Set during the end of 5x12 "Remember" and most of 5x13 "Forget"

We are the last people standing

At the end of the night

We are the greatest pretenders

In the cold morning light

This is just another night

And we've had many of them

To the morning we're cast out

But I know I'll land here again

How am I going to get myself back home?

"Get Home" - Bastille

Chapter 1 – We Are the Greatest Pretenders

It wasn't a dream. The older woman with the light brown hair was her mother. And the dark-haired man standing a few feet behind her was Amelia's brother. But even after realizing who they were, the emotions she had expected to feel remained absent.

She'd spent the last 18 months fighting for a way to be reunited with them, and there they were; alive and seemingly safe. So, why wasn't she already crying? Why wasn't she collapsing onto the floor in a heap of gleeful tears and sobs or running to embrace them after almost two years of being apart? Why was she just standing there staring at them with a dead expression?

Move, cry, do something—anything, please. Show them you're okay… force this lie if you have to. Just do something, Amelia thought to herself as she watched her mother—one of the strongest women she had ever met—begin to crumble before her very eyes.

"Amelia," Deanna cried and she walked towards her daughter slowly with tears in her eyes.

For nearly two years she had forced herself to hold up the emotional barriers she had built in order to help her survive, and it felt impossible to break them down after all that time. But that's what she wanted—she wanted to cry and be overwhelmingly happy at the moment of her reunion with her family. Nonetheless, that wasn't what happened.

She felt the relief and the joy, but she couldn't allow it to overtake her. She couldn't show that side of her, not even to her own mother and brother.

Amelia wound her arms around her mother's neck as Deanna pulled her into a hug. Her mother's entire body shook with a sob as she held onto her daughter tightly and Amelia obliged, allowing the embrace to last as long as Deanna deemed fit.

Aiden waited for his turn patiently, much to his sister's surprise.

"I don't think I've ever this happy to see you, sis," Aiden said and she forced herself to laugh weakly. She took a few quick steps towards him and jumped into his outstretched arms, knowing that's what he had expected her to do. She held onto her older brother as tightly as she could without causing physical harm and cupped the back of his neck as she placed several kisses against the side of his head. Aiden's arms wrapped around her waist as he lifted her off the floor slightly, grinning uncontrollably into the crevice of her shoulder.

Mia knew it was the same reaction she had given a few years prior after going off to school for her first time. After not seeing him or the rest of her family for just a few months, she'd been a blubbering mess. She tried her hardest to make this reunion seem just as sincere. The only thing that was amiss was the amount of tears she had shed or lack there of. But it didn't matter how hard she tried to force the show of emotion or how genuine her joy was. It just wasn't the same as before.

As she lingered in her brother's arms, she let her gaze wander from her immediate family for the first time. Her body tensed once she realized there were more than just a few strangers watching her. Aiden seemed to notice her change in demeanor and released her from their embrace. He came to stand beside her as she took in the sight of all the new faces surrounding her.

They appeared to be normal, friendly even. But, as she had learned very quickly after the outbreak, the worst monsters out there were those with the friendliest faces. It was scary what a smile and a few kind words could hide.

Her gaze caught on a few of them. One was a teen boy with shaggy brown hair and ocean blue eyes. The next was an Asian man. He had a kind smile, which usually would only make Mia become more suspicious, but something told her this man's appearance was true to his heart. The third to catch her interest was a tall, slender man with an athletic physique and dark brown hair that fell over one eye. His skin was tainted with a thin layer of dirt and he was unshaven, telling Amelia that he had either just arrived in Alexandria like her or he wasn't a fan of showers. She was the last person to judge, though. She knew she probably looked like she had just been thrown down a hill. The second to last person that she observed for a few extra moments was a black woman whose hair was woven into dreads. She had a confident demeanor that made Mia think she was someone who could handle herself in a fight.

The last person who her eyes fell upon—for what seemed like the longest—was another man. He was older than her by at least ten years or so and had brown hair that was brushed back behind his ears. This man was clean-shaven and pretty well-dressed in comparison with Amelia with only a few minor cuts on his forehead, but that wasn't what piqued her curiosity. It was when his gaze locked onto hers that she could see he wasn't like the others. His blue eyes were steady and intense—captivating, but also contained a hint of darkness, reminding her of the feeling she'd get whenever she looked in the mirror. It was almost frightening sometimes.

And maybe she was wrong, and he was just curious. But she sensed that he had seen things that he could never forget—things that made him question his humanity just like she had. As much as she wanted to know the answer to her thoughts, she wouldn't dare voice them.

She took a deep breath when her mother sidled up next to her, placing a hand on her arm as she peered up at her son.

"Aiden, you should take Mia back to the house and try to find Spencer and dad," Deanna angled at the eldest of her two children.

His gaze flickered to Amelia for a second before he nodded and took her arm to guide her in the right direction. "Come on, Mia."

She was in no place to question their actions. Instead, she gave the strangers who'd been watching her one last fleeting glance and allowed her brother to lead her away. She knew she'd see them again.

"I don't see it, but it's close," Daryl said before rejoining Rick and Carol in the small clearing beside an abandoned house. He looked between them. "There's just one of 'em."

"We won't be here long," Rick assured him as he hooked his thumb through his belt and rested his other hand on his gun. He gave Carol a sidelong glance. "So, what do you think?"

"We go in when it's empty," Carol told him, referencing the ammo

"Well, how's that?" Rick questioned. "It's locked up at night."

"The window," she offered. "There's just a latch. I can leave it open."

"The latch?" Rick asked as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. It was a fair plan, but there was more than enough room for a mistake.

"Yeah," Carol shrugged.

"What if one of those pricks shuts it?" Daryl probed.

"Wait a couple of days—leave it open again," Carol suggested without any doubt in her voice. She knew it would work.

The sound of rustling leaves and quiet snarling reached the clearing again, louder this time. "It's getting closer," Daryl noticed as he walked towards the side of the house, checking if the walker was in sight yet.

"We need to do it sooner than later," Rick reminded the other two. "Right now, they're not watching us—not worrying about meetings like this. We may need the guns, we may not."

"We will," Carol guaranteed. "Whatever way it goes."

Rick shifted his weight as he looked down at the floor and sighed. "They're the luckiest damn people I ever met… and they just keep getting luckier."

Daryl looked him up and down. "How's that?"

"We're here now," Rick shrugged, holding Daryl's gaze.

He seemed to hesitate, but nodded weakly a second later.

"They've got a couple of footlockers just full of 9 millimeter autos, Rugers, Kal-Techs—just tossed in there. They never use them. They'll never know they're gone," Carol explained, cutting the short silence off.

"Someone's got one now, right?" Daryl asked as he gestured at the empty blender sitting amongst the pile of junk behind them. Rick had been careful to store his extra weapon in a place he didn't think would be discovered. But he had been wrong, apparently. The gun was gone the next time he checked it's hiding place.

Rick exhaled slowly as his gaze lingered on the kitchen appliance for a few extra seconds. "Listen. The others—we want them to try."

"You, too," Carol angled at Daryl.

"So, we keep it quiet. Just us," Rick said. His eyes caught on something in the distance. He nodded towards the walker. "Here it comes."

"I got it," Daryl obliged as he started to lift his crossbow.

"Hey, wait," Carol said, stopping the younger man in his tracks. She lifted the gun she had been carrying with her since they left Alexandria, pointed it at the walker, shut one eye, and fired seven times into it's chest. She raised the weapon to aim a little and fired one last time, shooting the eighth bullet into it's forehead.

She lowered her gun slowly and looked over her shoulder to meet Rick's bemused gaze. Carol gave a small quirk of her head. "We said you were taking me out shooting. I couldn't go back with a full mag."

Daryl looked at Rick. "Lucky he came by."

"Lucky indeed."

Rick pulled his pistol, Daryl lifted his crossbow, and Carol raised her gun as they turned in unison towards the source of the voice. They all kept their weapons poised even after they saw who had joined their little meeting.

Amelia had her hands up in the air as she looked between the three people staring back at her. She tilted her head to the side slightly when the other survivors neglected to lower their weapons.

"I come in peace," she announced, giving her hands a small shake to show she meant what she said.

"How long have you been standing there?" Rick asked as he held her gaze.

Amelia shrugged and lowered her arms to her sides. "Longer than you'd like."

Daryl and Carol looked back at Rick before lowering their weapons. Rick hesitated, but followed in suit a couple seconds later. There was nothing they could do—even if she had heard something she wasn't supposed to.

Carol reacted first. She handed her gun to Rick timidly and turned back to Amelia, her eyebrows raised in preparation to question the younger woman. She was to try to keep up her den mother act as long as she could. "You're Amelia, right? Deanna's daughter?"

"Yeah," she nodded and knowing what that must sound like she added quickly, "but like I just said, I come in peace."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Daryl asked as he gestured towards her.

"It means your secret is safe with me," Amelia responded without a moment of hesitation. "I give you my word."

"We don't know you," Rick retorted. "How are we supposed to know that we can trust your word?"

"You don't—not yet, anyway," Amelia said with a small shrug. "But you don't really have any other option than to trust me and let me go on my way."

"There is one other option," Rick shrugged as he hooked his thumbs through his belt.

Amelia scoffed as her brown eyes flickered to his holstered gun. "You're not going to shoot me."

"We're not going to shoot you," Carol assured her after exchanging a short look with Rick. He pressed his lips together momentarily and sighed.

"We won't hurt you," he told her.

"I know," Amelia replied sharply, her brown eyes meeting Rick's blue ones. "You're not that desperate."

"Confident talk for such a little girl," Daryl quipped.

Amelia looked at the older man and opened her mouth to respond, but Rick beat her to it. "Why?"

She raised an eyebrow as her eyes flickered to him. "What?"

"Why are you willing to keep this from your parents—from your family?" Rick asked. "I mean, we're pretty much planning a coup and you don't feel the need to warn them? Why?"

Amelia lifted her chin slightly as she held Rick's intense gaze. "It's because you're right—about all of it. Alexandria isn't as safe as my mom thinks, and I didn't fight tooth and nail to be reunited with them just to watch it fall apart because some gun restrictions or not enough patrols."

"You want us to take over?" Carol asked as she narrowed her eyes. She was having a hard time believing the girl standing in front of her would be able to turn on her family.

"No," Amelia shook her head. "What I want is for my family to live. And right now, they don't know how to do that."

"And you want to teach them?" Daryl questioned.

"I want them to realize that there is a universal evil out there whose only goal is to kill and steal. And one day, they will come to our doors—roamers or humans—and they will want to take that," Amelia paused as she gestured towards Alexandria, "from us. I will do everything in my power to keep that from happening." She gave a weak shrug and shake of her head. "Besides, if it does come down to a coup I want to know that there's someone on the other side looking out for my family."

"We don't want to hurt anybody," Carol told her quickly.

"I know," Amelia nodded. "But you will if you have to. Your main priority will always be your family—keeping them safe. My top priority will always be my family—keeping them safe."

"I'm guessin' you've already tried to talkin' your mom into changing her ways?" Daryl asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Tried and failed," Amelia nodded. "But at least they're aware of what is out here."

"You told them what you've been through?" Carol asked. Amelia knew it was more of a statement rather than a question, but she nodded again anyways.

"They're my family," she reasoned, trying not to get too deep into her thoughts or past.

"We're taking guns," Rick disclosed as if she hadn't heard their entire conversation. "Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"You can take whatever you want from the armory," Amelia started. "But you need to promise me that if it comes down to a fight, you'll give me a chance to talk to my parents and brothers before you start shooting."

"Killing people is a last resort," Carol said as smiled warmly and reached out to place a hand on Amelia's shoulder. The younger girl stepped back just quick enough to avoid contact.

"I don't like people touching me," she explained. It was all that she had to say, though. Rick, Daryl, and Carol could still see some of her scars.

"Sorry," Carol smiled sympathetically. She slid a glance in Rick's direction and nodded towards Mia.

"I promise I'll give you a chance to talk to them," Rick told her once he met her eyes. She nodded her head before she faced away from them and started to walk away, but Rick stepped towards her. "And you're just going to trust me?"

She pursed her lips together lightly as she angled her body towards them. She shrugged her shoulders and sighed heavily. "I am, and I really hope you don't make me regret showing you the first bit of trust I've had in months."

Rick narrowed his blue eyes as he held her gaze for a few seconds following her vague statement. Somehow, it made him feel primarily responsible for whatever actions he may have to take with the guns they were about to steal.

"Good luck with your plan," Amelia told the trio of survivors before turning her back to them and starting off in the opposite direction of Alexandria.

"Hey," Daryl called after her. She turned and met his gaze. "Where ya going?"

"Hunting," Amelia responded. "It takes my mind off things."

She sighed silently when she saw the subtle change in Daryl's expression. "You caught the trail too?"

"Yeah," Daryl said, his voice hoarse.

"You can join me if you like," she suggested rather hesitantly. It had been a while since she'd spent an extended amount of time around other living people. She had to start somewhere.

When Daryl also hesitated, she smiled lightly and added, "Don't worry. I don't bite and I'm quiet. I'll be the last one to scare the meal."

"Go if you want," Rick said quietly when his friend looked at him.

Amelia started walking again once Daryl began to follow her. She kept at least a few feet ahead of him at first, but slowly they began to match each other's pace. They both kept their eyes on the surrounding scenery, searching for signs of the hare they'd silently agreed to tack together. Amelia could tell Daryl was not one to start a conversation and over the span of the last couple months she had come to be same way. This might've been the only way in which they were alike, but she was grateful.

If she were lucky she'd occasionally find bliss in the silence.

The duo was making their way through the woods when Amelia heard the sound of leaves rustling nearby. It was too quick to be a walker and too heavy to be any of the animals she knew lived in this type of environment. The only logical conclusion was that someone had been following them.

She glanced over at Daryl to see that he was already staring at her, and arched an eyebrow as she jerked her head in the right direction, silently asking if he had heard their visitor as well. He nodded in response and rounded the cluster of trees beside him, raising his crossbow at the source of the sound.

"Come out!" He called out as he continued towards it. "Now!"

Amelia kept her hand on her gun, but decided against pulling it from it's holster. She let out a quiet sigh of relief when she saw it was Aaron, another Alexandrian, emerge from the tall bushes. She had been introduced to a handful of her new neighbors before heading out for some alone time. He came out with his hands raised and walked towards the two other survivors. Daryl eventually lowered his crossbow, but kept a careful eye on Aaron.

"You can tell the difference between walkers and humans by sound," Aaron noted with an impressed sigh. He lowered his arms to his side and glanced between Mia and Daryl for a moment before his gaze landed on Daryl. "Can you tell the difference between a good guy and a bad guy? Rick doesn't seem to be an expert at that."

"There ain't much of a difference no more," Daryl responded, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"That how you feel about your people?" Aaron retorted. Amelia pressed her lips together lightly as she looked to Daryl for his answer.

"Why you folllowin' us?" Daryl asked as he stepped towards Aaron and narrowed his eyes., ignoring the question completely.

Aaron glanced around. "I—I didn't know I was. I came out to hunt rabbits. I know why you're out here."

Amelia quirked an eyebrow when he glanced at her as he said the last sentence, pretending to be clueless as to what he had meant. She was certain he did in fact know, though. He seemed like he had a knack for reading people, just like her mother.

"Mind if I join you?" Aaron asked after a few seconds of silence ticked by.

"You can take my place," Amelia answered for Daryl. When he shot her a look she angled her head towards him. "I have to get back. My mom's hosting a welcome party for all the new Alexandria arrivals, which means we're both on the guess list."

"Parties ain't my thing," Daryl said and Amelia forced a smile.

"That's exactly what I said when I first heard about it, but unfortunately my mother's the host so my presence is mandatory," she explained. "Good luck hunting, though."

She gave a weak wave before turning and starting back towards the safe-zone, leaving Daryl and Aaron standing beside each other in the middle of the woods.

Rick balanced Judith on his hip as he lingered in the corner of his room, his gaze bouncing around the room from one place to another. He had been at the party for almost two hours, but besides Deanna and her husband Reg, he'd only spoken to a few other people. He didn't feel any pressure to talk to the Alexandrians even though he had been the one to tell his family to try to integrate into this community. Rick knew that they'd eventually look to him to see if he had taken his own advice.

His eyes flashed to the front of the house when Jessie and the man he assumed was her husband walked back into the room from the hallway. Rick subconsciously decided that she would be a safe choice to talk to. He took a slow, steadying breath and took two long strides towards the blonde-haired woman.

His plan changed as he came to an abrupt stop when Amelia walked a few feet in front of him, catching his eye immediately. It was certainly Deanna's daughter, but Rick barely recognized her.

When she had first arrived in the safe-zone she had been covered in dirt and blood, her frame muffled by baggy clothes. And earlier that day she had still been covered in a thin layer of grime and was wearing the same clothes she arrived in. But as he looked at her—all made up for the party—she looked like an entirely different person.

There was never any question that she was physically attractive, but it wasn't until he saw her wearing that simple blue-green lace dress that he finally allowed himself to acknowledge how beautiful she was. Rick swallowed hard when she turned her head in his direction, her gaze meeting his. Amelia flashed her teeth as her pink lips spread into a contagious smile. Rick smiled back without hesitation, but he realized that she was no longer looking at him. She was looking right at Judith. He recognized the signature look everyone got when they first laid eyes on his daughter.

Rick moved Judith to his other hip when Amelia started towards them. He shifted his weight as she stopped a foot in front of and leaned over slightly to be at eye-level with Judith.

"She's absolutely beautiful," Mia commented as she slowly reached out to touch his daughter's arm. Judith turned her head slowly and smiled when Mia did.

"Thank you," he responded with a short nod.

Amelia let out shaky breath as she straightened up, her eyes never leaving the light-haired baby. She placed a hand over her mouth, closing her eyes momentarily as she took a calming breath. She looked up at Rick to find that he'd already been gazing down at her and dropped her hand to her chest as if she was trying to feel her heartbeat. "I'm sorry. I just—that's not—I never thought I'd see that again."

"A baby?" Rick asked understandingly.

"No," Mia breathed while her eyes dropped back to Judith. "Pure innocence."

Rick let his gaze flicker away from the younger woman as he thought about her answer. He nodded as he looked back at her. "It's a rare find in this world."

"The rarest," Amelia agreed solemnly with a crooked smile.

A/N: First off I just want to say that I did not expected the first chapter to get as well of a reception that it did. I want to give a big thank you to everyone who followed or favorited, and reviewed or pm'd me with great feedback just based off the first chapter! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Follows and favorites are so encouraging and reviews do wonders for my inspiration! The next chapter will pick up right where this one left off and Mia will be talking to some of the other survivors. Also let me know if you would want to see more Daryl/Mia scenes as well as Rick/Mia stuff. I hope to update at least once a week from here on out, but life might get in the way so I appreciate any kind of feedback that helps move my writer's brain along faster. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!