There was a crash outside. It was followed by shouting and cursing. Daryl sat up in bed, heart pounding. He knew that sound, knew what it meant.
Merle was already awake. He was leaning against the door with his ear pressed to the cheap wood.
"Dad?" Daryl whispered in the dark.
"Dad," Merle confirmed darkly.
Daryl threw back the covers, shivering in his threadbare pyjamas. His bare feet hit the ground and joined Merle.
The sound of a key in a lock was the most terrifying thing to Daryl. There was more commotion and it was clear his father had fallen over, unable to keep his footing with that much alcohol in his system.
"Thought I told you boys ta' clean up after yourselves!" he shouted in the darkness even though neither boy had any belongings to leave anywhere.
Merle reeled back from the door, contempt plain on his teenage face. Their dad had always been a drunk but since their mother had died it had gotten worse. Daryl's ribs still ached from the last beating he'd endured. It used to be that he was only violent when he had been drinking but now he was volatile all the time.
The creaking floorboards let the boys know he was making his way down the hallway. He was moving slowly, too inebriated to stand up straight by the sounds of things.
Merle backed away, shaking his head. "Fuck this!" he snarled. He grabbed a jacket and started fiddling with the latch on the window while Daryl watched wide eyed.
"Don't, you'll make him mad," Daryl said softly.
"He's already mad," Merle pointed out. He thrust the window open. "I'm gettin' outta here." He held his hand out to Daryl. "C'mon, move!"
Merle's voice was urgent but Daryl felt rooted to the spot. He could hear his father pawing at the door knob.
"Daryl," Merle pleaded, showing a moment of vulnerability. Those were few and far between these days.
The door opened a crack, light spilling into the room. It was all the incentive Daryl need. He ran around the beds and made for the window. Merle's saw his brother was coming and dropped out, so there would be someone to catch him when he jumped out.
His father was in the room now, all drunken rage and vicious spite. Daryl's small hands grabbed the edges of the window, pulling himself up. He could hear Merle shouting out, encouraging him to jump.
He was so close to escaping, he could feel the fresh air on his face but then a hand wrapped around his ankle. His father jerked him back inside. Daryl was flung half way across the room. His father may have meant to do it or he may have just lost that much control of himself. Either option scared Daryl as his heart raced in his chest like a caged animal.
"Can't even escape right," his father sneered. The smell of booze was toxic on his breath as he loomed over Daryl.
Daryl cowered away, making himself as small as possible.
"You're so weak an' pathetic," his father continued.
Daryl tried to block the words out but they hurt as much as physical blows.
His father was fumbling with his belt and Daryl's blood ran cold. His father taking off his belt could only mean one thing. The last time he'd lashed Daryl with it, he'd left a long cut down his back. It would have needed stitches if anyone had been able to take Daryl to the hospital. Merle had bound the wound and ranted.
Merle would save him. Daryl kept looking at the window, waiting for his brother to reappear but nobody did.
"Why'd you wanna leave your family, boy? Ain't nobody gonna love you or have any use for you! You could die an' only your mama would weep. Shame she already went on ahead."
Daryl's eyes filled with tears at the verbal onslaught but it was nothing compared to the moment the belt came cracking down on him for the first time that night.
...
Daryl had carried those words with him well into adulthood, longer than he should have. That pig of a man had left scars on more than just his skin.
It took the world going to shit to realise just how untrue it all was. That man had never been his family or his father. He had found his real family in this hell. He'd found people to love him and for him to love. He'd found one woman who knew every inch of him and yet hadn't turned away.
He wasn't ready to lose that. Daryl didn't know if he stood a chance of actually reaching Mara but he would try. It was all he could do because he couldn't just stand there and watch her get torn apart.
He knew what it was like to be afraid and to think nobody was coming to help you. In his case, he had been right but it didn't have to be true for Mara.
His heart in his mouth he moved through the walkers, slaying them where they stood. Daryl had never seen a distance loom so large before and he was beginning to despair. Andrea was moving with him, clearing her own gory path.
There was a flash of movement to his right and he lifted his knife. He stopped dead as it almost came crashing down on a figure dressed all in black. The person pulled up short, in a very human manner. Daryl first thought it was Christine but the figure was too tall and masculine.
Daryl looked around. He had been so focused on the pack that surrounded Mara that he had lost track of the big picture. Six figures in black had joined the fight and for the life of him, Daryl couldn't have guessed where they came from or how they got in.
One of the figures was close to Mara, closer than he was, and they started flinging the walkers away from her, while two companions brought up the rear killing the discarded creatures.
They were dressed the same way his Australians were. Except their uniforms were cleaner and still in good condition.
Daryl caught his first glimpse of Mara and exhaled a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding. Her face was flushed and her hair was a mess but her skin wasn't unblemished.
The figure reached down a hand to Mara and Mara only hesitated before taking it and letting the person draw her to her feet. Daryl was so close to Mara now, he could see the sweat on her skin and the fear in her eyes.
She locked eyes with him over the figures shoulder and opened her mouth to say something, presumably to call out to him. But before she could the figure pulled of their helmet, revealing a tall male with blond hair.
Mara briefly flicked her eyes towards the man and then did a double take.
"Eric?" Mara whispered, shocked.
Before Daryl could take another step forward, Eric wrapped his arms around Mara's waist. He crushed Mara to him, lifting her off her feet and bringing his mouth down on hers.
Mara gave a squeak of surprise.
"Fuck me," a mocking voice drawled behind Daryl. He recognised the voice as Merle's but he didn't turn around. He lunged at the man, tearing him away from Mara. Eric turned, disorientated and Daryl didn't give him a chance to catch his bearings before punching him hard in the jaw.
...
Mara didn't couldn't believe what she was seeing. Eric was not supposed to be in Georgia. He was supposed to be in Australia and he definitely not in the army.
It wasn't until his lips collided with hers and she felt that spark of familiarity that it became real. Almost as soon as his mouth pressed to hers, the contact was gone.
Daryl had pulled Eric away with a violent snarl and then his fist collided with Eric's face. Mara froze; her brain unable to readjust to the situation. A minute ago she had been certain that she was about to die and now she was staring at her ex.
Eric took the punch better than expected. He didn't crumble in on himself like he would have back when they were dating. His face was thinner and harder than she remembered and his fingers had calluses that weren't there a year ago.
Mara saw Eric's shoulders twitch and knew that he was about to retaliate. Mara threw herself between the men, her back to Daryl's chest, raising her hands in a pacifying gesture.
Eric took an immediate step back, just like she knew he would. His aggressive expression faded. Eric wasn't an angry person, had never been. Daryl on the other hand? Mara could feel him practically vibrating with anger behind her.
She spared a look around and no one was paying much attention except for Merle, who looked ready to jump in as soon as he was needed.
Christine rolled her eyes at Mara briefly, clearly giving her opinion on how stupid she thought this display of testosterone was, before fanning out and securing the area.
"What the hell, man?" Eric mumbled, rubbing his jaw.
"Could ask the same thing?" Daryl sniped back. Mara leant back further into Daryl, discreetly trying to tell him to ease up.
"What are you doing here?" Mara asked, cutting into the conversation. Eric had never had any interest in the military, he'd been on his way to becoming a doctor when she had left him.
Eric flashed her a smile and it was full of the boyish charm that she remembered. "I'm a medic with the army now."
"You were years off becoming a full doctor," Mara pointed out.
Eric sobered. "Circumstances changed, training got accelerated."
"It's nice to see you," Mara said because she couldn't think of anything else to say. This conversation was too bizarre for words. She had a job to do; her personal life would have to wait.
She turned and walked away, putting both palms on Daryl's chest and pushing him away. She caught sight of her sword and picked it up.
Merle saluted her with his knife and a smirk as they passed before Christine snapped, "Merle, pull your head out of your ass and come and help me with this." He grudgingly joined the petite woman, checking for spooks that might have survived.
Daryl hadn't taken his eyes off Eric. Mara looked at the ground, making sure it was clear of spooks still alive. It would have made a fool out of them both if they survived that fight to die now. Daryl could be observant but he tended to let his emotions blind him.
When they were far enough away, Mara stopped. She lightly thumped Daryl's chest to get his attention. Daryl looked down as if he only just noticed she was there.
His eyes softened and he ran a shaky hand over her cheek. "You ok?"
Mara nodded. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. She was aware that she was trembling against him. The shock of seeing Eric had delayed the effect of almost dying. Seeing Daryl's face drove home how close she had come to losing him.
When she pulled back she noticed a small scratch above his eyebrow.
"How did that happen?" Mara asked, reaching up to gently brush his hair away from it.
Daryl batted her hand away lightly. "I'm fine," Daryl murmured, looking uncomfortable.
Mara smiled and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "I love you," she said quickly before ducking away.
She drew level with Yussuf who was kicking bodies over without much grace. He didn't have to worry about bites to his legs. One was alive and reached for the man even though both its arms ended at the elbow.
Yussuf had a knife in his hands and quickly killed it.
Mara could see Nathan talking to men but couldn't see their faces. Nathan was trying to hide it but he didn't look impressed with the situation
"Who is that?" Mara asked, toeing bodies over as well.
"Cheiny," Yussuf answered. He sounded murderous, which was unlike Yussuf.
Mara's eyes widened. She resisted voicing the string of expletives that wanted to tumble out of her mouth.
"Seems like the Australian army felt the situation needed some ignorant racists to get involved," Yussuf added, darkly.
Mara took a better look at the men and even in the dark she could now make out some familiar features. She recognised Cheiny's team but that didn't fully explain how Eric had ended up with them.
"Anyone hurt?" Mara asked, choosing to let the issue go for now.
"For the most part everyone's alright. Elias got hurt pretty bad. Hershel and Carol are helping him now."
Mara's heart stopped for a second but she realised Yussuf wouldn't be so calm if Elias wasn't going to be ok.
Yussuf gently touched her elbow. "What about you?"
"I'm alive," Mara answered because that was what mattered most of all. She looked around at all the corpses and the make shift gate. This had gone beyond ridiculous. The Governor's existence couldn't be tolerated anymore.
Yussuf tracked her gaze. "Things have to change, don't they?"
"They really do!"
AN: I don't have a lot of things to add. I'm not sure I feel about this chapter/reveal. Let me know what you all think.