Okay, another pre-ZA story. This one was requested by writergrrrl. I hope you all like it. Let me know what you think.

I know some people don't like to know what the OC looks like, they like the OC to look the way they want. So I won't give many physical descriptions but if you would like to know what the OC looks like, I have it posted on my profile page.

Thanks for reading.

Please review.

Nineteen year old Ben Carter and his fifteen year old sister Emma stood in front of his car and stared at the house in front of them. It had been years since the last time they were in Georgia and now, they were being forced to move there. Well, not both of them, just Emma. Their parents had just gotten killed in a car accident and although Ben wanted custody of Emma, the courts didn't think he was mature enough to take care of her. They told Ben and Emma that she would have to leave her home in Pennsylvania and move to Georgia to live with their Aunt and Uncle, which was the only family the two of them had. Ben quit his job and packed their stuff as soon as he was told she was leaving. He wasn't letting his little sister go anywhere without him. She was all he had left.

Ben took Emma's hand and the two of them walked towards the house. When they reached the front door, Ben took a deep breath and knocked. They didn't have to wait long for their Aunt May to answer.

"Hi Ben, Emma. Come on in." Aunt May said. She smiled at them and moved aside to let them in. "How are you guys? How was the drive here?"

"We're holding up. The drive was long but good. How are you doing Aunt May?" Ben asked.

"It's been hard but we're okay. How's Emma?" Aunt May asked, looking down at her niece. Ben shook his head.

"Still not talking to anyone. Hasn't said a word since she found out about the accident. It's like she's on autopilot. She goes through her daily routine but she's never really there." Ben said.

"Did you try sending her to therapy? Maybe a therapist can get her to talk." Aunt May suggested.

"No. No therapy. Don't want to put her through anymore than we have to. It hasn't been that long. She'll come around." Ben said.

Aunt May and Ben went outside and unloaded the bags from Ben's car. While they were outside, Emma walked around in the living room, looking around. Everything looked so different from last time she was here. She turned when she heard someone behind her and saw her Uncle Bill walking towards her.

"Hey kiddo, how are you doing?" Uncle Bill asked her. He waited for a minute and continued when she didn't respond. "Still not talking huh? I don't blame you. I wouldn't want to talk either if I constantly had someone asking me how I was doing." He put a hand on her shoulder and sighed. "Hang in there kiddo. Things will get better, I promise."

Uncle Bill walked over to the front door to help Aunt May and Ben inside, leaving Emma alone to her own thoughts. That was how she liked it.

TWD

Ben and Emma had been living in Georgia for a couple months. Emma was going to school but had no friends as she still wasn't talking to anyone. Ben had finally caved and tried sending her to see a therapist but it didn't do any good. The therapist told Ben to give Emma some more time to see if she comes around. It had only been a couple months, she could still be trying to figure out how to deal with her parents' death. Ben was to try to get Emma involved with other kids her age to see if she would open up to any of them. If she didn't come around in another few months, Ben was suppose to set up another appointment.

Ben got a job in construction and worked while Emma was in school. He dropped her off every morning and picked her up every afternoon. For the past two weeks though, one of Ben's friends from work and his little brother, who was in the same grade as her, started meeting them at the house in the morning. The four of them would ride to school together and go home together. Ben's friend and his brother often stayed at their house for dinner. Emma didn't mind Ben's new friend. He was a little loud and talked dirty a lot but he seemed harmless enough. His brother was the opposite. He came off quiet and shy but she didn't mind that either. She knew that Ben had told the two of them about her parents. She heard them ask Ben why she never said anything but that was as far as it went. Merle and Daryl Dixon never said anything to her about her parents. They never once asked her if she was okay and she liked that.

Ben and Merle were waiting outside the school for Emma and Daryl like they did every other day and just like every other day, the car ride home was quiet. When they got home, Emma went straight to her room to do her homework, like she always did. However, she didn't know that she was being followed. She sat down at her desk and was taking her books out of her bag when Daryl walked in her room. He had talked to Emma before but she never talked back. She was the first girl in school to not turn him away the second she saw him. Hell, she was the first person in school to not turn him away. He was looking forward to actually having a friend. He just wished she would say something, anything. He sat down on her bed and watched her for a minute before finally speaking.

"Ya know, a few years ago, my mom died too." Daryl started. Emma stopped what she was going and turned to look at Daryl. He took this as a good sign so he continued. "She was drinkin' and smokin' and I guess she fell asleep. The house caught on fire and she never got out. I get why ya don' say nothin'. Losin' my mom was the worst thing I ever went through but it got easier as time went on. Ya don' ever forget but ya learn to live with it." Daryl stood up and walked towards her bedroom door.

"The last time I talked to my parents, we were fighting." Emma told him. Daryl stopped walking and turned to look at her. "I told them I hated them. That was the last thing I ever said to them."

"I'm sure they knew ya didn' hate them." Daryl said quietly. Emma shrugged.

"I hope so. I'm sorry about your mom." She said. Daryl nodded.

"I'm sorry 'bout yours." Daryl said before walking out of her room.

Emma and Daryl never said anything to anyone about their conversation that day but Ben noticed Emma started to slowly come around. She was talking now but only when she felt she had to. She still kept to herself at school and didn't make any new friends but Ben thought that would come in time. He did notice that she seemed to like Merle and Daryl though. She didn't really talk much to Merle but she smiled at him and laughed at his jokes a lot. Ben did know she was talking to Daryl, even if they never told anyone. He didn't know what it was about Daryl but for some reason she trusted him enough to open up to him and it couldn't have made Ben happier for her to talk to someone. He never would have imagined though that the four of them would be together for the next twenty years.

Twenty Years Later:

Emma wrapped a towel around herself as she stepped out of the shower. She towel dried her hair as best she could and plugged in her curling iron before opening the bathroom door. She jumped when she saw Daryl standing on the other side of her door. She hit his arm making him laugh at her.

"Ya hit like a girl ya know." He said. He followed her to her bedroom and stood in her doorway.

"Shut up Daryl! What the hell are you doing in my house?" She asked.

"Football party." He told her.

"You don't like football Daryl. Wait! What do you mean football party? " Emma asked. Daryl grinned at her.

"The one you're brother is havin' in your basement." He said. Emma shook her head.

"I am going to kick his ass. Why doesn't he ever have parties at his own house?" Emma said as she walked out of the bedroom and towards the basement stairs.

"Where are ya goin'?" Daryl called after her. She turned to look at him.

"I told you, I'm going to kick his ass." She responded. Daryl laughed at her until he saw her opening the basement door. He ran over to her and quickly shut the door.

"Ya know, as much as I would love to see ya get into it with your brother, there are about a dozen guys downstairs." Daryl said.

"Yeah, so?" Emma asked. Daryl moved from the door and took a step closer to her.

"Don' ya think you're a little...under dressed to be goin' downstairs right now?" He asked. Emma's eyes widened as she realized she was still in a towel.

"Oh my God!" She whispered as she hurried back to her bedroom and shut the door. Daryl followed her and stood outside her door. She came out ten minutes later in a short dark blue dress with black heels.

"Where are ya goin'? Ya got a date or somethin'?" Daryl asked as he followed her to the bathroom and watched her start playing with her hair.

"Oh no. You're not getting any information out of me Daryl Dixon. I'm not giving you a chance to scare away the guy before I even go out with him. Not going to happen. Now get out so I can get ready or I'll be late." Emma said as she shoved him out of the bathroom and shut the door.

TWD

Emma pulled into her driveway and sat in her car for a moment. She knew the football party was over, all of the vehicles were gone. Well, almost all of the vehicles. Daryl's truck was still in her driveway. She knew why he was still here, he did this every time she went out with a new guy. One time, she didn't know he was in her house and she had brought the date home. She was in such shock to see Daryl, she excused herself from the living room to get a drink, leaving the two boys alone. Worst thing she ever did. She still doesn't know what Daryl said to him but her date already had his coat on and was ready to leave when she got back to them.

Emma sighed as she got out of her car and walked towards the house. When she got inside, she put her leftover food in the fridge and walked in the living room. Daryl was sitting on the couch flipping through the channels and trying to find something on TV. She sat down on the couch next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"How'd it go?" Daryl asked her.

"Oh it was great. First off, even though it was a first date, he ordered my food for me. Tilapia." Emma said. Daryl over at her and laughed.

"Ya hate seafood." He said.

"I know. I told him that but he said fish is good for you and ordered it anyway. It's in the fridge if you want it by the way. Anyway, so his ex-girlfriend shows up and he invites her to sit with us. Of course, he was crushed when she declined his offer and left with her husband. Then, I ended up having to pay for the dinner I didn't eat because he forgot his wallet." Emma said. Daryl got up and went to the kitchen. He grabbed the ice cream out of the freezer and two spoons. He went back to the living room, sat back down next to Emma and handed her a spoon.

"Guy sounds like an asshole." Daryl said as they started eating the ice cream out of the container.

"Wait, best part yet to come. After the date, he asked me if I wanted to go home with him. He tells me his parents are out for the night so we could have the whole house to ourselves." Emma said. Daryl started laughing, making Emma laugh. "Seriously, I have the worst luck with men."

"That's cuz ya never dated a Dixon." Daryl said jokingly.

Emma laughed and shook her head before laying it back on his shoulder. They stayed up most of the night watching movies and eating ice cream. Daryl was Emma's best friend, he always knew what she needed and he always made sure to give it to her.