Daryl was sitting on the stairs of a house in Alexandria. He was holding a note in his hands which he found earlier in his pocket.
We have friends, she doesn't, it said, written in neat little letters.
Daryl sighed. He had a bad feeling in his gut about this, but there was no going back now. He made a promise to Henry, Lydia and Connie. They would stay together, even if that meant they couldn't stay in one of the communities, because it was too dangerous for the people living there.
They already endangered Alexandria by stopping by and Daryl felt bad about that too. He was exhausted and tired, but nevertheless he planed to leave as soon as Henry was patched up.
Michonne came to him and sat down next to him.
Daryl saw the concerned look on her face. She didn't say anything.
"Look, I know it wasn't the best idea to come here. We just didn't have a choice, Henry was hurt."
Michonne didn't answer so he added: "And we'll be gone before the sun sets."
"You know in what a danger you are putting us," Michonne said gravely.
Daryl gave her an apologizing look.
"The girl is a threat, to everyone living here and at Hilltop," Michonne continued.
"We ain't going to Hilltop," Daryl said with determination.
Michonne gave him a questioning look.
"And where do you plan to go?" She asked.
"I dunno yet."
Michonne sighed.
"But we figure something out," Daryl hastened to add. "Don't worry, we ain't your concern."
"Not my concern? You are family! And she's not." Michonne looked in Lydia's direction, who stood in front of the infirmary and glanced around insecurely.
"Maybe," Daryl said, "but she doesn't have anyone else."
"She has a family too," Michonne reminded him, but Daryl shook his head.
"They're maybe blood, but not family."
"You really feel responsible for that girl," Michonne noted with a little astonishment in her voice.
"Can't help it. I made a promise to her." Daryl thought about Connie. "And to others too."
"And she's worth it? To risk your lives for her?" Michonne was still concerned.
Daryl looked at the note he was holding in his hand and then thought about Connie's decisive look. She certainly wasn't leaving Lydia behind. And he wasn't leaving their group behind. They were all in it. Together.
"She is," Daryl answered and Michonne saw that he was confident about it.
She stood up and sighed again.
"Okay, I know, I can't stop you, so do whatever you think is right. Just be careful, alright?"
Daryl nodded.
"You should get yourself patched up too, you're looking pretty bad," Michonne said when she started to walk away. "I'll get you some supplies for your trip in the meantime."
Daryl smiled thankfully.
Connie watched Daryl walking towards the infirmary. Beta had beaten him up badly and she was certain he had received some injuries during the fight. But he didn't show it. The way he walked hadn't changed at all and there was still this special lightness in it. While his footsteps were determined, his arms were swinging to and fro. Connie observed the lonely wing on the back of his vest, asking herself, how he lost the other one, which was obviously ripped off. The term fallen angel came into her head. But no, guardian angel fitted him better. She remembered how he came out into the field, to help her when she rescued the baby from walkers. How he went to save Henry and how he agreed to take Lydia with them, even if that put them in mortal danger. Being rough on the outside, he seemed to have a truly good heart.
Connie asked herself what they were going to do now and felt her heart stinging a little bit, when she thought about Kelly. She couldn't leave her sister behind without saying anything, she had to explain it to her. And this was something she had to tell Daryl. She was certain he would understand.
After Siddiq finished stitching the wounds on Daryl's face and his arm, Daryl thanked him and walked towards the front door. When passing by, Daryl took a look in the mirror, which was hanging in the hallway. The man on the other side of the mirror looked terrible. His right eye began to swell and his face was still covered in dirt and blood, his hair stuck stingy to his forehead. He looked worn out and he could feel the bruises all over his body under the sweaty clothes. His back was aching from the fight and the pain intensified more and more. This Beta got him good. He knew it was a close call and that he got lucky. When he stepped outside Connie seemed to be examining him. Suddenly awkwardly aware of his appearance he felt embarrassed. Unlike him, she looked as clean and beautiful as always, even after fighting and walking so long. Daryl walked over to Michonne, who was still preparing some supplies for them, and asked her for some fresh clothes. He felt even more embarrassed when Michonne rose her eyebrow, but said nothing. He never really cared about the clothes he was wearing, as long as they were practical. He had spent a lot of time on his own and Dog didn't care much about his appearance either. But now he would have to travel with other people and maybe it was time to clean himself a little bit.
"Here you go, Sir," Michonne teased him, when she brought him the fresh clothes.
"There's also a washing tub behind the house, if you feel the need to clean up before your journey." Michonne looked at Connie and then back at Daryl with a suggestive smile.
"It's not what you think", Daryl responded hastily.
"Oh, I think someone has a good influence on you," Michonne told him, making Daryl blush.
She gave him a friendly shoulder punch.
"That's good. Because you know... you starting to smell worse than your dog," she joked and walked away.
Daryl walked behind the house and sniffed at his armpits. He knew Michonne was teasing him. Yes, he was sweaty, but it wasn't like he never washed himself. Even if he thought it was a waste of time and there were more important things to do, he still did some quick washing now and then. He preferred to bath in the lake, though. After an incident with his violent father, who had almost drown him in a tub once, he always had that uneasy feeling, when he was standing in a bathroom.
As he saw the washtub, he almost went back again, but somehow Michonne's teasing voice still rang in his ears. And what if Connie thought he smelled bad? What if she was disgusted by him? For sure they had a long way to go and he would sweat a lot again, so why even care? And why did he care so much about what she might think of him? Torn between finding it ridiculous and wanting to make a good impression, Daryl finally decided that a quick washing wouldn't do him any harm.
Daryl's group and a couple of Alexandria's inhabitants were standing by the gate. There was an awkward silence when Daryl came walking towards them, his clothes slightly dampened, his hair still wet. All eyes were on him and Michonne couldn't hide her grin. Daryl even thought he saw an approving smile on Connie's face. He tried to hide his embarrassment and cleared his throat.
"Ready?" he asked in the round and the members of his little group nodded.
"Let's go then."
Before they left they thanked Michonne for the supplies and she apologized for not being able to spare more.
When Daryl caught sight of Judith and the sad look on her face, it almost broke his heart. She grew up a lot since the last time he saw her and Daryl regretted that he hadn't spent more time with her. He knew she liked him a lot. Daryl crouched in front of her and patted her arm.
"Sorry that I have to leave again, kiddo," he apologized.
"You just came here, why are you leaving already?" She asked him.
"You see, Lydia, she ain't safe here. There are bad people who want to hurt her, so we have to protect her and move on, to find a safer place for all of us," Daryl explained in a soft voice.
Judith was still sad, but she tried to accept that.
"When will you come back?"
Daryl sighed.
"I'll be gone for a while. But I'll come back some day, I promise."
Judith's eyes were full of tears.
"I will miss you, Uncle Daryl," she said and hugged him.
"I'll miss you too." He hugged her back, overwhelmed by his emotions. Even if it hurt, he had to go. Michonne hugged Daryl too and then, followed by Dog, the little group left Alexandria.