A|N:
I've had this chapter in my head since this story started. I hope I did it some justice.
R&R darlings, twd belongs to amc.
The day he set her free
He should have known when he woke up that morning, it would have been a bad one. He felt it when he woke up, when he made his girls breakfast and especially when he dropped Marie off for her play date with Sophia.
Something was wrong, terribly wrong, he just couldn't put his finger on it.
Did I do somethin' wrong? Did I forget somethin'? Fuck it's eatin' at my mind...
Daryl got back to his little house, putting his keys down on the side table next to the door. Kicking his shoes off, he walked into the kitchen where his oldest was sitting down still picking at her breakfast.
"Not hungry?" He asked her sitting down on the opposite side of the table. Alyssa slumped a little more into her chair, using her fork to play around with her eggs. Daryl sighed, Alyssa could be just like him sometimes. All moody and grumpy like. So to get her attention he grabbed the napkin next to him, crumpled it into a ball and threw it at her head.
Alyssa huffed and fixed her hair back into place, "Fuck off."
"Woah ain't ya a fucking lady." Daryl laughed sarcastically. Alyssa glared up with a sarcastic smile on her, giving her father the finger. "Damn what's up yer ass, Miss Lyss Dixon?"
She scoffed sitting back in her seat, arms crossed lazily over her chest. "Dunno just been pissy lately." Daryl just sighed. Alyssa's birthday was coming up this month, and for the passed week Alyssa had been nothing but grumpy. He knew both girls had different ways of expressing their feelings. It was just Alyssa was much more Dixon about it. Alyssa was missing her mom like crazy; especially more now that her seventh birthday was just around the corner, and Daryl felt horrible. There was a moment of silence between them before Alyssa finally looked up again. "W-when ya miss someone real bad, what do ya do?"
Well that one is easy, drink. Daryl laughed at himself. It was the sad truth. On nights when he missed Viv or on occasion his mama, Daryl would sit down at the table with a six pack until he couldn't feel the sadness in his chest anymore. It was something he got from Merle no doubt. He wasn't gonna tell his daughter that, but the memory of it made him chuckle. Now a days when he was grumpy or sad Daryl had an easier way to cope: his daughters. That wouldn't work for her though. Not Lyss Dix, she needs a real pick me up... well fuck it she's a good kid.
"Well fuck, yer aunt is gon' kill me fer this."
"Ugh this so is gross." Alyssa spat out the beer the moment it hit her lips, making noises of disgust. That's what I thought, baby girl.
Across the table Merle and Kat couldn't help but laugh. Kat hadn't been so mad that Daryl had gotten his kid her first beer, only mad that she almost missed the whole thing. So her and Merle had came over to have a drink with their niece for the first time. Instead the young teen pushed the beer away to her father, like he hoped she would. "Don' worry Lyssa, ya git used to it when yer older." Daryl slid the beer to Merle, who was on his third beer of that hour .
"What happen lil' brother, bitchin' out on us are ya?" Merle laughed snatching the beer up.
Daryl shook his head no as he opened his soda can, "Nah I just gotta go git Pup later, is all."
"Not like ya gotta drive, she's only right down t'block!" Merle argued as he chugged half the beer in two big gulps.
"It's called being a responsible dad, Merle." Kat added in as she drank for her beer bottle. "And beside's Daryl has his lady love to impress!"
"Lady love? Now who the hell are you..." Merle's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he put two and two together, "Ya mean Mouse?!" He gasped clearly talking about Carol. Mouse was his new nickname for her, trying to say was always scurrying away scared. Guess t'at would make Ed the mouse trap.
"Let it go, Merle.." Daryl grumbled sitting back in his seat.
Alyssa immediately looked over to her father. "What does she mean dad? You and Miss Carol are..?"
"An item!" Kat blurted out in her buzzed state a giant smile clear across her face. "She's getting divorced and everything!"
Daryl picked a bottle cap off the table and threw it at Kat, "We ain't nothing, Kat, damn. We ain't looking t'putting no labels on shit, so let it go. No one s'supposed to know bout t'divorce either, she hasn't even told Soph yet! Loud mouth Puerto Rican's..." Kat just smiled wide, not giving a damn about what he said. She made kissy faces at Daryl and he gave her the finger.
"Well fuck Darylena if ya ain't gon' tap that I guess their's another Dixon to take yer place." Merle smirked wide and then from either sides of him he could feel Kat and Alyssa smack him over the shoulder. "Fuck m'joking!"
Daryl just sulked more into his chair, sighing frustratedly. He tuned out the background noises of Alyssa and Kat arguing with Merle. In his mind he could only think of Carol, and of that asshole Ed Peletier. The cops hadn't found him yet, and it was making him anxious. All he wanted was this divorce to be finalized and Carol to be far away from him. She would never be harassed by that fucker again. She would be free from him forever..
God I fuckin' hate t'at asshol-
His thoughts were interrupted by the jingle of his phone getting a call. He picked it up to see who it was. Carol? What could she be callin' about?
"Hey Car-"
"Da-daddy..." His expression dropped, his face becoming pale and suddenly his heart stopped beating. He couldn't breathe. He was panicking.
On the other line was his baby girl, heaving and sobbing into the phone. Her voice sounded strained. She was trying to keep quiet. "Marie?!"
Like that the laughing and talking in the room stopped and everyone looked over to Daryl. Watching her father go from calm to uncontrollably uneasy worried Alyssa sick. She got up out of her chair and walked over to her father, who in the moment become like stone in his chair. "Daddy what's wrong? Is that Marie? Whats wrong Daddy?" He couldn't hear her though, all he could hear was his little girl on the other line crying. Crying in fear. Then suddenly, something in him flipped. A parental instinct like no other, so natural it was almost like he was born for this moment. Born to protect his daughters, at any cost.
"What happened, Pup?" He asked in a stone cold voice. Daryl couldn't be weak, not when Marie needed him like this.
There was silence for a few minutes, the sound of whimpering and hushed sobbing coming from the other side. It wasn't Marie though he could tell. So who was it? Maybe it's, oh fuck. Not Sophia.. not 'er too. As the heart aching silence went on, Alyssa continued to banter her father with questions. He thought he could hear Merle and Kat yelling at him too but he just didn't care to listen. Daryl was waiting for a reply, any noise at all. Then there was a crash. Daryl jumped in his seat, as if somebody had just broke a glass bottle right next to his ear. "Marie? MARIE!?" No reply. After the crash it got worse, the other crying got louder and then suddenly voices in the background yelled out over all the noise.
"NO! STO-"
Daryl's heart dropped. He knew that voice, he knew it too fucking well. Carol! Fuck no.. what the fuck is-
Silence hit again like a shot to the chest. Heart racing, Daryl braced himself for who ever was on the other side to speak.
"SOPHIA! DADDY SAYS FUCKIN' GIT OUT 'ERE RIGHT NOW!"
"THAT SUM'A BITCH!" Daryl jumped right out of his seat and made a bee line to his room, and when he came out he had a metal bat in his hand making his was to the front door. "Ima kill 'em I swear t'all hell m'gonna kill that sum'a bitch just ya fuckin' watch me!"
Alyssa chased him out the door, pushing chairs out of her way as she yelled out his name "Daddy! Daddy stop it! What happen daddy...what happen to Marie?!" Not far behind her was Kat and a very, very angry Merle Dixon.
"What t'fuck ya hollerin' about boy, what the fucks goin' on?" Merle growled out as Daryl made his way off the porch. Merle stopped in his tracks, and behind him Kat was holding back a sobbing Alyssa from chasing after her father.
"Ed fuckin' Peletier happen, n'if he as so harmed a fuckin' hair on my kid ima fuckin' kill him!" Daryl ran across the street, blocking out all the voices that beckoned for him to come back. His mind was running a million miles per second. All he could seem to think of was the girls. It was like he was seeing in black and white. He needed to know Marie was safe from that asshole.
He needed them all to be safe from that asshole.
Carol. Sophia. Marie. Oh Pup.. Don' ya worry baby daddy is comin' to get ya. All of ya.
The sight in front of the Peletier house had Daryl's heart throbbing. That ugly yellow jeep cherokee was crashed into her front gate. And the door swung broken on it's hinges. How the fuck didn't he hear that? Looking up and down the straight just made him even angrier. No one s'fucking watching her house. Fuckin' stupid cops. He made his way quietly to the front door and listened for a moment, knowing it would probably be best to move quietly throw the house. So the hunter crouched down and slowly crept inside. Not to his surprise the lights in the house were all off. Sneaky mother fucker.. He made his way to the right, where he knew the kitchen was. When he saw the mess on the floor Daryl couldn't help but cringe. Broken plates, beer bottles and of course blood. It was all like it was from a bad dream, or a nightmarish memory. He moved on to the living room as quietly as he could. In this darkness he couldn't see a thing until he was practically tripping over it. As he moved around heading over for what he knew was the bathroom, there was a creak in the floor. Someone was behind him. With bat tight in one hand Daryl turned around ready to strike, when a something in the darkness when to strike him with a knife. Who ever it was had bad aim, and Daryl was able to move out of the way safely. On instinct he reached out and grabbed the wrist of the figure with the knife. That was he released that who ever it was had a really small wrist.
He squeezed until the knife dropped, and that's when he could feel them shaking in his grasp. It didn't take him long to realize who was there. "C-Carol?" He was so relieved, she was still alive.
"D-D..Daryl?" Suddenly she was clamped to him. Little arms wrapped around his body, shivering in place. "Oh my god, Daryl, I'm so sorry! I put Marie and Sophia in danger..." Carol she whispered as she tried to hold it together, tightening her grip around him.
Daryl had yet to actually register what she had said. He was too distracted by the way she felt against his chest, relieved that he hadn't hurt her. Or worse. With a smile across his face he put his free arm on her back and held her as close as he could. He gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. One down, two more to go. "Don' worry, m'gonna get 'em. Our girls will be fine." Our girls. Not just 'ers or mine. N'definitely not t'at fuckers kid either. Our girls, my responsibility. Startin' right now dammit. Daryl moved his hand from her back to her chin and lifted Carol's head so she was staring at him. Her bloody lip and the cuts over her head had him cringing, but she was alive. He kissed her again so she knew he was there. So she knew he cared. Leaning his head against hers he spoke loud enough so only they could hear him. "Where are they?'
Carol's finger lifted up to Daryl's eye level, pointing upstairs. Daryl nodded ok and let her go, heading for the stairs. "Wait, Daryl!" She whispered for him to come back. He turned around, feeling her hand hold his to stop him, "Ed's up there."
"Go on back t'my place. Don't ya worry, woman." He said gripping the the bat even tighter, still holding her with his other hand. "I ain't scared of t'at fucker."
She tightened her grip on him, with a caring touch. "Just be careful and please, find our babies."
Tip toeing up the stars he could hear nothing but the silence that engulfed the second floor. At the end of the hallway he could see a single light on. Carol's room. Daryl went to the first door on the right, a pink door with little floors drawn all over it. He slowly pushed the door open, whispering into the room. "Soph. Marie?" In the room he could hear the faintest sound of heavy breathing. Sobbing being muffled as best as it could. They were in here, they had to be. "Marie? S'daddy.. Soph? Come on girls where are ya?"
Then from under Sophia's bed Daryl could see a little blue bow sitting out, the moonlight making it barely noticeable. He bend down till he was on his knees and looked under the bed. The sight of two little heads of brown and blonde hair got his heart beating again. They were okay. They both looked up at the same time. When Marie's eyes met Daryl's, she smiled. The little tears in her eyes breaking his heart. "Daddy." She tapped on Sophia's shoulder and the two of them started to shuffle out of the bedroom. Once out from under the bed the two of them rushed over to Daryl and jumped into his arms. When he saw them rush over he put the bat down and grabbed both, squeezing them both tight. His mind desperately trying to relax as it registered the fact that they were both okay. Unharmed and safe.
"Come on let's go," He let go of both the girls, grabbed the bat and then led Marie and Sophia safely out of the room. They moved right behind him, walking hand and hand. Daryl looked back to both the girl's as he walked into the hallway. "Yer momma s'so worried bout y-"
"DADDY!"
He didn't even have time to register what had happened as felt someone tackle into his body, both bodies tumbling down the stairs with a loud thump and crash that must of echoed through the who house. As he hit the bottom of the stairs he could feel his head throbbing. His sight blurred and from his forehead he could feel blood start to drip down to his cheeks. Looking around he could see another body on the floor. He stared for a moment or two until he saw who it was. Ed. Between the two of them was the bat. There was moment of tension between the two of them before both jumped for the bat, tugging and fight over it as the rolled on the floor. Even though Ed was not a very fit man he was sure heavy, and before he could be stopped he was straddling over Daryl's body. Holding down the bat over his neck as he tried to choke Daryl out. Daryl kicked from underneath him, using all his power to push the bat off of him. With a loud scream Daryl found the strength he needed to push Ed off of him, smacking him on the side of the head with the end of the bat. As they both scrambled to their feet Daryl reached for the bat, holding it out as he get ready to swing. He moved his arms back and got into position as a voice stopped him from letting he swing go.
"Daddy, wait!"
Ed had stumbled to get up, and from where Daryl stood he could see him pull something out of his pocket. Daryl froze, it was a gun.
"That's right you fuckin' son of a bitch.. lower the bat." Ed growled. In his voice he could hear him slurring some his words. It was no surprise that he was drunk off his ass. Daryl raised one hand up as he did what was told of him.
"T'police are comin' for ya Ed.. give up already dammit." Daryl growled as he stood back up with both hands now above him.
"You can't fuckin' have them," He growled in a drunken fit, the gun shaking in his hands. "They belong t-to me!"
Daryl spit the blood out of his mouth shaking his head no, "She ain't belong t'no one. They ain't yer fuckin' pets, they're people!"
He readied the gun with his fingers around the trigger, stumbling a little closer, as he smiled. "Dirty fuckin' redne-"
Before the trigger could be pulled a shadow came running from the front door right into Ed's body, tackling him into the living room and down on the ground. As they both hit the floor the pressure of the gun falling caused it to go off, the bullet shooting into the floor causing the little girls to scream in fear. With no time to waste Daryl ran over to the two bodies wrestling each other, helping the other person hold Ed down. With one good swing of the strangers right hook, Ed was knocked out cold, and when they looked up at Daryl he recognized the smile.
"Jesus, baby brother, can' let ya have all t'fun can I?"
"Merle?!" Daryl practically lit up as he helped his brother off the floor, leaving the unconscious Ed where he laid.
With a smile still clear across his face, Merle placed a firm hand on Daryl's shoulder and led him back to the girls. "Us Dixon's take care of our own, boy. Don' ever say I ain't do shit for ya."
Marie and Sophia ran down the stairs the moment they saw the two men come out of the living room and right into Daryl's arms. He picked Marie off the floor and held her close, giving her a dozen kisses on her cheeks. Taking Sophia's hand with his free one, the four of them left the house together. In that same moment the police had arrived, a couple of officers running into the house behind them to arrest the passed out Ed.
Waiting for them on the lawn was Carol, Kat and Alyssa.
"Sophia!" Carol immediately let go of Kat the moment she saw her daughter ran to her. Sophia had done the same with Daryl, running into her mothers arms as she cried tears of relief. Running past them Alyssa headed straight for her father, running into his arms and wrapping her arms around him and Marie.
"You're okay!" She told the both of them past tears.
Daryl gave his oldest a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled. "Of course we are, Lyss."
Merle ruffled his nieces hair, "Don' ya know, girl? Ain't no body can kill a Dixon but a Dixon!"
Daryl finally made eye contact with Carol, and he couldn't help but sigh in relief. He handed off Marie to Alyssa and walked over to her with haste. Not caring about who could see him, he wrapped his arms around Carol and Sophia and held them both. "Yer okay now, both of ya, I promise." He could feel the both of them return the hug, the sounds of Sophia sniffling against him. As he let them go he could see a smile on both their faces. He kept a hand on each of their shoulders, trying hard not to cry himself. "Yer part of this family now, n'we take care of our own."
"That's right," Alyssa added wrapping an arm around Carol with Marie still in her one of her arms. "We're a family." Daryl let go of Carol's shoulder to let Alyssa hold her, and put his hand around his daughter instead. There was a similar sweet smile exchanged between all of them before Daryl pulled them all in for another hug.
This was his family now, and no one was ever going to hurt them again.