A/n: This was really hard to write for some reason, probably the writers block and the heat. The amount of reviews, followers and favs stunned me. Reviews are like the blood that keeps us going and they were just like woah. You guys have no idea. Sorry for the delay with the writing, the update/code mess and any mistakes found, enjoy the chapter guys!
Warnings: Butchering of both fictional and real facts.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or The Walking Dead.
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"No crying in the boat. It scares the fish."
-Andrea
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Chapter Four
Now Daryl considered himself to be a reasonable man. He liked the bluntness of a situation, of any words that person could provide because that was how he grew up; through a blunt father who spoke blunt words with a fist and sometimes a bottle. He didn't know how to respond to sugar coated words or charisma or any of that high bred bullshit that the politicians practically vomited on the tv. He believed that if something had to be said, then why waste a hundred words when you could just say it in ten.
So when he made his way back to the camp after a few days hunting, with over a dozen squirrels for Merle to clean and a deer he was tracking only to find the damn thing had been taken down by one of those fucking walking puppets one could understand if he expressed his anger in few words and more action. Yanking his arrow from the deader than dead head he was about to follow after the butt-ache that was Shane and the Slender-man that was Jim when a guy who he had never seen decided to get handsy with him.
Daryl gave him a slow once over before his gaze settled on the hand that was holding his shoulder and as if a light clicked on in the man's head his quickly pulled his hand back.
"Somethin' I can do for you, or you wanna end up like headless there?" the group already knew him as the slightly racist redneck younger brother to the very racist redneck older brother. So why not let the new guy form the same opinion?
The zero fucks he gave didn't change in the least.
The guy who looked as if he was about to start shouting 'Reach for the sky' or 'The waterhole has been poisoned!' only stared at him for a bit before muttering something under his breath.
"What was that?"
Daryl really didn't like that know-it-all smirk and how his blue eyes seemed happy to see him. The last time a stranger looked that happy to see him Merle had owned the guy over a grand and he was the punching bag.
"I said that he wasn't kidding about you" this was really pissing him off now, this whole riddle me riddle that shindig.
"My brother bragging 'bout me now?" that wasn't like Merle at all, because despite how much he loved his brother and how much he knew Merle loved him back they simply didn't brag about one another.
The man looked confused, his smirk tapering off into a frown. "No… I mean Harry"
Daryl wasn't aware of the next few seconds until he had the man pinned against a tree trunk, one arm under his neck and his knife by his jugular.
"How the fuck do you know that name? If you did anything to him I'll gut your ass" he growled and the man raised his arms as best as he could.
"H-he save me" came the gasped response and Daryl held him up a moment more before releasing him, though he still kept the knife in hand.
He watched as the man coughed a bit before pointing back in the direction of the camp, though Daryl kept his eyes on him. "He saved me a while back and more or less thanks to him we found this place"
It was his turn to frown because even if he wasn't the smartest cookie 'we' meant plural. "Who's we?"
The man looked at him strangely, his hand rubbing at where his windpipe was being pressed upon. "Harry, he's currently over there probably with Jacqui and-" fuck it if he was being rude, nothing new since he was sure he came out of his mother with both middle fingers up but he took off running before the guy finished.
He hardly felt any shame when he stumbled over a tree root and almost brained himself because fuck if he cared, he only cared that his legs wouldn't go any faster, the forest flashing past him and several yards ahead he could see the camp coming up in the clearing. He could hear children laughing, in the distance the closer he got. A few feet from the clearing he could hear someone yell something in spanish and when he burst into the clearing like a bat out of hell his eyes searching until out of all of the noise, between the laughing children, people talking and pots clanging he heard a familiar laugh.
"Daryl I need to talk to you" he brushed aside Shane and fuck his legs because they didn't want to move. Why the hell didn't his legs want to move?
Shane grabbed his shoulder again and yanked him backwards "I said that I need to talk to you Daryl"
Daryl growled and shrugged off the hand that was gripping his shoulder again "What about?" his blue was still focusing on the figure that was Harry, all lean legs and decked out in an over-sized t-shirt, it was at that very moment that Jacqui, a woman who he didn't find annoying and demanding, subtly pointed at him and Harry face full of curiosity turned around.
From where he was standing Daryl could easily see the curious stare turn and morph into shock then to disbelief. If Daryl didn't know any better he would say that this was very Disney. Not the Grimm Brothers tales that Merle used to tell him when he was maybe five or six, but the ones where he was maybe the prince and Harry though definitely male was very much a princess.
It took him a moment to realize that Harry was jogging towards him before his legs decided to finally regain motor skills and he met the already crying man half way. No one could judge him for swearing and if they did then fuck them and their ancestors. Daryl snorted and buried his face in the same corner as he did for years, savoring the feeling of just being with his husband again and when Harry reached up and wrapped his arms around his neck, he squeezed the man tighter. The only problem with this reunion was that while Harry had forever been a boney little thing, only gaining more weight in his late teens, he seemed to be doing rather well for a man stuck in a apocalypse.
"You get fat?" he grunted and behind them he heard someone groan. Harry tensed in his arms and Daryl leaned back to stare down at the man, feeling as if he had stepped on a landmine. Watery green eyes stared back, and while the expression was very familiar since he spent the first few years trying to navigate rocky waters of emotional levels to not make a young Harry wail his eyes out, at the moment he was… confused.
"Why you crying, did I squeeze you too tight or somethin'?" Harry's lip only trembled more and he wrapped his arms around the chub that he had gained. Then he smiled.
Why was he smiling?
"Why you grinning like a idiot?" this only made Harry smile wider, his face a healthy flush despite the tears. Daryl's confusion went up several meters when his hand was gently placed on the rather firm belly, his navel poking out slightly and all.
"I didn't get fat Daryl Dixon. I got pregnant" even though he was the recipient of a small glare, the smile was still on full blast and all Daryl had in him was to blink.
Suddenly the dozen squirrels seemed like an entire buck and his crossbow a fricking human.
"I… you… " he looked down and stared at where his hand was resting, his confusion melting away and another emotion came racing to take its place. Holding the side of Harry's face with his hand, thumb rubbing against a cheek he didn't remember being so tan; Daryl slowly slid down to his knees because the shitting bones felt like noodles all a sudden. He was still staring up at Harry, both hand spread out on the more than generous bulge and for the first time since this shitstorm of dead people gnawing on the living he laughed.
He laughed until he felt Harry's hand cover on of his while his other found it's way in his short hair and while Harry didn't say anything he did squeeze his hand when he rested his head where his baby was growing, hiding his shame from the people watching.
He couldn't remember the last time he cried. It certainly hadn't been when his old man died because their was no love lost between either of them, nor his mother who he barely remembered after the fire, but here he was on muddy ground trying not to choke on tears that burned like a bitch while just breathing in the scent of everything Harry.
"Fuck I'm gonna be a dad" he looked up at Harry who was nearly a blurry figure because of the fire water in his eyes. Harry chuckled and ran his hand down the side of his face, wiping away the tears and evidence of them.
"I know, so am I" he said softly, so gently it made Daryl look away and rest his forehead back on the warm belly.
"I'm gonna be dad" he chuckled at the very thought, hell at the word 'dad'. He sure as hell never had one, neither did Harry but he was a total fuck up, unlike Harry who had just smiled at him one day and his heart felt as if it grew twice it's size.
"You're gonna be the best dad ever, our kid is going to have you wrapped around their little pinky" Daryl didn't disagree, it would be useless to since they both knew Harry was right. He pushed himself up and gathered his husband's face in his hands, taking Harry's confusion as the perfect time to lay one on him. A kiss he hadn't been able to give or get in a bit over five months. He counted each day, and paid close attention especially when the world went down in flames and death. The silence around them was almost tangible and the only reason he pulled away was because Harry did so first, his eyes darting around and a deeper blush settling on his cheeks.
His husband was such a dork.
"Holy fuck… you're the husband to it" and there went his peace. He turned around, ignoring the panic in Harry's eyes and the sudden grip on his arm.
"What did you say?" he spat, all serenity and bliss gone from his person, the word 'it' ringing in his ears.
Shane laughed and the look he leveled at Daryl has the man tensing because never had he needed someone's pity and he sure as hell didn't need pity for being with Harry. "I can't believe that it's you of all people Daryl. I always thought he was lying, god knows that he's done it already, thought he was just loose and-"
Shouts of alarm all at once filled the broken silence and he felt someone pull Harry away, his husband protesting and telling him to 'stop' but he really didn't want to. Daryl stared at Shane from behind his crossbow that he had aimed at the man. Close range and aimed for the face.
"Say one more word and I'll put you down like like a cur." Shane had gone pale and he raised his hands, taking a shaky step back.
"You wouldn't kill an unarmed man Dixon."
"I killed one today on my way here, you just a bit prettier than him, but just as dirty"
"I ain't no walker Daryl, you wouldn't kill me"
"Wanna take that chance?" Shane took two steps back and Daryl took one forward.
"You say something like that about Harry and I'll beat it out of you, you touch him and I break your bones before I kill you. Consider it a warning officer." Daryl lowered the crossbow but didn't step back instead he watched and waited until Shane retreated. Spitting in the ground didn't do jack but it was habit by now then seconds later he wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulder still staring in the direction where Shane had retreated to.
"He talk to you like that often?" Harry merely adopted a deer in headlights expression that had had Daryl scowling something fierce.
"But Rick has my back during all of it and you know I can take care of myself Daryl" he tried to reason by pointing at Rick who was quietly talking to Carl, said boy saw the finger being aimed and tapped his father. Rick narrowed his eyes at Harry and stood, dusting off his pants.
"What?" he asked, standing nearby but eyeing the crossbow with enough wariness of a sane man, Carl just wandered off to join the other children nearby Morale's RV. Harry beamed grabbing Rick by the short collar to pull him closer.
"Daryl this is Rick, Rick this is Daryl my husband." introductions were kinda of his thing and he watched as the two men stared at one another before Rick nodded.
"I know, I'm the one who told him you were in the camp"
"You did?"
"You're the guy I nearly choked" Harry squawked.
"What!? Daryl how could-"
"Mhmm, that'd be me. Rick Grimes, former patient of your husband and deputy"
"Daryl Dixon, dubbed redneck" he replied dryly enough that Glenn who stood nearby snorted in amusement.
He stared at Harry as his head swung back and forth then towards the sky before ambling to where Jacqui was infusing what he assumed was peppermint to the boiling water. Jacqui looked up and waited until he sat down before handing Harry a cup, the peppermint strong and sharp enough to burn his nose even from where he stood several feet away. He could practically feel who was now 'Rick's' amusement and the man made his way over to the two leaving Daryl no choice but to follow.
"Never would've thought that Daryl Dixon would be married to you Harry" Harry sipped at the tea and just like clockwork burned his tongue.
"Why's that? I mean, sure he's a bit rough around the edges but he's really sweet and gentle and one day he bought me a bird for Valentine's day and I named it Louis but it escaped like two days later then he… " Jacqui laughed and placed her hand on his knee and even Daryl rolled his eyes.
"I'm sure he is Harry, but the Daryl we're all acquainted with-" she sent him a look that spoke about the volumes of beguilement she was having at his expense "-is a man of few words, but I understand. Unlike some of us, he doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeve and burn his tongue even though he knows the water is hot" she sipped some of hers ignoring the mulish look and stuck out tongue from Harry.
"I'm adorable" she laughed again and gave him a smile that every indulging mother would "That I do know Harry" she gave his knee a squeeze. "That we all know sweetheart and such a cutie-pie you are" she cooed with enough sugary sweet undertones full of sincerity that he smirked.
"Cutie-pie" he got a few leaves of peppermint thrown at him but it was worth seeing the blush that crawled up Harry's neck.
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While having his windpipe almost crushed wasn't ever on his list of to-do activities Rick had to admit, being pinned against a tree by a man was worth seeing Harry laugh as he did. Sure Harry was never one to skimp out on laughter or corny jokes, but the difference was easy to see now that he was glued to Daryl's side. His husband while not the most outspoken, friendly looking or generally a social butterfly opened up just a bit more for the sake of the almost hyper younger man.
Daryl was a man of few words, and Rick respected that, was glad even that the man who had wed Harry wasn't as unorthodox as he was, but the love was all the same if the hand that was wrapped around Harry was any indication. Shane was still missing but the majority of the group was around the campfire with the exceptions of the Peletier family and the Morales. Carol was a very demure woman he had noticed, her eyes had yet to meet his and her every action seemed hesitant, he may not be the brightest cookie in the box but he had arrested enough men like Ed, the ones who liked to throw their weight around and use their hands as words.
"So Harry, I know that no one wants to seem too nosy so I'll just ask. How'd you and Daryl meet?" Rick's gaze drifted from where Carol was stirring a small pot under the watchful of her husband, the full bottle of rum now close to half. That was a situation he couldn't just intrude on, regardless if it was domestic case his status as 'the law' was invalid when there was no government or laws to back it up. Instead he focused on… what her name? Ally? Amy… ? Andrea's sister, who was a lot nicer than her older sister who leaning forward and was staring at harry with such intensity he was surprised her eyes didn't begin to glow.
Harry who was snuggled against Daryl's side paused mid-sip of the all powerful peppermint tea, blinking at the rather sudden question. "That's a rather long story to tell Amy" the blonde just shrugged and made a 'go on' motion with her hand.
"Ah… well." Harry peeked up at Daryl whose eyes were closed but not asleep, his thumb rubbing circles on the enlarged belly. "I'm originally from England, born and bred, but my relatives my maternal aunt Petunia and her husband Vernon who already had my cousin that was only a few months older than I was, gained legal custody of me after my parents died, but my uncle worked for a big corporation so when I was around six we moved over here to America. Daryl was my first friend"
Amy blinked in surprise but she wasn't the only one. To be that age and only now gaining a friend at that age while not uncommon for some homes that discouraged social interactions because of class, or paranoid reasons but for Harry to have a cousin in direct relation and in the same household yet not be friends. It was honestly a bit strange even for Harry.
"You mean Daryl was your first friend outside of the family then" Harry shook his head and held up his index finger.
"Dudley, my cousin, didn't like me very much because my aunt and uncle didn't like me at all. So Daryl became my very first friend."
"But why?" Rick looked at his son who sat between his legs, Carl was nibbling on a stale cookie that Morales had snagged from the store. Harry shrugged, his fingers toying with the hem of his shirt.
"Because my mum and dad were both a wizard and witch respectfully, so my relatives didn't like magic so they didn't like me" Carl stared wide eyed at Harry, a bit of the cookie falling from his mouth before he carried the stare over to Rick. There was a bit of silence that took over the campfire for a bit before Amy giggled, then Jacqui smiled, Dale and Glenn laughed and Lori looked a bit miffed at the lie.
"So that makes you what then Harry, a wizard like your dad?"
"Nope, my magical core didn't develop as it should, so I perhaps only have a quarter of magic ability in me at the best of times. I'm what you would call a squib, then again normally squibs don't have magic so I dunno what I could be classified as… weak cored maybe? But I can still do some neat stuff even though the kick back is pretty crappy."
Even Daryl opened one eye to stare at him.
"W-What can you do? Make fireworks and stuff come out of your arms?" Harry's lips twitched and Rick couldn't help but cover his own smile because this was as good as his kid was going to get to Disneyland.
"That'd be pretty painful wouldn't it? But one of my favourite things to do is create lights, little orbs of light that float around."
"Wooooah. Can I see? Please? Dad can I see?" Rick shrugged and motioned to Harry who grinned. "Maybe later when it's really dark out kay?" Carl excitement visibly dimmed a bit but he nodded nonetheless.
"What else can you do?"
"Well since I don't have much of a magic core, my godfather Sirius and a family friend name Severus taught me potions. It's a lot like chemistry but we used this big pot called a cauldron to mix up eye of newts and three eyes of the gullwit bee since the fourth will make the potion turn blue instead of pink. Potions are mainly used in the wizarding society stuff like pepper up will make your feel energized, skele gro will grow back any missing bones or mend broken ones stuff like that"
"So what you're saying is that there is a whole other society made up of magical people that we or the government doesn't know about?" Lori looked unimpressed and Harry looked equally dispassionate about interacting with her but one look at Carl and he softened up again.
"Yupp" Rick didn't even blink when he popped the 'p' since it was just to annoy Lori even if it was obnoxious as hell "Though the government mainly the higher ups know about it. Muggles like you just don't"
"What did you just call me?" anyone now joining the conversation would have expected Harry to have called her something scandalous and Rick couldn't help but sigh since he had heard Harry yell out rather amusing profanity many times before.
"Muggles are non-magical people. People who have no association with any magical community, doesn't know about magic, has no magical core, stem, nerve or gene within their bodies"
"So we're all basically muggles then" Amy was still smiling, looking just a fascinated as Carl as did at the moment. Harry gave her another annoying yupp with the smacking of his lips.
"But isn't there like a law or something? Since only high up government officials know about your 'magical community' and all?"
"Sure there is. It's called the statute of secrecy, but since the world as a whole is burning and dead people are walking I'm sure I'll be forgiven"
Amy nodded along, her smile now a grin "Right, of course that perfectly valid reason for breaking such a secret"
"As good as any I'll say" Harry grinned back and Rick was glad to know that he wasn't the only one who snorted at the fist bump that transpired between the two of them. He leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, Carl's head resting on his knee and belly full of squirrel stew. This was nice, even if he knew what was lurking beyond the clearing the atmosphere was calm and cool with Carl firing away question after question, but he wasn't slow and not for the first time he gave Harry a mental applause at his evasion techniques.
"Don't get too chummy with him Amy, liars like him are only good for one thing" and of course, someone had to turn back on the reality switch and make things shitty again.
Rick watched as Shane strode over to the campfire, all confidence and seemingly having forgotten Daryl's warning and not so subtle promise of death. All eyes were on Shane now as he grabbed the bowl of stew that Lori had saved him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shane swallowed the mouthful he had gathered in his mouth, not bothering with the spoon or fork. "What'dya think. You lied to us before and now you're filling the kid's head with gibberish about magic and shit. What next you gonna tell him dragons and unicorns are real too?"
"Actually they are, but I'm sure we're about to see the not so rare sighting of asshole anytime soon, unfortunately it ain't magical."
"You'd know a lot about assholes wouldn't you" Shane sneered and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Well duh, I'm sure the world is better off without your oh so amazing genes taking root in another human being if that's the best comeback you can make. Did you lose your brain cells or were you always this stupid and somehow I now realized it?" Glenn's laughter stuttered to a stop with one glare from Shane though it hardly deterred Amy from finding amusement in Harry's drawl that sounded as bored as he looked.
Shane stared at Harry for a few long measured moments, his gaze hard before smirked and turned it onto Daryl. Rick narrowed his eyes because a man like Shane didn't simply leave shit alone. Easing Carl towards his mother Rick kept his eye on his former best friend, and even if Lori thought his abandonment of friendship was based solely on the unjust treatment done to Harry, it also had to do with the fact that his so called best friend had been drilling his wife like a starving man.
"Surprised you ain't ask about your brother Daryl" Shane may as well have been a cat with how he practically purred those eight words. Daryl on the other hand didn't seem to take notice he had been spoken to his hand still rubbing Harry's belly.
"I thought you would y'know, since you both are close and all" this was like watching a drunk man poke a sleeping bear for shits and giggles, stupid as hell and could only end badly. This time Daryl did open his eyes, the blue eyes dark slates from where he sat looking at Shane with the expression of a man who smelled shit and wanted it removed.
"Yea and what?"
"Just thought you'd be more concerned about him that's all" Shane was baiting Daryl, everyone around the fire could tell and a voice that sounded oddly enough like Morgan's calmly told Rick to shoot him.
"I don't wipe his ass when he takes a shit, Merle is grown so yea and what"
"Considering they left him tied to a roof back in the city, I just thought I'd be the friendly neighbor and tell you since no one else will"
"What?"
Shane's smirk grew into a smile as he studiously cleaned the bowl with his finger, popping the stew smeared digit into his mouth. "When they brought in Ricky over there along with your… boy. They left Merle on top of the roof tied up."
People were tensing up, all eyes on Daryl and if the stories Lori had told him about the Dixon brothers then no one was expecting the revelation to end well. "Why?"
Shane looked a bit confused "Why what?" Daryl rolled his eyes and closed them again for a few moments. "Why did they leave him up there then" Rick watched as Shane floundered a bit at the question and he grunted when he realized that even though someone had told him that Merle was left behind he didn't know the reason why.
"He and T-Dog got in a scuffle and Merle wouldn't stop hitting him so we knocked him out and tied him to a metal thing with rope. You know your brother Daryl, better than anyone here, you know how he can get" this was the first time Andrea had really spoken since they all gathered around the pit and this was the first time Daryl even remotely looked in her direction. Daryl grunted but still didn't twitch beyond the hand that was gently kneading Harry's justified pot belly.
T-Dog who had just come back from collecting firewood dropped the extra wood behind Dale and dusted his hands off before dropping down next to Jacqui's seat. "I know that this might not make much difference but I chained the door to the roof so the geeks couldn't get to him. Padlock and everything"
Daryl exhaled through his mouth and sat up before he stood up, his squinted eyes now on Rick, completely dismissing the other former officer who stood a few feet away. "Then we'll go and get him then" it wasn't a question but a statement so absolute it was unquestionable.
"Right" because all he could do was agree even if he didn't have a hand in the actual leaving of said man behind.
"Rick you can't be serious" Lori hissed "You just got here, you finally found your son and me and now you're leaving again to find a man you don't even know"
"The only reason I got here was because of a man I didn't know. Let's hope the trend doesn't fail me" Rick retorted not even looking at her anylonger. Lori shook her head and stood, stomping off to the RV and slamming the door shut.
Rick stood and ran his hand through his hair sighing but he wasn't upset about his wife's departure instead he was looking at his son who seemed to shrink in on himself. "Do you have to dad? You just now came back and what if you don't this time?" Rick's lips twitched and he knelt down before Carl who immediately latched on and wrapped his arms around his father.
"I have to do this Carl, no man left behind right?" Carl only held on tighter and Rick pressed a kiss on his head as he pulled away. "I'll be back I promise, no force on earth could keep me away from you kid, you know that right" Carl nodded even as he wiped away a few stray tears. "Good boy. Now go and check on your mum for me, can you do that?" Carl nodded again and ran in the same direction where his mother had gone before, leaving only the adults.
"You really going to do this Rick? Go and risk your life over a douchebag you don't even know? Common man, you ain't you no idiot, you going to just leave your wife and child again just to impress who? Him?" he pointed at Harry who blinked at the finger aimed at his person.
"Rude" Harry murmured and just because he could pointed back a finger at Shane who sneered at him.
"Nobody ain't talking to you, butt out." he turned back to Rick, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Common man be reasonable"
Rick sighed running a hand through his hair "I don't expect you to understand man, but at least respect my decision. This isn't to impress anyone, or gain any favours it's about doing the right thing and saving a man who has no weapons, food or water. It's about doing the right thing"
"What's that supposed to mean. Think I don't know right from wrong?"
Rick leveled him with a look that made Shane flinch "I think you know exactly what's right from wrong, but that never stopped you has it" he gave Shane's shoulder a squeeze and turned back to Daryl, the dismissal as clear as ever. "We'll go and look for your brother tomorrow, we'll leave at dawn and hopefully be back within a day or two" Daryl only nodded, his face not really showing much and Rick watched as he helped Harry up and out of the chair after Harry failed the first two times.
"I'll come too, don't get me wrong I ain't feel all the bad about leaving him up there but he's your brother and all. I know how that feels man. So I'm in" Rick gave T-Dog and a small smile while Daryl only sent a nod in his direction. Glenn stood up and slowly raised his hand looking unsure about the whole situation but still excited at the same. "Count me in!" how it was possible to sound nervous yet sure of yourself was a wonder to Rick but he gave Glenn a thankful nod. Glenn grinned, full on beaming at Rick and not for the first time did the former deputy wonder just how old Glenn was was.
"Holy shit you're Garth" even Daryl raised an eyebrow at his husband at his sudden outburst and Rick folded his arms and sighed when his brain began to try to figure out just why Glenn looked so horrified at the apparent accusation.
"I'm not!" Harry snickered and hugged Dary's arm to his chest while the man looked entirely bored with the conversation at hand already. "Dude yes you are. Only more asian and the setting is more horror flick than Supernatural allows it to be"
He tried, he really did try not to groan but honestly. Daryl on the other hand didn't even try to stifle his own.
"No I'm not! Why do I gotta be Garth?" Harry practically skipped towards Glenn and he wrapped his arm around his shoulder before resting his head against Glenn's with the most sober expression Rick had ever witnessed on his face.
"Because my dear boy, someone has to be Garth. Every Dean and Sam needs a Garth, and you just happen to be him. Besides, someone has to be the token sweetheart of the squad"
Was this really happening? Was Glenn about to cry over being called a fictional character? Rick quickly scanned the crowd wondering if he was the only one witnessing… whatever this was.
"Why can't I be Castiel then? Or, or Gabriel! I want to be Gabriel!" Glenn sounded almost panicked and Harry's sober expression melted away into a wicked grin.
"I'm sorry chap… you simply don't have what it takes to be an arch-angel. And plus, Rick is Castiel, don't you see those darling blues and you should see how many times he tells me 'I don't know what that is Harry' with this flat expression on his face. Sigh, honestly Garth, just be the dentist turned hunter turned werewolf you were meant to be. Embrace it"
Rick watched as Harry cackled madly and Glenn actually began to wipe away tears of frustration? The fact that there were tears to begin with puzzled Rick. He really shouldn't ask because it would only add fuel to the flames but…
"What are you talking about Harry" Glenn wailed and Harry cheered
"See! He did it again!"
Daryl just gave him a look of disappointment before dragging a laughing Harry away to their tent.
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The next morning found Harry staring at the Daryl like shape who was soft talking to his belly and if that didn't just make Harry want to explode he didn't know what would. A round of making out and belly groping because as it turned out Daryl had a thing for the incubation tube his child was resting in; along with a round of real groping and Harry welcomed the world with a dopey grin and a skip to his step. After seeing him and the other off the only thing to do was to team up Jacqui and Dale to make some breakfast with the provisions they had. Two cups of peppermint tea later and he ready to take on a lion with only a sling shot… or was it a giant?
Instead he found himself not facing anything monstrous but he did suddenly miss modern day appliances like a freaking washing machine because really this was kind of depressing. Amy snorted and gave the shirt she was man handling a particularly hard scrub on the rocks.
"I miss my Maytag" Carol sighed the others could only nod, albeit a bit sadly.
"I miss my Benz, my Sat Nav." Andrea pitched in and everyone groaned, gps were obviously taken for granted back then.
"I miss my coffeemaker with that dual drip filter and built-in grinder, honey."
"Oh my god… when was the last time anyone here had a cup of that god given smoky darkness?" the women sighed again and Harry could only follow.
"My computer… and texting." Amy gained this far away look in her eye that had Harry grinning because really, he missed the internet almost as much as he missed sex, and that had to be saying something. Andrea grinned as well before she leaned forward a bit. "I miss my vibrator."
"Oh!"
"I miss my Wild Boy and Moody especially when Daryl was out of town" Jacqui gasped and flicked some of the clean water at Harry who wiggled his eyebrows at her.
Carol bit her lip and Harry watched as she leaned forward, her eyes darting about before she gave them a shy smile "I miss my vibrator too" and just like that they all dissolved into giggles and laughter.
Harry had decided awhile back that he liked Carol, she was very nice, a bit too polite and soft spoken with a penchant for staring at the ground more than she stared at your face. She doted on her daughter and on more than one occasion she tried not to flinch when someone touched her, and when they did she would send a panicked look around as if searching for someone. Harry wasn't foolish and he knew that the others in the camp also realized and knew what was going on between Carol and her husband Ed. She obviously wasn't going to speak out, years of abuse would do that to someone who self-esteem and self-worth was stepped and stomped on, and even though they were a group and Harry knew that people wanted to do something, they didn't.
Reaching out he squeezed Carol's arm, a gentle touch and she looked at him startled for a moment before she smiled at him, a light blush covering her pale cheeks. Harry returned the gesture and all was well. Even though the women minus Lori had been technically subjected to laundry duty and even though Jacqui gave him a disapproving look when he sat down and grabbed a couple of clothes from the load he soothed her ruffled feathers by asking for help getting up and down.
Sigh, she was such a mother hen. Not the kind that were afraid of humans but the kind that attacked you and aimed for the eyes. Harry had a healthy respect and fear for those birds thank you very much.
"What's so funny?"
Harry wrinkled his nose, not because of how dirty and unkempt the man looked but just the general knowledge of what he did. His stance, his face and that nasty smelling cigarette that he was all but chewing. He saw Andrea roll her eyes before he plastered a smile on her face.
"Just swapping war stories Ed" and Amy was quick to agree. Harry on the other hand glanced over at Carol and all that sweet and open natured seemed to have been sucked back into an airtight bag and thrown over a cliff, all traces of happiness gone and replaced by somber quietness that was focused so intently on the shirt she was rubbing. Harry watched as he made his way over to Carol and Harry was sure everyone heard the moment she inhaled and her bones creaked from how tense she was.
"Problem Ed?" Andrea spoke up again and he realized she was trying to divert the attention.
"Nothing that concerns you" Ed grunted, sending Andrea a dirty look with a flick of his cigarette. His attention was wholly on Carol now "And you, ought to focus on your work, this ain't no comedy club"
"It isn't a bad hygiene match either but if it was you'd be winning" Harry beamed at the man, all pearly whites and shoulder gestures.
"What's that suppose to mean huh, you got something to tell me fag?" he blew another puff of smoke and he heard Carol's panicky whisper of his name.
"Ooo, can you spell it? Do you even know what the word faggot means or was that not covered when they taught you how coitus with animals" and that dear Andrea was how one volte-faced.
Carol stopped her scrubbing and was glancing between the two of then, all nervous energy and looked as if she was second away from bringing the attention back to herself. Ed switched the cigarette, throwing the old one in Carol's direction before he lit another one, taking two more steps towards Harry. A movement to his right and Andrea stood up, a wet piece of clothing in her hand.
"You know what Ed, you don't like how the laundry is done, you can always do it yourself" Harry whistled when Andrea threw the shirt at the man obliging Jacqui when she helped him up. Ed sneered and threw the shirt back to her, harder than he received it by the looks of it.
"That ain't my job missy, and I ain't talking to you" his eyes zoned back to Harry who snorted and tilted his head.
"And what is your job?" Andrea dropped the shirt and folded her arms adopting an expression worthy of an Oscar. "Sitting on his ass smoking cigarettes. Didn't you know that Harry?" she mocked. Harry himself gasped and placed a hand over his heart.
"He has two jobs then? My my, don't we have a stand up man by the river bank"
Ed took another step forward and blew smoke directly into Harry's face and if it caused him to hurl then Harry was going to make sure it was projectile enough to pain that grimy face.
"You two smart mouth bitches can shut up if you know what's good for you - you know what, common, let's go" Carol moved to stand up and Harry placed his hand on her shoulder, easing her back down.
"I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you Ed. In fact she's been working, let her go back to doing her job" Andrea stepped forward a bit but was held back by Amy.
"I still want to hear what he'll do to us if we don't shut up though Amy. I'm curious. Maybe you think you can beat us like you do to your wife" he said it so casually that the shudder which went through Carol's body vibrated his arm.
"I don't think" Ed growled and Harry knew it was a threat but the opportunity was too easy to pass up. "It's obvious that you don't buddy"
"You heard me, I said come on" Carol stood up this time and Harry pulled her behind him just as Ed reached for her arm to grab.
Harry could see the colour rising on the man's cheeks and Carol was holding onto his arm in what could be considered a death grip. "Harry please…" Really this sort of crap seemed to happen only when the moderately sane left the camp it seemed.
"I don't think she needs to go with you Ed, in fact maybe it's best for you to go back to your job" Andrea gave him a pretty smile now shoulder to shoulder with Harry who could feel Carol's hands being pulled away from his shirt and from the peppermint smell it must have been Jacqui who was leading her away.
Ed's eyes narrowed and he gave a rasping laugh, flicking the butt of the cigarette just shy of Harry's face.
"If you think I won't knock you on your ass just cause you're carrying that thing then you ought be ready faggot"
Harry sighed, because really was it so hard to admit that yes he was a man and yes he was carrying a baby? What was with the name calling? He so did not want to pull anyone's pigtails and accidentally drown them in the lake thank-you very much.
"Give the man an award, or better yet a dictionary." snark was his best friend, sue him and his childhood, and by the look on Ed's face he wanted to do much more than sue the the rainbow socks off his feet. Maybe even turn his face into a matching mirror for said socks. Issues much?
"Carol you come here now, or you're gonna regret it later" the threat was so clear he was pretty sure that somewhere in the forest a zombie tripped and killed itself because if he thought they were going to hand over her to him now that nicotine had already murdered enough of his brain cells.
"Just so she can show up with more bruises Ed? We've all seen them, do you think we're stupid enough to let her leave with you now?"
"Ditto on what Jacqui said. You should just save yourself the trouble and hobble back to your job Eddy boy. Clocks ticking and you've only smoked about five so far for the morning. Wouldn't want those pretty teeth to get less yellow and nasty looking now would we? What would you do if you couldn't keep up the manly porker look you've been sporting, smell and all"
Looking back Harry was sure that five months before he could and would have been able to dodge the right fist to the side of his face but then again, his center of gravity was shoddy as it was even before he had a life growing inside of him. The easy part was bracing himself and protecting his stomach, the hard part was probably the pain he'd be in afterwards and explaining to Daryl just why he was going to be sporting a pretty bruise and swelling. Ah… the joys of marriage.
What happened between one minute and the next was lost to him. One second he was on his back with a numbing spike of pain racing up his spine while in the back his mind he heard someone or someone plural scream his name; and the next Amy was helping him up all worried faced, and panicked beyond repair while Shane was giving the phrase 'I'm gonna knock you out' a whole different meaning.
"Well, this is certainly not how I had expected my morning to go. Blow job? Fantastic. Getting punched not so much" he hissed when Amy and Jacqui slowly eased him up both fussing, even though Jacqui was winning that race by several hundred miles, her hands running up and down his back pressing areas and asking a hundred questions per second.
No one would blame him if he leaned more of his weight against Amy and for a second he could've swore Jacqui was about to join Shane in the rather one-sided fight.
"Stop it! Someone stop him! Ed! Ed!" he blinked and maybe yea… he definitely maybe had a concussion or something. Carol was screaming now, fighting against Andrea who held her back from rushing to her husband's side.
"Shane just Stop! That's enough! Stop it Shane!" and now Amy was joining in "Harry say something!" Harry blinked again, because was he not just knocked onto his ass while being five months or so pregnant by that very same gentleman?
"Shane please… Shane please stop… just stop beating him…"
From where Harry was standing, or half leaning and yupp, back down he went since his knees rejected their job. So from where he was sitting he could see just about half of Ed's face and while the doctor part of him itched to help the more logical side, the one that was in pain could only give a mental middle finger at the bloody and broken in skin of Ed Peletier.
"You put your hands on your wife, little girl or anyone else in this camp and I won't stop. I'll hit you until your skull breaks in then I'll sit and wait until you turn before I finish beating in your fucking head. Do you understand me?"
Ed may have answered but the gurgle of a garbled word was all Harry heard from where he was painfully resting his ass. Shane grabbed the front of the bloody shirt and hauled him closer. "I said do you understand me?!"
"Yesh! Yesh!" Ed squealed and Shane stood up, his foot connecting with the man's ribs before he stormed away, looking every bit of the badass he probably was with a good dose of much needed anger management classes. Maybe his mental dialog should wait…
"Andrea let me go please! He needs me! My Ed needs me!" and then Andrea did something he didn't think she would do. A sharp slap later and Carol quieted down, eyes watery and so full of shock Harry felt just a bit bad.
"Get a hold of yourself Carol! Didn't you see what he did to Harry? He could've seriously hurt him and the baby"
"H-he wouldn't have… he only-" Andrea shook her hard enough that her head bobbed along as well.
"Carol… what would you have told Daryl if he came back to find Harry and his baby dead? Would you have gone back with a man who killed someone and their unborn child who was protecting you when he didn't even know you?" that perhaps was a low blow but it didn't make it any less true. If he had fallen wrong, there was a serious chance of internal bleeding and since there weren't any doctors and no hospital around for miles death was a real possibility. Not that he wouldn't give his life for his baby, but at five months and some he or she was still developing.
"He… he… Ed wouldn't… my Ed-" he could literally see the walls crumbling and barely holding themselves up with every glance Carol sent him and Ed who had yet to get up and was weakly calling out to Carol for help.
"Harry took that hit for you Carol." Andrea's voice had gotten progressively softer and a minute or so later Carol collapsed in her arms, strings seemingly loosened but not entirely cut before he got a pair of arms wrapped around him and the scent he now associated with Carol blanketed him.
"I-I'm so sorry Harry… I'm so sorry… I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Harry sighed and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing and holding tight until her pleas for forgiveness turned into racking sobs that shook her entire body. This felt like years and years of pent up sorrow being let out and he couldn't help but place a kiss on her head.
"It's not your fault Carol, none of it is. It'll get better, abuse like that, it may take a long time to get over but you'll get there. You'll have me, Amy, Jacqui and Andrea to help you get there."
"B-b-but h-he h-hit you, your- your baby he…" she wailed again and Harry squeezed her a bit tighter.
"I'm fine and my baby is fine as well. A little sore and I'll be bruised later on but we'll both live and be alright. A couple cups of Jacqui's famous peppermint tea and some sleep and I'll be able to lift a bus off of Lois Lane in no time" she didn't laugh, and he didn't expect her to, and even though the optimist in him cheered that she would be a-okay soon, the more logical part of him knew it'd be a long time before she let another man even remotely close to her in such a private fashion again; if at all.
"Harry darling let's get you up and some place comfortable. We still have to take a look at your back" he smiled up at Jacqui and the woman smiled back, her hand rubbing the side of his face that wasn't hurting like a bitch.
"Okay mom" she pinched his cheek and Carol pulled away from him and slid into Amy's arms as Andrea and Jacqui helped him up again, both taking his weight as they made their way slowly from the lake bed and past a whimpering Ed.
"Carol…" she stopped beside him for a moment before she pushed forward even though it looked as if she wanted to drop down onto her knees and hold him. Harry watched as Ed slowly came to the realization that his wife wouldn't come to help him and just like old rusty gears he looked to Harry.
"You… you a doctor. Help me" the slurring was almost not understandable but it wasn't so much a plea for help as it was a demand. Harry looked down at the man whose name was Ed Peletier and he smiled, tilting his head so that Ed could see his face clearly.
"Not my job Missy"
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DH
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A day later and Harry was really trying to not regret standing up for Carol, he really was but when your back and a bit of your side was a beautiful array of bruises and utter hurt it was a bit difficult to not wish he had landed on a rock made of freaking clouds. On the other hand Carol was staying away from Ed, both her and Sophia had moved their belongings away and were bunking with Dale, and the woman was to say the least looking less like a pretty mannequin with fear ingrained in her eyes and more like a human being. He had yet to see Ed since yesterday and the subsequent remake of LL Cool J's song.
Speaking of the nice devil she and Jacqui apparently hit it off rather well and both women were now laughing at something or the other while Carl and Sophia were playing what he thought was a hybrid of hide and seek, tag and red light, green light. To say that it looked rather interesting was an understatement because it seemed as if one of Morales' children were 'hiding' by just standing still while the others ran around screaming before someone touched them and… ugh just watching them was making him ache.
Andrea and Amy were trying their luck at fishing and had been at it for a few hours now while Shane and Lori had snuck off again at some point after she placed a kiss on her son's head and a 'stay where Dale can see you'. Not that Harry had ever been a parent before but even he could see that was kinda shoddy since there were dead people practically drooling to eat your spleen.
So far his experience in the camp could be compared to a boot camp. He was screamed at, hit, threatened, wanted to do physical harm upon another person and fuck it if he didn't want to go home. But the saddest part of it all was that the camp was his home now, since he was pretty sure his and Daryl's home was a lost cause among the general chaos that ensued not too long after the first couple dozen people began to gnaw on their neighbors and said neighbors pets. The bright side of the whole twisted story was that he found his Daryl again, made a couple new friends since his old associates were probably dead, and sure maybe he was being a little morbid but at least he wasn't going totally off the chain like the tall guy who was digging his way to victory, or maybe the center of the earth for the last three hours or so.
"Uh, Dale?" the older man looked down from his post on top of the RV, bushy eyebrows raised in question. Harry simply pointed in the opposite direction where James… Jerry? Jim? Sigh. Where the tall guy was digging.
"You may want to check on your guy over there. He seems to be uhh looking for buried treasure or something over there. Or maybe a mass grave of epic proportions or something." Dale gave him a funny look and turned around squinting before he gaped a bit.
"Well holy hell." he looked back down at Harry, a frown on his snowy beard "How long has he been at it?" Harry translated that to 'how long has he lost it' and if Harry was feeling particularly peckish for blunt horrible honesty he'd have to say 'a long, long time now' since it doesn't exactly take a shrink to see the ghost behind the tall man's eyes. Any more visible and they'd be corporal.
"Well maybe about three hours or so, can't really be sure since time literally stopped. But you should probably y'know at least make him a take a break or something. Dehydration and Heat stroke aren't things we should exactly be embracing at this point in human history"
Dale looked a bit trouble but he nodded soon enough and made his way down into the RV until he was standing beside Harry who was using the full extent of the cool shade that the metal bucket cast over the area. "Maybe you're right, I should uh talk to him, should see what's bothering Jim. See what's the matter yea?"
Of the interactions he'd seen with Dale and the others, especially Andrea, he could tell the man was full of honest wisdom. The goodreads of the apocalypse with his honest opinions, calm personality and quotes to last a lifetime. If his beard was a couple feet longer he'd be a Gandalf in hawaiian print.
As Carl said; Dale was old, he knew things.
A few minutes after watching the man make his way over to Jim with a bottle of water, he came back looking even more troubled and ugh, he was so not doing this today. This superman was on vacation. Batman was just simple and plain Bruce Wayne.
"What's wrong?" Dale just shook his head and wandered off.
Rude.
Twenty minutes later and the group that had descended upon the area where Jim had been digging his life away finally come down with an exhausted digger and several bemused faces.
"Heatstroke?"
Surprisingly it was Shane who answered and Harry was momentarily stunned and if Daryl was there his husband would be snorting in amusement because what?
"Yea, Jim here got just a bit too into it I guess"
Harry could only nod a bit dumbly and was this the twilight zone? Did he fall down a rabbit hole? Did Ed really rattle his brain so much that he was imaging Shane Walsh being other than hostile with a touch of homicidal towards him?
"Uh… just cool him down. Water, wet his clothes to help speed up the process, hell fan him with a book or something and he should be alright" Shen nodded and Harry along with Jacqui and the most of the group stared at Shane as he led Jim away.
"Am I the only one who witnessed this or…" Harry trailed off as the remaining group members faced him again, Lori having followed Shane along with Carol and Sophia and Carl returned back to their complicated game with the other children.
"Nope, I saw it too"
"What's happening…"
"Maybe he was abducted and that's an alien who dumping water on Jim's head"
Andrea, Amy and Harry turned as one to stare at Jacqui who shrugged, looking unconcerned. "It's Harry's fault, he's rubbing off on me"
Harry grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her "Don't tell my husband, he'll get jealous that I rubbed off on someone else"
Amy blushed and Andrea giggled as Jacqui gave him an indulgent smile and crossed her heart "And we can't have that can we. A jealous Daryl Dixon must be a sight to see"
Harry's grin turned into a full on leer "A naked Daryl Dixon is a much better one, the first time I saw him naked-" he pouted when Jacqui placed her hand over his mouth.
"Shh Harry. Shush"
Two hours later his belly was full and everyone around their campfire was sated and Harry smiled as Carol gave a rather loud laugh after she was caught off guard by a joke told by Dale. This was nice, and despite the events of yesterday and the previous days, he supposed that since this was his home he could best get used to it and all of the crazy in-laws. If everyday was like this one minus Jim falling deeper into Willy Wonka land, then he supposed it wouldn't be totally awful.
"Hey Harry, can I talk to you over by the RV real quick?" Amy was already standing and looking at him with expectant eyes. Casting a quick look at Andrea who was clutching what he thought was a necklace for Amy's birthday gift, he pushed himself up and followed the younger woman over to Dale's metal bucket.
"I was hoping you'd give me some advice on how to-" whatever it was that Amy thought he'd be a guru at was deliquesced into screams as a walker without warning or a how-dee-fucking-doo took a bite out of Amy's arm. And even as he was plunging the knife that Daryl swore him into wearing on his person into the already decaying skull of the former man only to have to quickly pull Amy out of the way of another who was aiming at her neck all he could think of was -
"Fuck…"
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DH
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A/n: I'm so sorry about the weird thing that happened with the updating before guys! Not much drama in this chapter and I just want to apologise for the long wait, ugh. Anyway my people~! Thank-you so much for all of those reviews! And the followers! And the favs! And omfg you people are fucking amazing. Reviews are the lifeblood of all fanfiction, it gives me liiiife. Sorry if this chapter was 'off' in anyway but for a while there Harry didn't give two shits about anything haha.
I'm honestly a bit torn about what to do with Shane because deep down I actually like him before he went all crazy and shaved his head, nookie apparently can do that to a man. On one hand, I want to kill him off, on the next I wanna smack some sense into him and keep him alive but that may just be the hunger talking so we'll see.
Someone did ask who I was going to be placing Rick with and if it was going to be RG/HP/DD, and my answer is common baby, who rocks Rick's world and has yet to appear in this story? So no, it won't be a threesome sorry my dear.
Special thanks to: PokemonNarutoLover, LizzyBear54, HPSlashAddict, Sevvus, Beautiful Obsession 17, kurosakiami01 & all of the many other who reviewed my second baby!