When Daryl left that morning everyone expected him to come back with supper and baby formula, but that wasn't all he found. This discovery is going to test his mind, his strength and his beliefs. With all his attention focused elsewhere, what will happen to his budding relationship with Carol and his rapidly developing friendships with the rest of the group? Caryl.

dj475: Imogen is pronounced either 'em-O-gen' or 'i-Mo-gen' however you prefer. In Britain we tend to use 'i-Mo-gen' and in America it tends to be 'em-O-gen.'


Archer had cried for nearly a full hour when Daryl finally returned. Nobody knew where he went or what he was doing but Daryl had been gone for a few hours and it had them worried for a while, the man had been through way too much in the space of a few weeks, they had no clue what kind of mental state he was in.

Carol had tried her hardest to calm the little boy but he wasn't having any of it, she tried feeding him and giving him water but he continued to cry and scream forcing most people out of the cell block. Being unable to satisfy the child had been heart breaking for her, Archer had been separated from his father for far too long and wanted nothing more than lie in his arms, only nobody could find the last Dixon brother. Carol looked up from her spot on the stairs and sighed in relief as Daryl appeared at the door, fumbling to unlock it and get to his hysterical son. The man immediately rushed to the boy and scooped him out of Carol's arms. "What happened?" He practically growled as if preparing himself, he expected Carol to tell him something awful.

"Nothing happened Daryl, he just got upset." She replied watching the man hold the flailing boy to his chest.

Daryl nodded in reply and looked down at the boy in his arms, there were tears pouring down his face and Archer's cheeks were flame red from the sheer force of his crying. "Hey, hey calm down now boy. I got'cha, ain't goin' away again. Ain't never gon' leave ya again." Daryl whispered rocking the little one back and forth in his arms to try to soothe his emotional pain, he kept stroking the boy with his filthy hands trying to calm him as he whispered and murmured in his ear but the boy just wouldn't stop sobbing.

"Daddy. Daddy. Daddy." Every time Archer screamed those words it made Daryl's heart pang, how could he have left him? He should have stayed in the prison and waited for Archer to wake up again, his son was in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people of course he was going to react badly, but Daryl just had to get away. He'd been so embarrassed because he cried in front of Carol that he ran as fast as he could to an empty cell block and spent hours just sitting there, thinking. He should have stayed put instead of abandoning them.

Daryl spied the canteen of water on the step and automatically reached for it, letting Carol unscrew the lid so he could bring the water to the boy's mouth. "Here, have some water, make ya feel better." The redneck whispered dribbling a little in Archer's mouth so he wouldn't choke, as soon as Archer tasted the water he opened his eyes and let his sobs die down to mere sniffling, he reached out one hand to tightly clutch at Daryl's hair for comfort. Daryl slowly sat on the stairs with his son as he let him drink from the canteen, he didn't flinch when Archer pulled his hair as he moved about, the boy's tight little fist was almost punishing his father for being gone too long. Archer nuzzled in to his father's chest when he was done with the water but was still mumbling and making childish sounds to express his upset. "You hungry buddy?"

The little boy nodded and peered up at his father, Daryl could see tiredness riddled all over Archer's face but he had to eat. He'd have to find soup or something similar to spoon feed Imogen soon too, it might help with her shock, or whatever was wrong with her. Carol grabbed the bowl beside her and handed it to Daryl watching him frown in confusion. "We didn't know what he'd eat, figured you're his father so he'd be used to squirrel by now."

Daryl looked down at the meat in the bowl and knew it probably wasn't the best thing to give a two-year old, but Archer was starving, so it would have to do. Daryl placed the bowl on Archer's legs so he could feed himself eagerly, the food did not last long when Archer finally dug in showing no disapproval with his meal. The woman sat beside them watched with a little smile on her face as the tiny boy grasped a piece of meat with three fingers and offered it to his father, Daryl considered for a moment before grabbing the little piece with his teeth, making the boy giggle in excitement. Daryl grinned at the sound and gently kissed the top of his head, rewarding the boy for his happiness as he chewed.

Archer stared down at his food for a few seconds and then met his father's eyes, holding the bowl in his hands. "Imogen, hungry?" He said showing concern for his sister's welfare. Daryl sighed a little and watched the boy as he shuffled out of his father's grip running with his supper to the cell his sister lay in, Daryl and Carol both followed the toddler and found him stood beside his sister patting her arm gently to wake her.

"Honey, Imogen's already had supper, I gave her some soup." Carol said taking Daryl by surprise, when he asked Carol to stay with them he didn't expect her to become like a mother, he just wanted someone to watch over the twins while they slept. He would have to remember to thank Carol at some point, but right then his mind was so jumbled up he couldn't form the words of appreciation. Archer looked up at the strange woman with wide eyes, like he was trying to recognise her from somewhere, but he just couldn't. Daryl was just staring at his daughter again trying to take in how unwell she was. Someone had placed some rolled up clothes under her feet to keep them elevated, that was supposed to help with the blood flow but all Daryl could think about was the colour of her skin.

He felt his chest aching every time he looked at the tiny, fragile child lying on the bed, he should found the twins after the outbreak. Daryl should have insisted on going to their house, but Merle refused to let him, listening to his brother had been a mistake. Daryl should have resolved his internal debate by knocking their mother's door down instead of running away but he didn't and now she was sick, it was his fault.

As if Carol knew what he was thinking, she placed a gentle hand on his back to distract him from his thoughts. It took every ounce of strength not to rip himself from the contact but he managed it. Daryl looked down at his son as he examined Carol, unable to place her face Archer cowered into his father's legs to escape her eyes.

Carol could have giggled if it wasn't for the sombre look on the man's face, like any parent, he was taking his daughters sickness hard. Without another word Daryl hoisted his son up on his hip and walked away, Carol watched in confusion as he headed out to the door, taking a moment to unlock the cell block door before disappearing out of sight.

He didn't stop when he reached Maggie and Glenn with supplies for his children, Daryl just kept heading for the shower block, his arm wrapped tightly around Archer and his free hand clutching his knife in case he needed it.

There were no words to explain exactly how devastated Daryl was, Daddy's little girl was sick. The man who could fix everything... couldn't fix his daughters condition. Maggie and Glenn slowly made their way in to an empty cell and placed everything they found down before heading to look in on Imogen.

They glanced between the little girl and the woman beside her, the look on Carol's face told them everything they needed to know. Imogen's condition hadn't improved in the last few hours and her father was beginning to lose his mind with worry, they had absolutely no concern for Archer's safety when Daryl snatched him up and wandered off, but Carol had her concerns for Daryl.

Daryl was scared for his baby, that was an emotion Daryl had a lot of difficulty with, more so than any others. "Did you manage to find any new clothes?" Carol asked as she stood up from her spot beside Imogen's head, trying to ignore the thought of Sophia lying in the same spot as Imogen, at least now her Sophia was safe.

"We got loads, hopefully its all in decent condition, we just grabbed everything and ran. A few more Walkers than last time." Glenn said before offering to watch the little girl for a while so Maggie could show Carol their loot.

Carol couldn't fight the grin when she looked at everything. Toys and books and clothes galore, some of them looked like they needed a good wash but other than that it was pretty good.

Without so much as a second thought both woman began sorting the items for the twins, they picked up clothes from the pile and compared them. Cooing over the cute tops and the adorable pairs of shoes, almost like this was normal. Maggie and Carol had to show little regard for the fact this used to belong to children who probably weren't around any more, if they thought about it too much they would lose their minds.

Maggie quietly picked through the clothes for Archer, she had so many questions but nobody to answer them. Maggie wanted to know why Daryl never mentioned having his own children, did he search so hard for Sophia because he felt bad for not finding his children? Carol didn't know the answer to these questions or any others just yet, but her close personal bond with Daryl was bound to fix that, maybe the pair would answer everybody's questions once he'd finally taken the children's arrival in.

Carol glanced at Maggie as if she knew there was something the younger woman wanted to say. "How's he copin'?" Maggie asked trying to keep herself occupied so not to pay too much attention to Daryl's situation, she wasn't trying to gossip about the redneck, she just wanted to get the information and piece together her own confusion. What were they supposed to think? He never once mentioned having his own children, he never so much as hinted but all of a sudden here they were. If it wasn't for Archer's cerulean blue eyes, Maggie might not have believed they were even Daryl's children.

After a deep breath Carol picked up everything she had sorted for Imogen and everything Maggie had sorted for Archer, she knew it was not her place to discuss Daryl's feelings or situation, it wasn't like she really knew how he was feeling either. Beyond what she could see in his crystal blue eyes and his body language, she had no idea, she just knew that for Daryl to cry he must have been suffering some pretty heavy emotional turmoil.

"Coping as well as you can expect with his two kids appearing from nowhere, one of which is really sick. That little girl is barely hanging on and he doesn't know what to do." Carol replied avoiding the eyes of both Glenn and Maggie as they made their way in to Imogen's cell, she did not want to imagine the little girl dying because she knew Daryl would die inside too. Everything he'd been through in his life would have nothing in comparison to his baby girl dying, the effect on him and Archer would be detrimental. Carol swallowed hard and wiped the tears that built up in her eyes, it was a nasty feeling she could not cope with. Before anybody touched the little girl Carol held her hand out, stilling Maggie's hand as she reached to remove Imogen's leggings. "Did you move her Glenn?"

Carol's blue eyes were instantly met by the dark Korean eyes, he was frowning in confusion which almost answered the woman's question, Imogen's hand had moved just a few inches from where Carol had placed it. The girl's hand was once resting flush to her side, but it had moved. She had to tell Daryl as soon as he got back, tell him his little one had moved, maybe she was a little closer to waking than before. Carol silently examined the little girl's skin and sure enough, her blue lips were beginning to turn a light shade of pink again, could she be waking up? The woman tried to quell the sense of hope and excitement building in her through fear it could be false, but she just couldn't help herself, it would be horrific to tell Daryl little Imogen was close to consciousness just as she began to slip away again. She would be considered a liar and Carol would lose his trust and his friendship forever.

Maggie and Carol both worked together to start re-dressing the little girl, leaving Glenn stood outside with his back to the cell, obviously racking his brain to find out whether he'd done anything to make the little girl's body move unnaturally. Had his weight on her bed made Imogen's arm move? If he told them maybe it was his fault, would the women get mad? Glenn tried to ignore all the questions in his mind and turned his attention back to the three girls in the cell, Imogen was now dressed in a clean set of clothes and surprisingly that alone was enough to make the little girl look just a bit healthier, it was wondrous what a pink t-shirt and some red jeans could do.

Knowing Daryl he would probably object to the bright colours his daughter was wearing, but Glenn and Maggie had to grab whatever they could without taking too long. Daryl was a reasonable man and was bound to understand that. "Maggie will you stay with her for a while, I want to take these down to Daryl and Archer. Save him having to stick the boy in those dirty clothes again."

Maggie smiled and nodded as she made herself comfortable in the cell, just as Carol was about to turn away the younger woman let out a little giggle. "Just tryin' to take a peek at Daryl naked in the shower, aren't you?"

Suddenly Carol was overcome with heat and the blood rushed to her cheeks, she didn't even think Daryl may also be taking a shower, she quickly turned away without a reply and darted off to the edge of the cell block. As she was leaving she made sure to let Rick know exactly where she was going, he was a little reluctant to let the woman go alone and that irritated her slightly. Carol had really come into her own after a little gun training, she wasn't a perfect shot but Carol could protect herself, she didn't need the group to treat her like a burden.

As Carol made her way towards the shower block, she was surprised to hear the sound of laughter. Most of the laughter was high-pitched and squealing, but sometimes there was a low little chuckle that interjected. Carol stopped just beyond the door and allowed herself to listen, the man's chuckle was enough to send flutters through her heart, it was a beautiful sound. Hearing him try to be happy for his son was wonderful but at the same time... heart breaking. Archer probably wouldn't notice how upset his father was over Imogen's sickness, but she could hear it in his low and slightly sluggish tone.

The little boy giggled in response to his father's laughter and practically shrieked in excitement. "Cold daddy!" He yelled making Daryl chuckle again, it wasn't a whole-hearted laugh, more like slightly forced. "Water cold Daddy."

"I know, sorry buddy, we ain't got 'ny hot water." Daryl replied just as Carol knocked at the door so she didn't catch either of them unawares. "What?" Daryl barked from inside the shower block, she could hear him bustling around and waited for the door to swing open, when Daryl arrived she struggled to catch her breath.

He stood in the doorway completely shirtless with his cargoes clinging tightly to his hips. Carol couldn't stop her eyes from travelling up and down Daryl's naked torso, watching water droplets trickle down his muscles and slip under his waistband, his tightly toned body glistening from the water. Daryl's hair was drenched as it stuck up in odd directions, he must have run his fingers through his hair an awful lot, more droplets dribbling down his face and his skin. The man's body was littered in little scars she could tell were caused by several different confrontations, none of the scars looked self-inflicted and several looked very similar, like somebody had attacked him with the same weapon a few times. Carol didn't dare mention Daryl's body issues because she knew he'd get mad, he wasn't entirely comfortable with being shirtless in front of the group, he was shirtless now because he didn't have time to get dressed.

Her heart was practically in her mouth as Carol's eyes tried to take the sight in, her pulse raising as a reaction. Even with these scars he looked incredible, various tattoos stood out against his skin catching her attention. Carol didn't usually find any kind of tattoo attractive, but these suited Daryl just fine, maybe one day she'd be able to ask what they all meant.

Carol held out the little pile of clothing to the man, she didn't chide him on his irritated tone because she knew how stressed he was, combined with the fact he was trying to have some time alone to rebuild his bond with Archer. Carol saw Daryl's face change as he realised she was just trying to be kind and carefully took the clothing, tucking them under his arm and casting a look back to his son who was sat wrapped up in a towel on a bench. After his little burst of energy, Archer was beginning to flag again, his eyes looked incredibly heavy as he swayed on the bench and started awake again glancing around for his father. "He looks exhausted." Carol said almost to herself.

"Keeps sayin' he ain't tired, but I know he's lyin'." Daryl said quietly raising his hand to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment "You mind helpin' with this... ain't had a lotta practice. Don't wanna hurt 'im." It wasn't like to Daryl to ever ask for help, so when his brilliant blue eyes flicked up to meet hers, she knew how desperate he was for her help and wordless gave in. She smiled when Archer lolled into Daryl's arms, leaving his head resting against his father as somebody he didn't know worked on dressing him. Carol could practically feel Daryl watching her in silence as she worked like he was taking notes and it made her feel a little flush, his lack of emotional understanding meant everything he did was either intense or extreme, he was either hot or cold but never in the middle.

They were either best friends and spend hours in each other's company or he was unreasonably angry and refused to talk. Daryl watched Carol tend to his son, when anyone else got close he felt an awful possessive streak and wanted to snatch his children away, but not with Carol. Carol never once made him worry about his children's safety, even though she was with him and not Imogen he knew she'd passed her job of watching her, on to someone she trusted herself. Daryl was okay with that, he had to trust her decisions. "Where's he gonna sleep?" Carol asked suddenly looking up at Daryl. "I mean, there isn't a lot of room on the perch as it is and you won't sleep in a cell, what'll-"

"-Don't concern ya, I'll work it out." He said in a slightly harsh tone, Carol raised her eyebrows as he spoke and stood up, she couldn't help but feel a little hurt by his tone. Daryl had not spoken to her in that way since back on Hershel's farm, when he practically screamed at her over Sophia's death, ever since that moment he had made sure to never speak to her in that tone again.

Carol gently rubbed her bare arms as she watched the exhausted little boy snuggle in his father's arms for comfort. Daryl seemed to realise his mistake and shuffled a little uncomfortably, scooping his baby up in his arms to cradle him gently.

"He's a good kid, always used t' get rowdy when his Momma took him home though..." Daryl said softly, stroking Archer's face, by telling her that little story it showed he wanted to let her in. It was almost an apology for snapping without actually apologising.

"How old are they Daryl?" Carol asked grabbing the man's shirt from the bench and handing it to him in place of the little one, Daryl willing let the woman take his child with no qualms, he trusted her with the life of his children which was the highest honour ever bestowed on her. To completely gain a Dixon's trust. "You said you didn't see them for weeks sometimes, at least two right?" Carol said stopping when Archer whimpered but settled again.

Without missing a beat Daryl replied. "Two years 'n' 263 days. Been countin' since I lost 'em." He whispered pulling himself into his shirt and watching as Carol slowly paced around the room staring down at the tiny brunette in her arms. "Missed 'em like crazy..." There was a slight pause where Daryl flicked his gaze from Carol to his feet as he spoke again. "Kept thinkin' of 'em when I-I was lookin' fer... yer Sophia."

Carol's steps immediately faltered when the man spoke, nobody had mentioned her daughter in such a long time. The last time anybody mentioned Sophia was back on the farm but the pain that washed over at every word was still excruciating, it made her heart squeeze and her head pulsated with agony. Little Archer suddenly flinched awake as if he felt the bad vibes and for a few seconds he just stared at her face, then he began screaming, almost like she was physically hurting him. Daryl darted up from his seat only half way through buttoning his shirt and rushed to the woman and his baby, his entire body rigid as a reaction to the boys hysterics, Daryl snatched the little one up in his arms and dragged him close whispering soft words of comfort.

Daryl watched Carol from the corner of his eye and saw the way she shifted and crossed her arms over her chest, Carol was watching him in return, like she was scrutinising his actions. It made him feel unbearably uncomfortable, he wanted to stalk towards her and tell her exactly how he felt, how angry her constant staring was making him. But he had to focus on his son, his blood needed someone to take care of him and that was his job.

"Hold him against your body, he looks like he wants to hide away in your chest, your neck... anywhere. Sophia used to do it when she was scared, I used to wrap my arms around her and hold her so tight when she was afraid." Carol said collecting up all the filthy clothes Archer had worn, by becoming slightly distracted it meant all her attention was not focused on Daryl, that way the man could relax a little and look after his son. "I'll take these to the laundry, clean them up for you. Maggie and Glenn found plenty more stuff for the twins I think they'll like."

"Fine." Daryl mumbled back. Carol knew that was the end of all conversation for today, Daryl had done what she said and now wanted to be alone again, alone with his baby so he could watch over him. He would go and visit Imogen at some point before the day ended, the man just needed time to process exactly what was going on, he needed a little time to realise he wasn't the only Dixon left in this world and that his life was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

As Carol headed out she heard Archer speak up again, he was asking for his sister. The silence that followed on Daryl's part told Carol he'd already given up on his daughter.

She would have to change that.