hey guys! so this is the last episode of season 3, and soon i will start season 4. keep in mind, that season four, i will change a LOT of things, and it will also be the last "season" of this story. I'm not joking when I tell you a lot of different things are going to happen. This one is a little shorter, but I had to wrap up season three, because this week at school will be hell so I wanted to put something out for you guys in case I cant this week!


Chapter 28-

"Daryl?" Ariel covered the sun from her eyes, putting her hand as a cover. He was walking forward to the prison, dragging his crossbow behind him. He was looking down, apparently not at all bothered by the walkers that were coming up to him. Ariel slapped Rick's chest. "Rick, Jesus Christ go get him."

Rick looked up, confused as to what she was referring to. He had been busy playing with Judith. He handed his child to her and then ran off to the gates, Ariel motioning Beth over to take Judith. Normally Ariel wouldn't have minded, but something was wrong, she felt it in her. Last time Daryl had come out of a forest with his crossbow on the ground, he had nearly died looking for Sophia. And now he was returning from searching for Merle...

"Oh no," Ariel whispered, the realisation suddenly dawning on her.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Rick brought Daryl in, hugging him tightly. Ariel had never seen them hug, not really, not like this. Rick took Daryl's crossbow from him and closed the gate, walking him past the courtyard and closer to the prison.

Ariel would have ran up to him, but she knew that her stitches would not get her very far. She waited anxiously, and when he got closer to her, she saw, with her heart breaking that his eyes were very red.

"Daryl..." she moved his hair away from his face.

"Merle's uh..." he laughed under his breath, shaking his head. "That son of a bitch..." he whimpered, pushing the heels of his hands into his eyes. Ariel took him immediately, holding him close to her. He cried openly, his hands clawing at the back of her shirt.

"I'm here, I'm here." she soothed him, kissing his neck over and over. Rick was standing by, looking solemn. Honestly, she never thought they would be here, or come to this point. Everything bad that had happened to them happened to someone else they loved, like to Rick. But between the two of them, nothing like this had gone down. Ariel thought they were untouchable. She didn't think she would ever have to hold him like this, like a broken person. She had done it with Rick, and Rick with her...but this was Merle, this was Daryl's brother.

"What do I do?" he whispered, coming up. He looked at her, tears streaming down his face. "What do I do?"

She grabbed his face with both her hands. "You stand up, and you go with Rick and you end this. End this piece of shit." she told him.

Daryl nodded. He looked over at Rick. "She can't come," but the way he said it made it sound like he was begging her. "Rick, I can't have her there."

Before Rick could say anything, Ariel answered. "It's okay, hey," she brought his face back to hers. "I won't come, I won't." Because now she knew that this is what he needed. Even if she didn't have stitches, right now, after this, she couldn't come. It was too much for him. "I'll stay here."

He nodded, looking to Rick. "I'm sorry, I'm good."

Rick patted Daryl's shoulder. "We're gonna make it right." he told him, giving him back his crossbow. He walked away, nodding once at Ariel, going over to Michonne.

"You know, Merle never did nothing like that his whole life." he murmured.

"He gave us a chance." she kissed him lightly, and Daryl kissed her back, crying the whole while. "Please, Ariel, please stay safe."

"I will." she promised him. "You too, come back to me."

Daryl nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too hot stuff."

Ariel was looking over his shoulder though, and then her eyes widened. No, no, no. "RICK!" she yelled.

Coming up to the prison was the governor with his men, guns out and blazing. One guy shot off a bazooka, she figured, as, the moment it hit the guard tower, it blew up proper.

"Jesus Christ," Daryl wiped his eyes and hurried her out of the way. The cars came in, breaking down the fence, all of the men shooting and going crazy. They got to their positions, because they had planned for this; they knew it was going to happen. They were just backtracked with everything that had happened, with Merle...

"It's okay," Daryl told her. Just like that he had switched gears, being a scared broken little brother to being a fighter. They ran inside, before the men could properly destroy the gates that led them to the prison.

Ariel was nervous, but ready. They knew this was coming, they knew it was something that was going to happen. They had planned for this. Carl, Beth and Hershel were already gone, Maggie and Glenn had their positions with their armor. Daryl led Ariel up to the free guard tower, giving her the gun they had stored there. They ran up, holding hands, Daryl's face set in stone. They reached the top of the tower the moment the alarm went off in the prison and only a few moments later the governor and his people came out. They shot at them, but not to kill them, just to drive them away. Daryl's shooting was perfection, getting so close to them that at some points Ariel thought he had actually shot a few.

It didn't take long after that for the governor to clear out, to leave with his men. Daryl nodded as he did, motioning for Ariel to come back down with him. They met up with the others, Ariel relieved to find that Rick was okay.

"We did it." Maggie said with a smile.

"We should finish it." Daryl said. "We should go after them now."

"We are." Rick assured him. "We can't live like this."

Ariel bit her lip. "You guys have to be careful. You barely made it out alive last time." she looked at Daryl.

"I don't care." he answered.

Rick nodded. "Yeah...let's check on the others." he led them back inside, where Rick waited anxiously for Carl, Hershel and Beth. Ariel held Daryl's hand, kissing his cheek while he sat down on the table, running his hand through his hair. Ariel smiled as Rick reunited with Judith, kissing her head.

Daryl was anxious, tapping his foot repeatedly from where he sat on the table. Ariel was between his legs, looking at him even though he was avoiding her gaze. She didn't mind. If it was too hard to look at her right now, after everything he had just been through, that was okay.

"I'm sorry about Merle." she whispered, kissing his forehead. "I really am."

"I know." he pulled her closer, his hand tight on the small of her back.

"You're so anxious." she whispered, hugging him.

"I got you." was all he answered, quietly. "I just want to go. I wanna go finish it, and then come home to you and just..."

"I know baby." she kissed his hair. "And you will."


"Rick," Ariel jogged up to him. Daryl was already waiting with Michonne down by the gates, him on his bike and her in the truck. "Hey." The others were there too, Maggie and Glenn offered to stay behind to help, now that Ariel was with stitches.

"Hey." he forced a smile.

"Rick," she sighed, hugging him tightly. "Please, for the love of God, be careful."

"I will." he hugged her back, kissing her cheek. "And don't worry, I'll take care of him."

"Take care of yourself too." she grabbed his face with her hands, trying not to cry. "This man...I'm tired Rick, and I don't want to lose you guys."

"You won't." he grabbed the back of her neck, putting their foreheads togehter. "You trust me?"

"You know I do."

"I'll bring us back. I promise."

"Jesus," she shook her head. "You know I love you Rick."

"I love you too." he hugged her again. "You're my family."


The rest of the day was the longest day Ariel had ever been through. It was worse than when Daryl had left her, because now, they were walking right into the nest of the enemy. Ariel was pacing outside, the gun around her, her knife to her side and her stitches screaming at her to relax. Hershel was inside with Beth and Judith. Glenn and Maggie and Carl were outside with her, watching her.

"Ariel," Maggie said slowly. "You need to sit down, you're going to open your stitches."

"I'm fine." she said.

Maggie sighed and got up, taking Ariel's hand. "Hey," she said softly. "Come and sit, please." her voice was shaking. She took out a tissue from her pocket and pressed it against one of Ariel's cuts. "Please."

"Okay." Ariel nodded, going over with her. "Okay."

But they didn't come back, not until the morning, and by the time that had came around, Ariel had a few mosquito bites on her, deep circles under her eyes, and her arms were disgustingly red from scratching them. Maggie had sat with her all night, fallen asleep a bit, but hadn't moved from her spot. When the sun rose, they waited again together, Maggie bandaging her arms and sitting with her again.

Hearing Daryl's motorcycle nearly made her throw up; but in a weird, good way. She got up, Maggie grinning with her and running forward to open the gate for Daryl who was leading a bus. Ariel didn't care. She didn't care who was on the bus, all she saw was him, and he rode up the fastest, on his bike.

Ariel laughed, and was so grateful to see him get off that bike and run up to her, taking her in his arms, and sighing in relief.

"Andrea's gone." he told her.

Ariel tensed, but she didn't say anything. She felt sadness, but was too overwhelmed with Daryl being safe that she found it so difficult to care about anything else besides that.

"We brought them all back." he said.

Ariel held him tighter. "That was the longest night of my life."

"You don't care about anythin' I'm sayin' do you?" he chuckled, kissing her shoulder.

"Not one bit." she sniffed.

"Go on, go see Rick before he helps the people get settled." he kissed her lovingly on her lips, her face in his hands this time, and she melted into him. She whimpered when he pulled away but she smiled at him because he was smiling too. That's all she wanted, she wanted to see him smile.

She wanted that for Rick too.

She turned around and ran up to him, and he already had his arms out waiting for her. She walked into them and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm so glad you guys are okay."

"I'm glad to be home." he whispered. "I can't see her anymore." his voice dropped even lower.

Ariel pulled back, touching his face. "Is that a good thing?"

"I think so." he nodded. "I think it means I did something good."

"Rick, you always do something good. Everything you do, is for the greater good."

He looked at her with a soft smile. "Things are gonna change now."

"I know."

"Are you with me?"

"Always."