crying saying that their family hates her and she was unlovable. It broke his heart hearing her like that, but he found out soon enough the best way to turn her crying into a smile was going into their garage and playing a game of pool with her. Their father notices him watching his half-sister walk out of the room and snorts easily.

"I don't know why you even invited her, she's barely part of this family, anyway. So don't worry."

"Dad..." Rick takes a step back and points at him, "Who's fault it that?"

"Come on, sweetheart." His mother rolls her eyes, "It's no one's but hers."

"No, It's not." Frowning he thinks out loud, "How can you be so cold you to your only daughter?"

"We can because she is the only one in our family to become a disappointment." His father snaps annoyed, "And how you even got her to come here sober, I will never know."

Annabelle never cared to get her life together like Rick and it was just another thing for their parents to point out. She didn't care how everyone saw her, it wasn't their life to live. At the moment she was actually pretty happy with her life. She has a decent amount of money, her car is working perfectly, and has close friends she can count on, just that went over her standards for her life.

"Who said I came here sober?" Annabelle walks back into the living room with a smirk, "Maybe I'm just good at holding my liquor."

"Great," Lori rolls her eyes and looks away from her whispering to herself, "Just great."

"Why are you even here?" Lori's father barks at her.

She waves her beer at them with a casual smile and lies, "For the free beverages of course."

It becomes quiet for the longest moment, people look at her like she's crazy or like she is a criminal. She kinda is though but some of them didn't know that and they sure as hell didn't need to. Shane, Rick's partner on the force, then nods to the back yard and announces hoping to break the awkward silence.

"I'm going to get the grill going. Come on, everyone."

The couple's friends and families then look away from the youngest Grimes and follow him to the backyard. Lori and Rick are the only ones left in the room with her, Lori has her arms crossed with an annoyed expression on her face. Rick puts his fingers through his short hair while humming out.

"Anna…."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. What did you expect would happen with the family and I in the same room?" Annabelle shrugs knowingly. "Last time I've seen them was at your wedding and that didn't end well either."

"I just wanted you to be a part of a special moment for me," He lifts his hands up in defeat, "It's like you aren't even trying. Did you even know Mom has been going to the hospital for months now because of back pains?"

"About damn time." She burst out laughing but stops at the face her brother makes, "Don't give me that look they aren't my family! Never was and never will be."

"Please, just..."

Rick closes his eyes not knowing what to say, he looks so defeated and sad. Annabelle looks to the ground, she's seen the expression from many people in her life. It's always after she screws up or shows up somewhere unexpectedly. She couldn't stand seeing the expression on her brother's face. Knowing she has officially overstayed her welcome she sets her beer down sighing.

"You know what, I should probably head out. I spent too much time here, anyway."

"No Belle…." Lori finally speaks up from beside Rick, "You can stay if you want."

"Jesus," Annabelle rolls her eyes at her sister-in-law's voice, without looking at her she says, "Lori, We both know you want me to leave."

"You're always welcome here," Rick declares not wanting her to feel otherwise.

"Am I?" Annabelle glances at Lori.

The three then hear Shane call from the back door, "I got the meat on the grill. Want to take over, Rick?"

"And that's my cue." Anna smiles sadly, "Call me when ankle biter comes outs. Always wanted to spoil someone's brat."

Rick smiles happily knowing that means she'll be back, nowadays he didn't know if he would ever see her. It seemed like they kept growing apart from each other, he wouldn't say it out loud but he noticed it after him introducing her to Lori when she was his girlfriend. Lori is frozen in place with a cold look on her face, she finally fakes a smile and says.

"I'll walk you out."

"Drive safe, Annie."

Rick kisses her on the forehead and tells her goodbye. After doing the same Annabelle lets his wife walk her to the front door. As she walks to her really old busted up Impala Lori slowly follows her. She is about to get into the driver's seat when Lori blurts out quietly.

"Don't come back."

"Excuse me?" Annabelle turns to look at her seriously shocked, for a moment she thought she was imagining things.

"I know Rick loves you and you're his only sister but you're not good for this family." Lori folds her arms determined, "I don't want to raise this child with you popping up, you're not a good influence. That's why I wanted Rick to get you to come today because this has to be the last time you come over."

"And have you talked to Rick about this?" She folds her arms defensively.

"No, and he will never know why you won't come here anymore either," Lori explains casually.

"What makes you think I won't tell him?" Annabelle smirks and leans on her car.

"Because I know you don't want to mess his life up, you've already done a lot of that by just living," She sets a hand on her belly, "Besides you can't possibly think you'll be a good aunt in my child's life."

"Bitch," Annabelle stands up straight and points at her in anger, "I could be the best Aunt you've ever seen."

"But you won't be, Annabelle, look at how you dress and act. How many times have you been to jail? Did you even finish high school? You don't even have a real job! You hustle guys in the pool at the local bars for money! When's the last time you had a steady relationship? Or an actual home?" Lori is yelling now like her life depended on it, "Rick has a family, a good job, with respectable friends and family! I don't need you come by and screwing up my family."

Annabelle takes a step back, she stands there just staring at Lori in disbelief. Her words cut deep since Lori truly believes Anna would be the worst family member to have in her kid's life. Even though she never been around kids and has no knowledge about them didn't mean she wouldn't try to be to be the best aunt there is. Anna couldn't believe what she was hearing, Lori wanted her out of her brother's life for good. She's barely in it as it is. Lori then whispers almost guilty.

"You rarely come here anyway."

Anna rubs the back of her neck and opens the car door, her face is hard when she gets in. Looking around her heart drops after thinking Lori might be right. She has cigarettes and lighters in the cup holder with a flask of rum in her glove box. Without having to look in the back seat Annabelle knew she has empty beer cans and weed stashed under the seats. Not to mention her pocket knife stashed somewheres in her car. Just looking around her car she knew it wasn't safe for a kid. She slowly turns on the car and Lori leans on it saying.

"I'm just doing what's best for my family."

She barely nods in acknowledgment, her sister-in-law then steps away from the car and she drives away without looking back. She didn't notice the tears falling down her face as she drives emotionless. Driving to the motel she is staying at she takes a cigarette out and lights it. When she throws the lighter in the passenger seat she hears her phone go off in the same seat, picking it up she sees Daryl Dixon calling, her best friend. She lets a smile slip onto her lips as she answers.

"Dixon, what's going on?"

"Nothin', just my dumb ass brother getting us lost again. We should be in town in 30 minutes to meet ya', brother. Hope he ain't stupid like mine." Daryl talks through the crappy phone.

She can hear Merle yelling close by, "Ya' better be nice to the driver, baby brother. Aye, tell her I got some good shit for her brother to try. Wha' his name again?"

"Shit, I forgot- and her bro is a sheriff ya' dumb fuck."

Annabelle laughs pitifully while letting a puff of smoke leave her lips as she speaks up, "Plans changed, you guys aren't meeting him."

"Wha'?"

Daryl grunts out, she was really excited when she told them she wanted them to meet him last week. She spent the last two days with her brother and she wanted him to meet her best friends the last day she planned to stay. Lori, however, changed those plans in a way that silently killed Anna.

"What she sayin'?" She hears Merle snapping at Daryl.

"We ain't meeting him!"

"Fuck we ain't. Give me the damn phone, Darylina. Imma talk to her."

"Fine, take it! You jus' fuck it up more."

"Sweetheart, what ya' talkin' 'bout change in plans?" She hears Merle's trashy southern voice clearly now, "We cleaned up and everything fer' him. You were talkin' 'bout this for weeks now."

"Doesn't matter. I'm not going to see him again." She sighs and parks in front of her motel room, "Listen, go to the closest bar and text me the name. I'll meet you as soon as I can."

"What she sayin' man?"

"She wants us to meet up! We ain't seeing her big bro-" She hears a bunch of curses and then hears Daryl asking, "Wha' happened, Sunshine?"

"You guys won't ever meet him and I'm never going to seem him again." Annabelle lets out a shaky breath and leans on her wheel, "So let's just drop it."

Daryl is silent for a second before grunting out, "We didn't want to meet him anyway. Never was good wit' officers."

"Okay," She bites her lip as it tries to smile, "Well, I'll meet up with Y'all soon."

Annabelle puts the pictures back into the spot she has kept them all these years. She can still remember the last time she talked to brother and thinking about it now she should have put up a fight to be a part of his and the child's life. She never got to see his kid grow up but it was for the best at the time, the kid's probably dead after all that has happened anyway. But now Anna has to live with the guilt of never seeing her brother or his kid, she doesn't even know if he had a girl or boy. She walks to the hood of her car and continues to work on it, she bends over it to find the right screw. After a half an hour of working she has grease all over her hands and sweat glistening her forehead. Aiden and Nicholas come walking by her house acting pretty cocky. She could feel someone's eyes on her ass and she glances over her shoulder to snap.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Maybe…."

Aiden smirks as he walks closer to her driveway making her roll her eyes. She hasn't favored the two since she joined the community. They were too inexperienced and cocky for their own good. Aiden was just a spoiled brat because of his mother, Deanna, babying him and Nicholas was just follows him like a puppy. Looking back to her car she growls at the boys.

"Forget it."

"We just wanted to know if you wanted to go on a run with us." Nicholas then speaks up.

Annabelle snorts, "So I can get to be left behind like your last group? No thanks, I'm good."

"We had to, they got bit." Aiden defends, he comes closer to her with Nicholas following behind him.

"That's the excuse of-" She shut the hood of her car and looks at them seriously, "- A coward."

He flinches looking irritated, "You don't know what it's like out there-"

"Actually I do, I didn't have a shelter like this until a few months ago. How long have you been behind these walls again?" She smirks at him and walks into Eric and Aaron's garage. "Since the dead came back to life, right?"

"Yeah and look at you. You can't even remember what it was like to be normal."

Nicholas blurts out beside Aiden. She stops moving at his statement when feeling the urge to punch him. He didn't even know her like that and yet what he said was true, it sickens her at how people just had to keep reminding her. She sends him a look before inspecting the motorcycle and sighs.

"Kid, I wasn't normal, to begin with."

"Figures," Aiden snorts and looks to his friend next to him, "Come on, let's get going. She ain't worth any more of our time."

"See, now you're getting it."

She smiles sarcastically at them before kneeling down to check the motorcycle. They finally leave her alone in the garage, she thinks about the comment Nicholas made about being normal. She never was but she could still remember what a normal day for her was like before the shit hit the fan. It was those days that made she smile today and make her thankful for what she use to have.

"God, damn it. Look at all my clothes."

Annabelle snaps and looks around the motel annoyed, she's only in her underwear and bra. There are two full-size beds that had a Dixon on each one. Merle was laying in his boxers watching the news on the pathetically small TV. Daryl is wearing nothing but old blue jeans and a pair of socks, he is popping some gas station nuts into his mouth as he secretly watches her walk around the room. She has gotten so use to them living with her she was able to walk around in her underwear without caring about it, the Dixon brothers thanked God when she did.

"What ya' damn complaining 'bout now, fat-ass?" Merle glances at her then back to the TV but not before checking out her goods.

"Don't call me that, redneck!" She throws a shoe at him, her clothes are scattered around the room as she waves her arms about saying, "I have nothing to wear."

Daryl rolls his eyes and asks with a tired tone, "Then what are all these clothes on the ground?"

"Plus ya' look better without clothes on anyway," Merle adds, Daryl didn't say anything but he agreed with him.

She throws another shoe at Merle and snaps while picking up clothes, "Look, dirty, dirty, beer stain, hole, too small, I have nothing to wear but my uniform for my job."

Merle smirks, "Well, put that on then."

She growls but doesn't say anything, she worked at the strip club and wasn't going to wear that around them. She walks to the small gross bathroom to see if she had any other clothes there, not noticing the way the Dixon brothers checked her out on the way. They lived in Atlanta for a month now, her car was in the shop and she needed money to repair it. The boys were paying for the motel with the money they had left so she had to find an easy way to earn cash. So here she was working for some lame ass strip club. She hears someone knock on the door and she yells.

"Can someone get that? I ordered pizza earlier for us."

"Ya' ordered it. Ya' get it, sugar-tits." Merle calls to her.

She storms out of the bathroom and puts her hands on her hips, "What the fuck did you say to me?"

"Here- what does a dollar get me?" He winks as he makes fun of her and her job.

"It gets a beer shoved up your ass-" She hears knocking on the door again, she glances at Daryl who is pretending to sleep, "I gotta do everything my damn self."

Daryl hides his smile at her words as she walks to the front door. Daryl and Merle had this game they secretly played when she ordered pizza, she ordered it almost every day since they lived in Atlanta. They tried to get her mad and see if she would do something to the pizza delivery guy. Today is a bonus since she is opening the door in her underwear, one time she was high and that was hilarious to watch. Daryl and his brother never saw the guy delivering but he had the same voice every time. Annabelle throws the door open and instantly grabs the pizza from the boy and throws some cash at him. The boy stares at her in shock and she gives him an angry look.

"What are you looking at, Asian boy?"

"For the fifth time, I'm Korean- and you're in your…." The boy says nervously.

"What? Never have seen a woman in her underwear before?" She snaps, the boy is silent making her burst out laughing, "Kid, why don't you keep the change."

She slams the door in his face then and pushes Daryl so she has room on the bed. The pizza smell invades the room making both the guys look at it hungrily. Daryl sits up a little and begins to grabs a piece of pizza but she slaps his hand away snapping.

"Y'all better not even try to get some of my pizza after the shit you two just pulled."

Daryl grows and lays fully back on the bed, "Come on, Sunshine."

"Should have thought about it when you were pretending to be sleeping."

She waves her pizza in his face before taking a bite of it. Merle shrugs and takes out a bag of beef jerky from under his pillow. Daryl puts and hands under his head as he watches her watch the news. He smiles to himself as he looks at her naked back, he reaches out wanting to feel her soft curves but pulls away at the last second. She glances down and sees the look he is making at her, she rolls her eyes and nods to her pizza.

"I guess you can have one."

She writes down some parts and tools that she needs for the bike as she cleans up the mess she made. It's Aaron and Eric's home so she didn't want them to come back to a wrecked garage. Shutting the garage door she calls it a day and leaves to her house next to it. It's 11 at night and she got slightly worried when the boys haven't come back yet but they have stayed out there longer before. They were planning on bringing people back, though, so something could have happened while talking to the group.

Once in her home, she throws the paper with the list of things she needs on the counter. Getting a beer from the fridge and a bag of stale Cheetos she plops down on the couch. She usually slept on the couch in Eric and Aaron's house since she was always over there but they aren't here tonight she went back to her place. The house didn't even look like she lived in it, besides her bedroom and kitchen. Those were the only place she usually made some kind of mess in.

Looking around the quiet house she laughs to herself, she finally got a place to call home that Lori would approve of. When they gave it to her for free with everything already in it she looked at them in pure shock because the place was the nicest house she's ever seen. They out did themselves when Aaron showed her around the house. They gave her everything a typical house would have, starting with a bedroom to her own makeup bag.

The front lawn has a deck and a 50-year-old tree on the side. She has a big back yard with a shed with lawn tools, nice sized wood deck with a rocking chair, and a Barbecue grill. The house inside has everything you could want in a house too. She has a dining, living, laundry, and game room that has furniture and homie trinkets. Not to mention the two bath and bedrooms, that had their own clothes, towels, lady products and style. The house they offered her was better than any house she dreamed up.

If Annabelle were, to be honest with herself she was glad she didn't have a house like this to call home before. She had people to call home and in her mind, that was better than any $200,000 dollar home. Because those people are priceless to her. The Dixon brothers were her home for the longest time, they went everywhere together. For the longest time, she couldn't picture life without them. Once they got split up that picture died. They were together when the world ended, and it's because that shitty Impala that they lost each other. So in a way, it was her fault for not being together.

Instead of going to her room she leans back on the couch to sleep. She didn't mind sleeping on the couch it was honestly more comfortable than most places she has slept. Plus it was familiar to her, the queen sized bed upstairs always seemed cold and strange when she slept there alone. Her eyes begin to get tired and lets herself fall asleep.

"Annabelle! Anna! The group's here! Come on!" Enid opens the front door and runs to the woman passed out on the couch, "Why are you sleeping on the couch when you have a bed upstairs?"

"Because I have a fucking monster under it that's why." Annie jokes without any humor in her voice as she slowly wakes up, "What are you doing in here? I thought I locked the door?"

"Uhh. You taught me how to pick locks, remember?" She sends her a typical teenager look, "You showed me when we tried to steal Deanna's radio."

"Oh, yeah…"

She sits up yawning and looks around tiredly before rubbing her eyes. When Enid came to Alexandria she was distance and quiet. She spends her time with Annabelle since she is entertaining to be with and the only one who didn't look at her with pity. She's still shy and all but with Annie she is more comfortable. Probably because Annabelle would tell you what she thought and didn't give a damn who got their feelings hurt.

"The group is here and there is like 15 of them! Everyone is going over to the gates. Eric also hurt his leg." Enid explains making Annabelle's eyes go wide.

"What happen to Eric?" She quickly puts on her shoes and walks to the front door Enid left open, "How badly is he hurt?"

"It's just a sprained ankle, don't worry- but you have to see the group they look like they are from an episode of lost!" Enid tries not to freak out, "They have a baby too!"

"Okay, okay. I'm going- A baby you say? How is it possible that kid is still alive?"

She follows Enid out of the house to the gates looking like a stray dog since she just woke up. Anna can't see the group very well but she can infer they are covered in dirt and a lot of it. Enid is right beside her babbling about what happened with Aaron and Eric as they get a closer look. She sees Deanna and Reg talking to the group, but more to a man she couldn't clearly see. They all looked like hell making her remember when she first got her. She was covered in blood, sweat, and dirt the first time she walked into Alexandria too. She notices Enid going to stand next to Ron when they get close to the people watching the new group. She hated the kid honestly, he still acted like one of those too cool for school teenagers. She wanted to throw him over the wall sometimes in hopes that he comes back without an attitude. Looking around the group she couldn't see them in detail since they were such a mess and there are so many of them. She could tell Deanna was talking to the leader now probably. All she could really make out of the man is his serious beard. The others in the group are looking around cautiously with their weapons in hands making her take out a knife without thinking. She takes a few more steps before hearing someone from the group call out in a deep shaking familiar tone.

"Sunshine?"

Her heart stops at the sound of the old nickname, she hasn't heard someone call her that in almost a year. Only one person ever called her that which makes her look around frantically like she seen a ghost. Everyone turns to her as she takes a few more step closer to where the voice came from. The person who called out is shoving people out his way to make his presences known to her. Dropping her knife she sees the person who called her by her old pet name. She falls to her knees as a wave of a thousand emotions hit her. He found her, her best friend, her family, he's here in front of her look at her in the flesh. He's holding a damn die possum and an old rusty crossbow. She feels like she's about to faint at the thought of her Daryl Dixon finally finding his way back to her.