More Walkers were starting to line up on the fence had started lining up on the fence where the Alpha was holding the basket. Rick kept staring at her, growling, and Carol, T-Dog, Oscar and Axel were running down to him.
The Alpha on the other side of the fence winces and grabs her leg. The smell of fresh blood draws the Walkers to her and she draws her sword, killing all of them that come near her. The other Pack members already had gate ready to open to help her.
When the female goes down after a hard swing and doesn't get back up T-Dog throws open the gate so Rick can jump out, shifted. Oscar and Axel lay cover fire while Carol and T-Dog put the Alpha on Rick's back. Carol hops on to keep her steady, holding Rick by his scruff, while T grabs the basket and the woman's sword. Axel closes the gate behind them and locks it, the others already sprinting to the cell block.
Daryl was inside with Carl, Sophia and the baby while Beth and Hershel set up the fenced in and cleaned out weapon storage in the rec room as a med bay. They had moved a table inside and laid down a blanket with another one rolled up for her head.
Carol and T-Dog move her to the makeshift bed while Rick shifts back, checking on Daryl and the pups before grabbing a water bottle and cleaning the Walker guts off the Alpha. Hershel was looking at the wound on her leg when she comes too, stitching it up.
"Hey." Carol whispers, moving hair from the Alpha's face, keeping her voice gentle. "Hey it's ok. What's your name? Who are you?"
The Alpha reaches for the sword and Rick kicks it away, moving the woman's arms back as gentle but firm as he could. Hershel moves away, finished with the stitches. "We're not going to hurt you, unless you try something stupid first, ok?"
"Rick." Daryl calls. He comes out of the cell with the baby in his arm, Carl and Sophia behind him. The Alpha freezes, her eyes locked on the Theta. "Who the hell is this?"
Rick turns to the Alpha. "You want to tell us your name?"
"You have a cub?" She whispers.
Carol looks at her confused. "You brought a basket of baby formula to us without knowing why?"
"My Pack." The woman jerks up. "They were with me. Where are they?"
"The only one that was at the fence was you." Rick tells her.
"They were in a car, further up the road. I need them here, I ain't tellin' you shit without them."
"Howl." Daryl tells her, to the surprise of the others. Then he picks up the doll from the basket and hands it to the giggling cub in his arms. The female Alpha seems surprised at the resemblance between the Omega and the doll. "Our Packmates made this doll and had it with them this morning when they went on a run. Now you have it, and they're an hour late getting back. Howl for your Pack, now. I want answers."
The female waits a moment but when Daryl growls at her she throws her head back and Howls, calling for her Pack loud enough to be heard outside the prison walls. A car can be heard pulling up and the gate opening and closing. Then car doors, and then the car driving up to the inner yard. Oscar and Axel come in leading two females, another Alpha and an Omega. All three tenses up until T-Dog takes them and leads them into the room with their Packmate and everyone gives them room to scent each other. They watch Rick's Pack, wary, but thankful that they weren't separated.
"Well good, now that all of you are here." Daryl hands the cub to Rick who tickles the giggling baby's feet, much to the amusement of their Pack mates and the longing of the others. The look fades from their eyes when Daryl gets in their faces, red eyed. "I want answers. Where is my Pack?!"
"Hey." Rick hands the baby to Carl and pulls his Mate back. "Hey, we'll find them. With or without their help. We'll find Glenn and Maggie."
"Glenn and Maggie?" Sasha asks. "An Alpha pair; one Asian male and a female with a heavy accent?"
"You know them?!" Carol sits up. Rick places himself between Daryl and the new group, causing the Omega to pace. T-Dog takes the Omega and guides him away and Carl hands the fussy baby to its mother. Daryl takes the baby and moves away, setting the cub down on a blanket and shifting. He nudges the baby to one of his nipples and she shifts as well, whining while she eats. When the Theta sees the new group gawking at the little pup who by all standards was too young to shift, he growls and flashes his eyes at them. They look back at Rick.
The Alpha turns back to the three females, "You know our Pack mates?"
"Another one of our Pack knew them." The dark Alpha steals a glance at Daryl, "My Mate described them to us and our Luna named Glenn."
"Your Mate?" T-Dog asks.
"Andrea." Silence. Even Daryl had stopped growling, ears perked up.
"You know Andrea?!" Sophia gets closer, Carl a step behind her, "She's alive? Is she ok?"
"Last I saw her." The Alpha shakes her head. "She was taken. We were running from the group that's holding her and that's when we saw your Pack mates get nabbed. The same guys, all Alphas from a settlement just north of here called Woodbury. It's run by a guy named the Governor; they kill other groups and take their supplies. We were heading back to our home to warn our Prime when we saw Glenn and Maggie get ambushed."
"Our Luna went undercover to keep them away from their home." The Omega adds, "Me, Tara and our Pack met Andrea and Michonne on the road and they took us in. Andrea was sick, and we ran into the Luna trying to find her medicine; he took us to Woodbury for help and we had to escape over the walls. Some us our Pack is still trapped there."
"Sasha-"
"No Michonne." The Omega looks to the first female Alpha, "They can help us get our Pack out of there; your Mate, my brother, and the others. Besides if we help get their Pack out then maybe we can merge, no offence to the Prime but these guys have a better set up here. Space for cubs to grow."
"You have cubs too?" Rick asks.
Michonne nods reluctantly. "Our Prime has a son about you boy's age. And our Luna just adopted a cub, going on two months old now."
"You smell like him." Everyone stops and looks at Tara who was staring at Daryl. The Omega had shifted back and was changing the cub's diaper. He looks up confused.
"Who smells like who?" Rick asks. The bond he had felt outside the fence when calling for Daryl three days ago, pluses. No…. please please…. Let it be him, please…. For Daryl….
"Your Mate." She nods at Daryl, "He smells like our Luna, Merle."
Silence. Everyone was holding their breath. Rick sighs shakily. It was him.
Daryl whines. He lets Carol take his baby from him and Rick helps balance him while he stands up. He was near hysterical when he turns on them, "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?!"
Rick gets in front of them and tries to calm his Mate but when nothing works he demands that they describe him. Tara scrambles to gather her thoughts, her eyes on the distressed Omega. "Blonde, thinning hair and blue eyes; square chin; broad shoulders; uh…. prosthetic on his right hand, he cut it off after he was handcuffed to a roof in-"
"Atlanta." Rick cuts her off. He turns to his Mate and purrs, trying to calm him. They collapsed to the ground and Daryl holds onto him while he cries. "Shh, shh. It's him, sweetheart. He's alive."
"When?" Daryl sees the look on their faces and sobs, "WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE MY BROTHER?!"
"Hey hey hey, it's ok!" Tara pulls off her watch and hands it to Rick, lowering herself to be on Daryl's level, chin jutted to the side to make her appear less threatening. The other two watch in shock, Michonne even smiled. They had found Daryl Dixon, their Luna's lost baby brother. "The time on the watch says 4:15 pm, right? We saw him last at 2:03 this afternoon. A little over two hours ago. Just two hours ago he was alive, with Glenn and Maggie, heading back to Woodbury."
"Two hours?" Daryl was holding the watch like it was a lifeline, with it was in a way; it was the only lead he had on his brother.
"Two hours." Michonne agrees.
Rick helps both Tara and Daryl up, seating the Omega at one of the tables with the watch. Tara sits next to him, explain everything Merle had told them to the group. Afterwards she pulls out a piece of red paper from her pocket and hands it to the Omega. Merle had been ambidextrous, though his right hand was stronger, but Daryl immediately recognized his hand writing.
"He told us to come here." Sasha tells them, "Said his brother was here and that the Prime, Rick, was a good guy and might be willing to give us shelter?"
Everyone looks at Rick, who seemed insulted they'd asked. "Of course, you can stay here! You're Pack; I've scented both Andrea and Merle before. But I can't set you guys up in the cell block until Merle or your Prime is here. I won't split a Pack, I can't do that to them."
"Our Prime is in King County." Michonne says, "Let us go, and we'll bring them here."
"You act like you're a prisoner." Daryl huffs through his tears. "We'll get the gate on your way out."
"What about our weapons?" Sasha looks at Oscar who was holding the sword and guns they brought in with them. Daryl takes them and hands them back.
"The doors are locked for a reason. Not all the hallways are cleared of Walkers, so to go anywhere in here without a weapon is a death wish." He hands them their weapons plus three knives, to their surprise, "Firing a gun is dangerous though because of the noise. Try to keep the kills as silent as you can and never bring Walkers back to the cell block. Try to lose them in the tunnels or hide there until they move on. Plenty of open doors."
Rick whines and hugs Daryl to his chest, scenting his hair. The three women seem to have a silent conversation with their eyes, then Sasha nods.
"Sasha will stay here." Michonne tells them. "Think of it like insurance; she stays, and you can guarantee we'll come back. If she thinks it safe enough then we'll bring the rest of our Pack here. If not we come get her, return to Woodbury for our Pack, and we'll bring Glenn and Maggie back here, then leave for King County. We'll leave a map, so you and your brother can stay in contact. Deal?"
Rick looks at Daryl. The Theta bites his lip but nods; it was the best they could offer. Oscar and T-Dog help Michonne and Tara bring all their stuff in from the car. Sasha organizes it in the weapons storage area while the two Alphas prepare to leave. They get to the gate and Daryl knocks on the window, Rick right behind him.
"You said Merle had a cub?"
"Yeah." Michonne looks at them. "We found Lori as she was going into labor. She had twins and one got stuck in the birth canal. It didn't make it and neither did Lori. We saved one of the babies; a boy. Merle named him Reedus."
Daryl nods and scents Rick when he smells the guilt and acceptance coming from his Mate. Rick leans in after Daryl heads over to unlock the gate. "And his Mate? The one with a son?"
"Morgan." Michonne raises an eyebrow at the Alpha's shocked expression. "His son is an Omega named Duane. You know him?"
"He's the one that saved me at the beginning." Rick tells them, "I was in a coma when all of this went down, I didn't know about the Walkers when I woke up; they saved me that first day. Tell him Rick Grimes says, 'you're all welcomed at the prison at any time' and that he sends his regards."
They nod and drive away, disappearing behind the trees surrounding the prison.
…
Sasha was checking the fence perimeter while Sophia tells her everything they had been through during the winter. The Omega can see the others walking around, cleaning and clearing the yard of Walker bodies. They were throwing them into a fire that they had dug out a spot for and laid up with stones to keep it contained out in the yard. She knew that Daryl was watching her from where he was sitting with Hershel and his baby, but she didn't feel eyes on her like every single person there was watching her every move.
They had given her complete access to the cell block, even let her move everything out of their storage cell to go through… had even offered to help her! The only place she wasn't allowed in, was Daryl's nest but even then, she could stand outside the door if she wanted to.
T-Dog said if she wanted to see the tunnels to let Rick know and they would find someone to escort her. The tunnels weren't safe, and she couldn't go alone, but they'd be willing to show her if she wanted. She told them she'd wait for her Pack, so they could all go together.
Unlike Woodbury, the Omegas that were there were seen, constantly. So were the Betas and Alphas and pups. All of them were working and doing things together. Betas, Omegas and Alphas were on the fences killing Walkers that were attracted by the fire. The pups were helping move bodies. Sophia was killing Walkers through the fence while they walked and even showed her how to do it, giving her a pipe to use. Hershel was on crutches with only one leg and he was helping by cutting and breaking wood to feed the fire. But all of them were playing and goofing off too. All except Daryl.
Sophia had told her about the prisoners that they killed and about the herd that was let loose. She knew about Daryl getting lost and going into labor by himself, and then not being able to leave for three days because of dehydration and the cub. She knew that the whole Pack had thought he died after it happened and had been mourning when Glenn and Maggie had gone on the run. The two Alphas still didn't know he was found.
He was on 'bed rest' by the whole Pack, and anytime he tried to help, they growled and pointed at his seat next to the Elder. Finally, he gave up, just watching his cub and keeping Hershel company. He cleaned his crossbow and skinned animals that Rick had gone out and come back with just for him to have something to do. The Theta had given him a kiss of appreciation and then shooed the Alpha away to do more work, which had everyone laughing, even Daryl. They acted like a family, like a Pack, and Sasha knew that she would be telling her own Pack that they would stay at the prison.
When the car comes up the road everyone heads down to meet them, Sasha in front. Daryl and Hershel watch from their seats. Michonne is the first one out of the car and she looks to Sasha. When the Omega smiles, and nods Tara gets out of the car as well. Duane jumps out of the back seat and runs up to Rick when the Prime comes forward to welcome the Alphas back. He throws his arms around the man's waist with a purr and Morgan laughs, getting out of the back with a fussy baby.
Daryl appears by Rick's side with their daughter and Hershel, staring at all the new people. Duane looks at him and tears up, going over to him and hugging him. Everyone watches the Theta look at him in surprise. He hugs the boy back and hands the baby to Carol. Duane whines, "You smell like my papa. You must be uncle Awi."
Daryl clears his throat, "And you must be Duane. That your dad?"
"Morgan Jones." The Alpha holds out a hand for the Omega to shake, then gives Rick a hug. "It's good to see you again Rick."
Daryl brings over their baby to meet Reedus, and the cousins take each other in with easy consideration before giggling at each other. Duane and Carl hit it off too and are talking about comic books with Sophia and Beth and trying to explain the difference between Marvel and DC. Everyone heads back inside while Tara parks the car with the others.
"Have you named her yet?" Morgan asks, looking at the babies that were laying next to each other on a blanket in the cell block.
Daryl shakes his head. "How did Merle name him? It seems like a big thing; they're going to be carrying it around for the rest of their lives. How do you just pick one?"
"Names are a gift Daryl." Morgan smiles, "Our parents give them to us just as we give them to our children, hoping that they'll like them. We pick them at a time when they can't do so for themselves. And like gifts…they don't always fit; they can be denied or exchanged. If the name means something, to you and your family, I doubt she'll reject it."
"Thanks." Daryl hums, smiling softly. An ease falls over him. They watch as the little girl rolls onto her belly and shifts, earning a surprised hum from Morgan. She crawls her way over to Reedus, using her little twitching nose to find him. She lays her head on his stomach with a wagging tail and both babies fall asleep. Duane, Carl and Sophia come over with comic books to watch the cubs while Morgan and Daryl go to the others to discuss how they were getting into Woodbury.
Morgan laughs, looking back at the pups, "She'll be a fine hunter when she gets older. Just like her papa and uncle."
"Yeah." Daryl smiles, "A fine hunter indeed."
….
"I got the flash bangs and the tear gas." Daryl says opening the trunk to one of the cars.
"Nope." Rick takes the bag from him, "You're going to go eat while we pack."
"What?" Daryl narrows his eyes at his Mate.
"You gave birth three days ago and was locked in a closet until this morning. The only thing you have eaten are a few soggy crackers. Eat. You're still going Darlin'; it's your brother and our Pack. I'd lose a limb trying to stop you, I know that, but I'm not losing you because you're stubborn. I'm not doing that to our children." Rick purrs at his Mate. "Eat; we'll let you know when it's time to go."
Daryl grumbles but does so. Oscar gives him a pat on the back as he goes over to Rick with more supplies. Carl and Duane come out to stand by him with the baby and Reedus. The Theta looks at them and sees the sad looks on their faces. "Hey, don't worry about your dad. I'll look out for him. You think of a name yet?"
"I still get to name her?!" Carl was excited again.
"That's what we agreed on right?" Daryl opens a can of pineapple chunks and eats them with his fingers. Duane giggles. "What?"
"Papa does the same thing." Merle. Duane looks down at the baby when it starts fussing. Daryl hands the can to the Omega and takes the little boy, cooing at it to get to quiet down. The boys take turns eating pieces of pineapple while Daryl soothes his nephew. He trades the baby for the can of pineapples when Reedus falls asleep. The two pups had eaten a third of the can.
"I had a teacher, Mrs. Mueller. She helped me learn how to enjoy reading when I was little by giving me her son's old comic books." Carl tells Daryl. "I was having trouble in school, not at the same reading level as the other kids. Dad and Lori were always fighting back then, and dad spent a lot of time at work. When he found out about me struggling in school and the comics, he started coming home and reading them with me."
"You want to name her after the teacher that saved your and your dad's relationship with comic books." Daryl smiles, "What was her name?"
"Judith." Carl shakes his head, "I don't think it's really meaningful though."
"How about as her middle name?" Duane suggests. Carl smiles and Daryl nods his approval.
"Well I've got an idea for her first name then." Rick comes up to them with a smile. "I heard the comment Morgan made about her being a hunter."
"Yeah!" Carl exclaims, "Hunter Judith…. Uh…"
"Grimes." Daryl grunts with a glance at Rick. "Hunter Judith Grimes."
Rick purrs and pulls him into a kiss. "Did you eat?"
"Yes Dad." Daryl holds out the now empty can. Rick looks at Carl and Duane.
"He ate most of it." Carl giggles.
"Traitor." Daryl mumbles. Everyone else chuckles.
Carol comes outside with Beth and Hershel. The Lambda waits for Rick to pull away before hugging Daryl. "Stay safe, ok Pookie?"
"Damn woman ain't ever gonna let me live it down." They laugh, "Nine lives remember?"
"Your down to seven. Be safe." Carol smacks his butt as she walks over to where Michonne and Tara were getting the second car together.
"Damnit woman!" Carol laughs.
"Bring them back." Hershel tells Rick. The Prime nods and scents both Packmates, doing the same to the five pups when Sophia joins Carl and Duane.
Morgan would stay here with the rest of the Omegas, pups, Tara, Axel, T-Dog and Hershel.
Rick was taking Michonne, Oscar, and Daryl with him.
They were bringing their Pack home; tonight.
