a/n: I do NOT own any of the characters or places, except Chase Quate. He is definitely mine. Thank you to my guest reviewers. It puts a hge smile on my face to know you like my story and writing abilities. And thank you everyone for all the follows and favorites. It makes me want to write and update everyday! If you have any comments, questions, suggestions or criticis,, please leave a review. Thank you and Enjoy! :D

RPOV

I stood in my office inside the converted library. It had been turned into a town hall of sorts and my office was the biggest one, Michonne didn't want an office, even though we were partners in running this place. She liked to be outside, mixing with the community.

There was a knock at my door and I turned around to see Maggie Greene-Rhee standing at my door. She wore a pair of white jeans with tan ankle boots and a pale green top made out of some loose gauzy material. Her hair was twisted into a knot and she looked like a completely different person, not the woman I'd grown to know the past few years.

"Anything?" She asked me with a furrowed brow.

"Not yet." I told her with a sigh.

I hated lying to her but I'd promised Daryl that I wouldn't tell anybody that I knew where he was. I'd had to tell everyone that I couldn't find him the day he'd ran off into the had been worried, some of them angry, but they didn't understand why he'd left. They just thought he'd left.

Maggie and Glenn still asked about him when I came back from my "scouting" trips. I was actually just taking Daryl supplies in exchange for whatever he could find that he thought could be of use to us. I never actually saw him, but the drops were made every two weeks like we'd agreed so I knew he was alive, if not exactly well.

I'd tried to wait around for him one time but he'd never showed. Another time I'd tried to hide and catch at least a glimpse of him but he never showed that time either. He was good at not being seen because the third and last time I'd tried to hide and wait for him he'd snuck past me at some point and took the supplies while leaving a warning of sorts.

At least I'd taken it as a warning when he'd strung up a walker carcass with an arrow between it's eyes. The walker had been dressed up to look like a sheriff. So, yeah, I'd taken it as a warning and I didn't try to catch a glimpse of Daryl again. He wanted to be left alone, for however long it took him to feel better. I could understand that. I was the same way when Lori died. And maybe I would have done the same thing when we were finally safe in Alexandria. If it wasn't for Michonne and my children.

"Are you sure there's nothing we could do?" Maggie asked. "Maybe Abraham could go out looking for him. He's been going on runs and training other people to go."

"If he was out there, Maggie, and he wanted to come back, he would." I told her with a shrug.

"What if something happened to him? How would we know?" Her voice started to crack and I knew who she was thinking of.

"I don't know." I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands, feeling exhausted.

My head shot up as I heard a commotion coming down the hallway and Maggie stepped further into my office as Glenn Rhee, Michonne and Abraham Ford came through the door. Glenn and Abraham had a filthy figure propped between them and Michonne was glaring at someone I couldn't see.

When the figures head lifted slightly Maggie let out a small gasp and I saw the tears come to her eyes. The creature in front of me didn't look anything like Daryl Dixon, but I'd recognize those eyes anywhere. My brother.

"You can't just bring someone like that inside these walls." I heard someone say from the hallway and I immediately recognized the voice of Chase Quate. "What if he's bit? Or a psycho?"

Slamming my office door closed I motioned for them to lay Daryl on my empty desk top. Michonne and Maggie slipped out to get some water and medical supplies, just in case, and we began the process of removing Daryl's clothes. We slid his vest over his shoulders and threw it to the side to be cleaned later and did the same with his boots. We completely disarmed him before Maggie handed me a pair of scissors out of a black bag.

I untied the shoelaces around Daryl's ankles and avoided the questioning looks. I used the surgical scissors and cut through the rags he'd been wearing as clothes. Tears started to fall from Maggie's eyes as we stripped him down to his boxer briefs. As I looked over his wounds I could tell some were old but he had a few fresh ones that were the obvious cause of his apparent blood loss.

Working together we cleaned him up as best we could and began to bandage the small wounds and stitch up the larger ones. He was covered in new scars and no one could miss the one that was on his forearm, clearly four letters. BETH.

Maggie and Glenn looked at each other but Michonne didn't even raise an eyebrow so I suspected that she knew. Abraham didn't know Beth, had never gotten the chance to meet her, so he didn't blink an eye.

When we had him cleaned up Abraham found some clothes for him and we brough in an old Army cot. We moved him to the cot and covered him with a blanket before everyone cleared out. I knew I'd have to talk to Chase and a few other people, but that was the good thing about running this town, there would be a discussion but the decision was already made.

MaPOV

When Glenn and Abraham had walked in carrying Daryl my heart had almost stopped. Then seeing the scars, my heart had broke. He had apparently been taking care of himself out there though, nourishment-wise. While he'd been filthy and covered in cuts and new scars he wasn't emaciated. He'd lost weight but it was more like his body had dropped every ounce of fat it ever had on it and he was nothing but hard, toned muscle.

I'd noticed the name carved into his arm, my sister's name, and I wanted to ask someone about it but I knew only Daryl would really be able to tell me everything. While others might guess or assume, no one really knew Daryl, not on any other level except the most basic.

Following everyone out of Rick's office, I felt Glenn take my hand and I gave him a smile. He'd seen the scar, too, but Glenn didn't ask questions like other people. He watched and let people come to him if they needed to. He was a good man. Sweet, kind, calm and rational. But he could handle himself when it came down to it and I loved that about him. He didn't want to fight but if he had to then God help the other guy.

We said goodbye to Abraham and Michonne and she let us know that she would tell Rick we said goodbye. The walk home was slow and nice. The weather was getting cooler but it wasn't cold and we actually got to enjoy the way the leaves looked as they changed colors.

Taking a slight detour, we stopped by the small cemetery that the community had started. We hadn't wanted to put a headstone down for Beth so we'd planted her a tree. We'd all made bird feeders and hung them in the tree with wind chimes and other things. I tired to stop here at least a few times a week, sometimes every day.

"Hey." I whispered as I sat down on a bench we'd placed in front of the tree. "We found Daryl. Or he found us. I'm not sure. We'll have to wait and ask him."

Glenn stayed silent as I talked to Beth. He understood what I needed before I did. I'd tried to block my grief, to fall completely into my grief, I'd tried to stay busy and stay around people, I tried to push everyone away. And Glenn just stayed there, through it all. He'd never understand what that meant to me. Losing a brother or sister, someone who had been your best friend, your partner in crime, or your whole life, it hurt unlike anything else.

It was a different hurt, a different grief, one that I didn't wish on anybody. But I knew that Glenn, Tara and Daryl had all felt that pain at some point since the end of the world. Everyone tended to forget that.

"Maybe you're why Daryl is here. Maybe you sent him to us, or us to him. You knew he needed our help. Thank you, Beth." I whispered to her.

I cleared my throat and stood up slowly, feeling a lot older than my twenty five years. Glenn put his arm around my waist and we walked back to our house in a peaceful quiet. He never talked to Beth when I was with him but I suspected he went on his own and shared a few words with her. They had been close.

MiPOV

When Rick ushered everyone out of his office, I started to follow them but he grabbed my arm with a look. I nodded and followed everyone out. Maggie and Glenn said goodbye and Abraham followed behind them. I waited until they were gone from sight before knocking on the door to Rick's office. He opened it a crack before seeing me and pulling me inside. He locked the door behind us and slumped down into a chair he'd placed beside Daryl's sleeping form.

He rubbed his eyes before running his hands through his hair and hanging his head. When he looked back at me I could see the despair and hopefulness fighting in his eyes.

Stepping around behind him, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him towards me. His back pressed against my chest and I pressed my lips against the top of his head.

"You knew where he was, didn't you?" I asked him in a quiet voice.

"Yeah." He said with a sigh. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize. I understand. He's here now, that's what matters." I told him.

"He may not wanna stay." Rick said.

He started to say something else but was interrupted by a mumbling coming from the cot. We both stayed quiet, unsure of ourselves and the situation. Slowly, Daryl's voice became clearer and I felt my heart contract in pain for him.

"Don't go. Don't go. Don't go." His brow furrowed in pain and his whole body tensed. Then he bared his teeth a scream of pain was ripped from his throat. "NO!"

Rick made a noise in the back of his throat and I knew he was feeling Daryl's pain. He'd lost Lori in the blink of an eye and I didn't begrudge him the right to grieve for her. He would be grieving for her for the rest of his life. You didn't just let go of something like that.

Daryl stopped talking and fell back into a peaceful looking sleep and I stayed standing behind Rick until my eyes began to feel heavy. I gave his shoulders one last squeeze before letting go of him.

"I need to get home, Carl and Judith are probably wondering where we are. I'll tell them you're staying the night here." I told him as I kissed his forehead.

"Okay. Goodnight." He said as he squeezed my hip with one hand.