Summary: Daryl and the others have successfully saved Beth from the hospital but not without heavy losses, now travelling to the supposed safe Alexandria Safe Zone to find Maggie and Glenn, the group meet Riley Brooks a young woman with a mysterious past and the ability to see the dead both as walkers and spirits as they fight to survive and the terrifying mysteries surrounding Briarcliff Asylum as they battle living and dead. Daryl/OC, Beth/OC, Rick/Michonne, Tyresse/OC, Beth/OC friendship. Co – Written with WalkingPotterGirl14. Rated M for violence, graphic language, graphic and eventual sexual scenes. Carol, Glenn and Maggie bashing.

Special Thanks To: Hermione and Marcus, Kima Wolfwood, Monarchslayer, Caity6991 and missy7293.

Ghost Orchid

Chapter 11

Daryl looked torn but nodded as he took the two women away. Riley narrowly avoided getting her head cut off by Maya as the older woman glared at her with delirious eyes as Riley looked at her intently. The woman was practically skin and bones. There wasn't any fat on her and she looked like a walking skeleton.

Maya ran at her again but Riley grabbed a metal tray and held it up so it could shield her face. It dented but didn't break as she saw a shotgun nearby and grabbed it just as the woman yanked at her hair roughly causing her to hiss in pain as the door kicked open and she was pushed into a wooden desk. Seeing stars, she moved away in time as Maya hacked at the desk. She was suddenly grabbed as she started choking and yanked at Maya's hand as a voice growled menacingly.

"Let go of my fuckin' woman or I'll fuckin' shoot ya in the head!" Daryl snarled as he entered the room.

Maya screamed enraged and raised the axe as Daryl lets an arrow fly loose. It hit Maya in the back of the shoulder, causing her to collapse as she dropped a matchstick on the soaked linen, setting fire to it and also catching her nightgown on fire as the woman let out a cry of pain and shoved Riley far away as she was set on fire by her own hand as the two watched in horror.

The room was soon caught alight as they hurried out of the room to find the others.

Murphy, Beth and Remy were searching for Maggie when they heard coughing and found Maggie trapped in a room that had smoke. The asylum was on fire.

"Beth, Remy, Murphy, the patients set fire to the hospital!" Rick yelled as he, Daryl and Riley reached them.

"Maggie!" Beth cried, banging on the glass windows. Murphy pulled off his jacket and placed a scarf to his mouth and nose as he threw a chair at the window, shattering the glass.

"I'll get her!" He exclaims. "You get out of here!" Without a second thought, they run out of there at the speed of light as Murphy climbs through the broken glass, keeping the scarf to his mouth. He walks over to a nearly passed out Maggie and helps her up.

She tries to fight the person, not knowing who it was, before she opens her eyes painfully and sees it was Murphy.

Wait, what?

"Murphy?" She groans out, seemingly reaching out to see if he was real. He brushes her touch off so that he could lift her up into his arms with a slight groan, getting out of the room as quick as possible. "You're alive?" She whispers shakily.

"Yeah, still alive," he says, holding her closer as they got nearer to the exit. The fire alarms sounded loudly as they ran, and just as they reached the ground outside, the door behind them erupts into flames. They had just made it.

They make it a few yards away before he stops walking and places her gently in the back of the truck that Rick had brought. Everyone files over to her, giving her water, helping her breathe. Beth, Rosita and Riley stood the closest, Maggie not ever realizing who was there.

"What the hell happened?" She groans out, finally opening her eyes. She sees Riley smile, and the young woman places a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. You're safe now. The asylum's gone." Maggie's brow furrows as she looks around at the people. Her eyes widen. There was Rick, Rosita, Daryl…and Beth. Beth was right next to her, helping her sit up. She throws her arms around her sister and nearly begins to cry.

"Oh my God, you're alive!" She exclaims shakily. Beth hugs her back tightly, offering a smile at her. She was happy that she was alive, but the fact that she had bluntly cut out her sister from surviving irked her. But, she put it behind her for now. Later she would address it.

"I'm alive. I'm okay." Riley smiles and stands up, hopping out the back truck and standing next to Daryl, who looks at the reunion with an expression of gladness. She smiles at him.

"She talk about her sister much?" Daryl shrugs.

"Course she did. They were sisters. Maggie just didn't have faith in her like others did." Riley feels her smile fall slightly at this, but still manages to keep a small one on her face. She grabs his hand lightly, causing him to look down.

"So….I'm your woman?"

"Yeah, yer my woman, sweetheart," Daryl said softly taking her hand tightly as they headed back to the motel in relief.

Riley smiled then widely and leaned into him as they saw it rain outside as they drove back to the motel as the asylum burned behind them, creating smoke.

"Then you're my man, Daryl," she said softly and he smiled as he continued on driving, holding her hand tightly.

The drive back to the motel was thankfully without any problems. They soon reached the motel as they helped out the people who couldn't walk.

Maggie was helped out by Murphy who had been quiet on the drive here. Maggie looked at him softly.

Zoey and the others came out of the motel to help them out and help them inside as Carol hugged Maggie who hugged her back tightly.

"So where are we going now?" Carol asked Rick tiredly.

"North," he said calmly.

Carol looked annoyed. They still planned on freezing nearly to death so they could go north?

"Why are we still going up there?" She asks, her voice raising slightly. "There's nothing up there for us to look for! It's just walkers beyond belief!"

"We already went over this, Carol," Zoe says calmly, looking at her with pained eyes. Carol glares at her.

"I think we need to go over it again. We just got back Maggie, and she's hurt, and by what I see, she's pregnant too." Everyone's eyes widen at this, turning to Maggie, who was sitting next to Beth. Even she was surprised at her sister.

"You're pregnant?" She whispers. Maggie nods, looking up to see her sister's reaction, but found a smile on her face instead. That was not what she was expecting. "That's great, sis," she says happily, holding her hand tightly.

"No, it's not!" Carol intervenes. "We already have a bunch of kids to look after. How are we going to take care of a pregnant woman? We already have a couple here anyway. We need to stay down south, where it's warm! We're just going to be out in the cold for eight months, just like last time before we found the prison!"

"Carol, we have cars this time," Rick replies. "Last time, we didn't."

"Well, last time we didn't have all these useless people," she snarls out. Riley slams her hand against a nearby table, causing everyone to jump in the room and look over at her.

"Shut up!" She snaps. "We're not fucking useless! We've all be through hell ten times over, before any of you, even you went through it! We know ways to make people's deaths look like accidents! We're strong, and we're brave, and we are not useless at all! I don't know what the fuck your God damn problem is, but drop it, because we're all in this together, and we're stuck with each other, so suck it up and SHUT IT!"

Everyone was shocked by her outburst, but the people from the asylum smirked and smiled at her. Carol kept her glare on her, but instead stormed off to the other side of the room in a haste. No one defended her.

Riley looks to Daryl, silently asking if it was okay for her to freak out like that, and he nods shortly. He did love Carol, like a friend, but lately he thought that was exactly what she needed.

Carol sighed and went to cook lunch as Kristy and Tyreese helped out while Daryl helped Riley sat down and changed the bandages on her leg as Lily cooed at them. Once the bandages on her leg were changed, they held their daughter tightly to them.

"Hey there Lily, sweetheart," Daryl said softly as he cuddled her and Lily smiled at them both widely.

Riley smiled kissing her daughter's forehead lovingly as she rocked her gently and fell asleep against Daryl.

Daryl rubbed her back gently, knowing she was exhausted.

He kissed her tenderly as a jealous Carol watched enraged.

Lunch that afternoon was quiet as everyone recovered from the rescue mission. Riley sat next to Beth as Maggie watched them curiously and saw Remy sit next to her sister and hold a baby boy who cooed softly.

She wondered what on earth she had missed in the past couple of months that she hadn't seen her sister. Apparently she had a son and a boyfriend…that treated her well. That brought back memories of Glenn, and how he was killed. She shook the thoughts away as she heard a voice calling her.

"Maggie! Come sit with us!" Beth exclaims to her. Maggie smiles and walks over, her hand over her small baby bump, and sits next to Beth. She hands her a bowl of food and a spoon, smiling at her. Maggie turns to Riley and raises an eyebrow.

"So…I heard you and Beth are close."

"That's right. Beth saved my life along with Daryl. She's like the sister I always wanted but never had," Riley said softly as she fed Lily a bottle of formula and she cooed softly before falling asleep in her arms, soft snuffles coming from the toddler who had clearly been excited by the day's events.

"What were you in the asylum for?" Maggie asked curiously. She had heard some stories about Riley and her friends who had escaped the asylum from Laura, who said Riley and her friends were dangerous.

Riley decided to be honest with her. She didn't want to lie anymore as she looked at her.

"I can talk to ghosts. Yes it's insane, but I can see them and talk to them, and I'm not the only one," Riley said calmly as Maggie stared dumbfounded and looked at Beth who nodded.

"You can see...dead people?" She asked shocked.

Riley nodded as did Remy, Tate, Violet, Michael, Jeffrey, Kristy, Zoe, Kyle and Emma.

Maggie wasn't sure if she had gone into a dream as she looked at Beth and swallowed.

"Can I talk to you? In private?" She asked giving the others a look of distrust as she tugged on Beth's hand.

She looked unhappy but nodded and followed after her as they walked across the room.

Remy knew this wouldn't end well. Maggie probably felt he was too old for Beth and dangerous.

"So how exactly did you all meet that group?" Maggie asked Beth who frowned at her tone.

"Four months ago when we were wandering. We found the hospital and that's how we met them. They aren't dangerous Maggie, really," Beth assured her older sister.

Maggie didn't look convinced as she looked at Carol.

"Do you trust them, Carol?" Maggie asked quietly and Carol looked up then as she shook her head in answer.

"No, I don't trust them Maggie. They're dangerous and that Remy has a violent temper. He's not good for Beth and Riley isn't good for Daryl," Carol said firmly.

Maggie looked at Beth with a firm look.

Beth wasn't having it.

"No, he doesn't!" She snaps.

"Beth-"

"No!" She says to her sister. "I'm allowed to pick however I want to be with! I love Remy, and I don't care who the hell knows. I don't care if he's older. I love him and I want to be with him. We're raising a damn kid together. He's the nicest, sweetest person alive, and so is Riley," she says, glaring at Carol.

"She says she can see ghosts. That's not-"

"Yeah, well so can I!" Beth yells at her. Maggie looks at her shocked.

"…what?"

"I've seen daddy, Maggie. He's talked to me. He's told me how Remy is good, how great these people are. And you have no right to judge who I'm with at all, because you gave up on me! I saw the signs, Maggie! I saw that you only cared about Glenn, that you thought I didn't make it. Well guess what? I'm alive, and standing, and fucking living!"

"Beth!"

"I don't care anymore! Just…leave me alone! I can't believe I went back to save you and all I'm getting is judgement. What bullshit is that?" She turns around and begins to walk back in before Maggie calls out.

"This isn't going to work out, Beth!"

"Yeah, well, at least I have the reassurance that I had a normal relationship that didn't start out by having sex on a God damn store floor!" She turns around once more, this time finally leaving them behind. Beth sits angrily next to Riley, who looks at her concerned.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Beth mutters, taking a sip of her water. Adam crawls to her across the bench and she smiles, taking him into her arms. "Don't worry. You'll always be mine," she says quietly. Adam giggles while Remy moves closer, placing an arm around her waist.

"What happened to her?" Maggie asks stunned. Carol shrugs.

"These people happened. They're insane, but they all seem to trust them. I think it's retarded. They've brainwashed her into thinking she can see the dead people too." Carol places a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm on your side here." Maggie smiles and nods. If her sister wouldn't be, this would work out fine.

Riley later sat in her room, playing with Lily on the bed as the door opened. She looks up and smiles at Daryl, who had gone out for a hunt for the first time in weeks. Lily giggles as he walks in, crawling over to the edge of the bed to greet him.

"Hey there sweetheart. Daddy missed ya and mama," Daryl said picking her up and kissing her cheek lovingly as Lily giggled and Riley smiled from where she sat doing some mending on their clothes. They were going on runs in the week to prepare for going north as it would be cold up there and they needed to get warm clothing, shoes, blankets and quilts.

They had cars as well. Remy had found an RV on a run that could be used for the pregnant women who were happy to help out but no one missed the tension between Beth and Maggie. Maggie was angry at Beth for not listening to her but Beth was holding her ground.

"Hey Daryl," Riley said smiling up at Daryl as she started folding up the clothes she had mended. She could smell something delicious cooking and it made her stomach growl hungrily.

"Hey there darlin'," Daryl said kissing her tenderly as he sat down next to her as they fussed over Lily who was happily crawling on the carpet flooring. She would hold onto Pirate who would guide her and help her up on her knees.

"What did you catch for dinner?" Riley asked curious as she leaned into him and breathed in his woodsy scent.

"A few rabbits. I couldn't find any deer though," he said sighing. That was why he liked the idea of going north. Fewer people and it meant more game and supplies.

"We'll be ok, baby," she said comfortingly, brushing the hair out of his eyes and he smiled down at her, his mouth turning up into a genuine smile as she watched lovingly.

"I worry about ya and Lily," he said, looking at her tiny frame. She was only small and Lily was still a baby who needed a lot of feeding given the fact that she had been abandoned for almost a week.

"We'll be ok as long as we have you," Riley said softly and began singing a song to him so he wouldn't be sad.

Daryl listened smiling, his soul feeling less heavier as the woman who had his heart, sang softly.

It was beautiful.

'Baby, look at me
And tell me what you see
You ain't seen the best of me yet
Give me time and I'll make you forget the rest

I got more in me
And you can set it free
I can catch the moon in my hands
Don't you know who I am.'

'Remember my name.'

Her voice was so soft but haunting, like a siren.

'I'm gonna live forever
I'm gonna learn how to fly high
I feel it coming together
People will see me and cry,'

Lily listened intently, a soft smile on their daughter's face.

'I'm gonna make it to heaven
Light up the sky like a flame, fame
I'm gonna live forever
Baby, remember my name.'

"I like that," Daryl murmurs quietly, brushing a stray piece of her hair behind her ear. She smiles up at him, feeling her cheeks heat up. Lily crawls over to her mother's lap, plopping herself down in her lap and snuggling into her chest. The dog trots over and lays next to Daryl.

"My mama used to sing it to me," she says quietly. Daryl takes her hand comfortably.

"She sounds nice," Daryl replies quietly. She nods, thinking back to the endless talks they would have when she was younger.

"She was. My mother was the only person who got me, who really did. I loved her, and whenever I would feel down on myself, she would sing all these amazing songs to me, and it just stuck. I love to sing. It's the only thing that still keeps me connected to her. She had such a variety." He raises an eyebrow.

"Variety?" She smiles.

"Yes. I mean, she could sing Disney songs, but then a Broadway song the next, or a classic, or just a normal pop song, and make it sound like a lullaby. She could probably make the 'Macerena' sound like a lullaby. I wish I could do that. I wish she was still alive."

She looks up and holds his hand tightly.

"I remember when I got the call. I was devastated. I wanted to hurt myself right there and then, but somehow I survived for another ten years without trying it. I was gonna go to college to. Music at NYU. I had top scholars, but people didn't care," she mumbles.

He removes his hand from hers and brings Lily to the ground, letting her crawl around again as he wraps an arm around Riley's waist and brings her closer to him. Her cups her face in his hands and kisses her slowly, gently, and she smiles small into it, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Those people ain't around anymore," he murmurs to her when he pulls back. "Ya got people who care about you. Ya got me, and Lily, and Beth, everyone here. We all care. And I'm sure your mama is watching us from heaven somewhere and smilin' down at how much of a fighter you've become."

She smiles brightly and brings her head back to hers again, connecting her lips with his, this time with more need. He wraps her arm around her waist, returning it just as much as she was.

They kissed passionately, their lips connecting as Riley kissed him back, lips moving against his as they kissed.

Daryl held her tightly as they kissed. He ran a hand through her wavy, soft smelling hair that was beautiful and continued on kissing her. Riley wrapped her arms around him tightly.

They stopped kissing but didn't let go of each other as they looked at each with emotional eyes and Daryl smiled.

Home.

He had a home after years of drifting around after Merle, thinking he was a nobody until he had met Rick and Beth. Then Riley and her friends who had become like family to him.

His strange but loving family.

"Don't me go, Daryl," Riley said softly, her blue eyes shining as she smiled up at him.

"I won't ever let ya or Lily go, sweetheart," Daryl said holding her tightly and Riley smiled as they saw it rain outside.

The rain started softly at first but then began hammering down on the roof of the building.

Neither of them noticed the man watching them from his trailer before driving away.

Dinner that night was quiet as Beth and Riley served out the plates. Kristi had suggested they make a rabbit stew with some potato chips that they had found unspoiled in the freezer.

Beth gave some to Adam while Remy fussed over him. Adam was getting bigger and had dark brown tufts as his grey eyes twinkled happily. He was a happy baby.

"You like that lili man?" Remy asked as he wiped his mouth with a wipe. Adam giggled at them both while Salem curled up, her tail swishing after eating some of meat left over that was fatty.

"I think that's a yes to that, Remy," Beth said smiling at their son as Maggie watched intently.

Beth looked really happy and it didn't look like acting.

She shook her head as she saw Murphy sit down next to her, he was cleaning his glock quietly. He looks at Maggie with questioning eyes.

"You don't seem to like him," he says quietly. Maggie snorts.

"Because I don't. I just don't see why she likes those people. Beth was never one to like mentally hurt people, let alone have a slight 'family' with one of them. But they look happy, and it looks like they're not acting….I don't know how to feel with this. Carol says they're bad, but I don't know."

"I think that Carol woman is crazy," he mumbles, sparing a glance at the quiet women in the corner. "The rest seem fine." Maggie sighs, shrugging her shoulder before turning back to him.

"I can't believe you're down here," she says softly. "Last I saw you, you were in New York." He snorts.

"That's cause we got thrown into that asylum." Her eyes widened.

"For what?" He shakes his head.

"That's a story for another time," he says quietly as Beth handed him the last bowl of stew. Riley takes a deep breath and sits next to Daryl, who discreetly takes her hand underneath the table. She smiles at him while he smiles small back. Riley turns to Lily, who was starting to get the food on her face, giggling crazily.

"Ah, that's my girl," she says quietly, wiping the food off her face with her napkin. As she did so, Rick stood up from where he sat, raising his glass slightly.

"I know this is sort of strange," he chuckles. "I haven't done this in a long time. Daryl could attest to that too, but I wanted to say thanks to these people from the asylum." Riley smiles and turns around, tipping her head slightly. "If it wasn't for you guys, we would still be wandering without a purpose, and though that asylum is burning to the ground right now-"

"Thankfully," Riley mumbles, shaking her head slightly.

"We're not, and we're gonna head to the north tomorrow, and we are gonna survive." Everyone cheers to that, raising their glasses as well. Riley leans into Daryl as she takes a sip of hers, smiling into the glass.

Daryl held her close as everyone drank their wine aside from Maggie, who was drinking apple juice and she smiled as well, while Carol scowled at them as she drank her own glass and had another one.

Murphy hummed an Irish song that his ma would sing to him and Connor as babies when Maggie looked up at him curiously. She remembered the song he was singing. He would sing it to her when she had been having Malcolm six years ago.

Thinking of her dead son made her heart ache. She loved Glenn but she would always love Murphy. He was her first love when she had been twenty years old, when she had been shy.

"You look different," she said quietly as she looked at him.

His hair was shorter than before and he had a lot more tattoos on his body, a cross underneath his right ear and although he had a shirt on, she could see he still had the tattoo of Christ's feet on his back. She remembered touching it while she was in bed with him.

She blushed red then.

"Your hair's getting longer. I like it," Murphy said, looking at her intently.

"Been two years since I had a haircut," Maggie said, running a hand through her near shoulder length curly hair. Her dad used to joke that she could grow her hair quicker than a cat.

"Beth told me about Hershel, Shawn and Annette. I'm sorry Maggie, I am," he said, meaning it. He was sorry that Hershel, Shawn and Annette were dead. They didn't deserve that.

"I tried to see you but they didn't let me," Maggie said, surprising him.

Murphy looked at her in confusion.

"You tried to see me?" he asked quietly, stunned at her confession.

Maggie nodded taking his hand in her smaller one.

"I wanted to see you but the nun in charge along with the doctor…they said you didn't want to see me," she said hurt.

"You gotta believe me. I did want to see you but they wouldn't let me. Me and Connor were put in solitary confinement for a whole two months. Seeing the ghosts and losing Mally, I lost it and I ended up attacking one of the men," he said slightly ashamed.

Maggie could feel tears swim down her face at Murphy's confession. He had wanted to see her.

"He looked like you," she said softly.

Murphy nodded looking sad.

"Had yer eyes though. Pretty Irish green eyes. I shouldn't have left ya on yer own at the fucking apartment. Fuck Ian!" Murphy cursed furiously.

Maggie hugged him. Murphy tensed but hugged her back tightly.

"It wasn't your fault, you heard what the doctors said. He was born too soon," Maggie said sniffling. No more words were exchanged between the two as they simply held each other, something they hadn't been able to do in a long time.

Riley looks over at Maggie and Murphy, feeling her brow furrow.

"Do you think that they were a thing?" she asks Daryl quietly. He looks over at the pair and shrugs his shoulders lightly, going back to his food.

"Look like that," he mumbles, taking a bite of the stew. "She ain't ever mentioned anyone that she was with before the turn. Only guy I ever thought she was with was Glenn, but he's gone now."

"And she's pregnant," Riley adds on. "Guess she loved the guy." Daryl nods.

"She did. Always showed it. Never really paid that much attention though." Riley looks back at Maggie, and then at Lily, before she sighs quietly and looks back at her food, taking a spoonful into her mouth. Daryl looks at her, confusion on his face. "What's wrong?" he asks softly.

"I…I don't know," she mutters. "I mean, I love Lily. I really do. But I can't help but want one of my own, a baby that…that looks like you and me. I don't even know if I can have children at all after everything that's happened to me at the asylum. I know it's stupid, and irresponsible, but…I wanna have a family with you, and I feel like I can't give that."

Daryl wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him as she looks down at her stew.

"Hey, c'mon, look 'ere," he says quietly. She looks up, her eyes slightly reluctant. He traces her cheek tenderly. "I don't care if we have ten kids or none. I got Lily, and I got ya, and that's all I need." She smiles and lays her head on his shoulder.

"I just feel like I don't give you enough," she murmurs, looking up at him. He leans down and kisses her forehead tenderly.

"Ya give me plenty," he remarks quietly, holding her tighter to his body. Carol looks to where they sat maliciously, glaring hatefully. She takes another sip of her wine, looking outside at the dead trees.

She would give rid of that woman. One way or another.

Lily always looked to be a ball of energy. That was what Riley examined. Someone would think that after a nap, a kid would want to stay in bed, but nope. Not Lily. Her smiling face was all that Riley saw as the little girl played with Pirate, who would run around in circles.

Riley chuckles as she sees Pirate lick the girls face. She finally got some time to relax after everything that had been happening, and decided to just sit down and rest on the bed, watching Lily mess around with Pirate. The dog was cute, she admitted that. She always wanted a dog when she was younger. It was something she always dreamed about but never got until now.

That seemed to be happening a lot lately.

She sees the door open and Daryl steps in, closing it behind him and sitting on the bed, flopping down. Riley's brow furrows as she towers over him. He looked exhausted.

"Something wrong?"