This chapter deals with graphic depictions of gore. If you're squeamish at all, you've been warned.

Also, spoilers for Fight Club, I guess. Just to cover all bases.

It felt like ants were crawling on, and under her skin. Itching and burning, but Nye couldn't move to brush them off, or scratch herself. The tree felt hard and sharp against her back, worse than before, and every little sound drilled into her ears like a jackhammer.

But the worst part by far, was the pain in her arm. It burned, while the rest of her felt chilled, with throbbing accenting every twitch.

Breathing was hard too, as it felt like no matter how hard she tried, her chest wouldn't expand to full size.

Something in the back of her mind was telling her that something was missing, but it was muffled, and incoherent. Before she even knew it, she was drifting back off, the world fading out of focus again.

...

"Over here!"

Samson sat up, tail wagging as Lydia approached the tree. Judith was being held by the man, Tyreese, now.

As they got close enough to make out the body, the woman, Carol, started running.

Dropping to her knees, she tipped Nye's head in every direction, looking her over. The bandage on her arm caught Carol's attention, but they would check that back at the house.

"Nye." She sighed in relief, smiling thinly as a new wash of tears filled her eyes.

The day had started in the worst way it ever could. Lizzie standing over Mika's dead body would forever haunt Carol. As would the resulting need to take care of Lizzie in the only way she could.

But Nye, and Judith's appearance, started to tip the scales. It was minor, and would never erase the pain of losing her girls, but at least they had regained some of their family in return.

"We need to get her back to the house." Carol said sternly, looking up at Tyreese. "Can you carry her?"

Tyreese nodded without hesitation, passing Judith back over to Lydia. His arm was still healing, but he was more than willing to set aside his own pain, in favor of Nye's health and safety.

When being held in Tyreese's arms, Nye looked even smaller than normal. Her scrawny body nearly looked like a young teenager's, as she was dwarfed by the man carrying her.

Carol watched over the brunette, and infant she now carried, like a hawk. Lydia threw all their bags over her shoulder, making sure to take Nye's crossbow too. While Carol held her, it didn't escape her notice that Judith looked fine. Better than fine even, she looked perfectly healthy.

"How have you been feeding her?" Carol asked Lydia suspicously.

Tugging at the ends of her sleeves, Lydia looked at the ground whenever Carol addressed her.

"She already had the formula when she found us."

At the mention of 'us', Samson weaved between them, and kept pace with Tyreese.

The man eyed the dog questionably. "We sure he's safe?"

The blood and dirt covered fur and vest didn't help Samson keep up the appearance of being a friendly-Fido.

Lydia didn't seem bothered by the concerned ask. Cracking a rare smile as they broke the tree-line, she moved up and started petting her furry companion.

"Yeah. Safest one I know."

"Either way, I want him outside for now." Carol said in a no-nonsense tone.

"Yes ma'am." Lydia replied on instinct.

Carol flinched, looking harshly down at the ravenette as they walked through the door. "Don't call me that."

While Lydia seemed taken aback, Tyreese gave a sympathetic look to the older woman, carefully laying Nye down on the couch.

Samson obediently sat outside, looking out into the woods with vigilant eyes.

Judith was once again passed to Tyreese, as Carol kneeled down next to Nye, undoing her bandage with slow and light movements. When it finally came off, Carol sucked in a sharp breath, dearly wishing the brunette was awake, so she could give her a verbal bashing.

"Holy hell." Tyreese breathed, having to look away after a second.

Carol was having a hard time as well, face contorted into a grimace as she looked over Nye's unattended gunshot wound.

Saying it was infected wouldn't even come close to doing it justice. The torn flesh was inflamed, and still open from all of the work Nye had been doing, like fishing and digging the grave. Sadly, both the entry and exit wounds were just as bad as each other, oozing and bleeding slowly. It was bad enough that you could smell the infected skin.

"Carol," Tyreese started slowly, as if addressing a scared animal. "We don't have anything to treat that."

Refusing to shed anymore tears, Carol sniffed, and rounded on Lydia, who was staring wide-eyed at Nye's shoulder.

"How did this happen?"

Lydia didn't peel her gaze away from the wound, shaking her head minutely. "I-I don't... she had it before."

Swallowing, Carol nodded to herself, pacing the room now, as she went through every possible route of treatment they could go. Running a hand down her face, it stopping over her mouth, she took a second to look over Nye's features.

She was flushed, sweat making her face and neck glisten. Her lips were chapped as she took short and shaking breaths through them. Her hair was in utter disarray, ponytail tangled so badly it nearly looked like a braid. But her goggles stayed right where they had been the last time she had seen her.

Despite how her current condition was, Carol felt a wave of relief knowing Nye had beaten the illness back at the prison. Though it may have been a contributor to the issue at hand.

"We have to go on a run. Look for any medical supplies, see what we can find that would help."

Tyreese stared at Carol with regret. "Carol, there isn't anywhere worth searching, not for miles."

Frustrated at the helplessness she felt building in her, Carol hissed through her teeth, "Then what are we supposed to do? Let her die?"

Tyreese, ever the calmest of the group, raised his brows in a quietly offended look. "Of course not. But we can't rush in to anything. We can't risk it."

Carol's shoulders rose as the ire in her grew stronger. Not at Tyreese, but at the situation itself.

Standing at Nye's side, Lydia's lips formed a single word, softer than a whisper.

The adults turned to her. Carol looked tense and agitated as she remembered Lydia's presence. And Tyreese looked tired, but still held an air of everlasting patience.

"What'd you say kid?"

Lydia jumped, finally looking away from her sick guardian. Her gaze was flighty, amber never staying on either adult long. But the concern she felt, outweighed her discomfort with the two relative strangers.

"I s-said," Her voice creaked like an old door, in need of oil. "Maggots."

It took two seconds for understanding to hit them both, and when it did, hope became palpable in the once grim atmosphere.

...

Karaoke was something that Nye never thought she would try. Until Paul pulled her up onto a stage.

Reality television was something Nye never thought she would like. Until Paul sat her in front of the season premier of The Bachelorette.

Harry Potter was something Nye never thought she would give a chance. Until Paul left a copy of the first one on her nightstand.

Being open about liking women was something Nye never thought she would be able to do. Until Paul unabashedly pulled her into her first strip-club.

There were so many things Nye would have never given a chance, if Paul hadn't been there to pull her into new territory.

Like, her favorite movie, for example.

"You've never watched Fight Club?!"

Nye shrugged, unbothered by Paul's exclamation. "Nope." She popped a piece of popcorn in her mouth.

Paul squawked, looking like he so dearly wanted to scream "blasphemy!" but didn't. He instead only stared at her as if she were insane.

Which was fair, she kinda was.

"But-but... Brad Pitt!"

Nye's brows knitted together. "Who?"

Paul's face seemed to freeze in an expression of absolute shock, and mild disgust.

"Sorry, we are no longer friends." Paul said diplomatically, hands up as he stood from the couch.

Nye snickered, grabbing his wrist before he could go anywhere. "Alright alright, calm down drama queen. I'll watch the damn movie."

Paul pretended to think on it, before sitting back down. Taking the remote, he pressed 'play'.

"So what is this about, anyway?" Nye quietly asked as the screen went black, the movie about to start. Her legs were tucked up, as she sat indian-style with the popcorn bowl sitting on her lap.

Paul gave a secretive smile. "Can't say. That's the first rule."

Mouth full of popcorn, Nye looked to her side, head cocked. "Wha?" She asked dumbly through the popcorn.

Paul never answered, as the movie started.

And because he had seen it a million times, he could sit back and laugh at Nye's reactions.

She gasped nearly every other scene, which was pretty hilarious.

"Bruce Banner! You didn't tell me he was in this!"

"Wait, what was that weird thing that flashed for like, a frame?"

"Oh my God it's Bellatrix!"

"Wait there it is again!"

"...What am I watching?"

The rest of the movie played the same, with Nye's ever growing commentary. The bowl of popcorn sat forgotten as she leaned forward, attention solely on the film.

As her luck would have it, though, her excited reactions to it were loud enough to rouse two of the apartments occupants.

Right as the movie's main sex scene came on, Mason stepped through the doorway, rubbing tiredly at his eyes.

"Why are you yelling?" He whined, eyes closed as he yawned.

His voice caused both Nye and Paul to shoot up off the couch. While Paul scrambled to back out of the movie, or turn the tv off, Nye ran over to Mason pushing him down the hallway and back into his and Toby's room before he could get a chance of seeing what was playing on the screen.

"Wha- Nye what the hell?"

Flipping the light on, she walked him over to his bed. With the room lit up, Nye's cheeks were visibly red.

"Bed. No more questions."

Toby sat halfway up in his own bed, watching them in tired confusion. "Is Paul here? I thought I heard him."

Mason let her push him down into bed, but he looked up at her excitedly at the mention of her friend, having not seen him in the dark living-room.

"Yes," Nye reluctantly admitted. "You can hang out with him tomorrow. But right now we're watching a grown-up movie."

"But-"

"Listen to you're warden, kids. She's not above corporal punishment." Paul chimed in, leaning into view through the door.

"What does that even mean?" Mason grumbled, too tired to do anything more.

"It means go to sleep, or I'll kick your asses." Nye said, throwing Mason's blanket back over him, before doing the same to Toby, even though it wasn't really necessary.

"Fine." Mason spoke through a yawn, eyes falling half-closed. Him and Toby both gave a lazy wave to Paul.

"Goodnight Uncle Paul." The boys mumbled in unison.

As the light was flipped back off, and she closed the door behind them, she gave a mock scowl.

"What am I? Chopped liver?"

Paul rolled his eyes, putting a hand on her shoulder, and leading her back into the living-room. "They only like me because I'm not their authority figure. You have to discipline them, while I have the pleasure of being friends with them."

Nye's fake scowl fell into a more sincere frown. "I want to be their friend."

At her saddened tone, Paul gave her shoulder a soft rub.

"You are. You just have to be their mom, too."

Sitting down on the couch, she nodded. Picking up the abandoned remote off of the floor, she passed it back to Paul.

"C'mon, I wanna see what happens next."

...

Living in a world full of carnage, rarely had its upsides. But in their current case, a rotting carcass was exactly what they needed.

Walkers almost always left something of the animal, or person behind. The bones, being inedible, were abandoned, as was any hard to get meat stuck on them. The rotting corpses of these animals or people, were often claimed by flies and maggots afterwards.

Tyreese and Lydia set out to find a dead animal, not trusting maggots that were from a Walker. The young girl, despite her age, was very adept at finding things like the needed insects. Alpha had beaten countless survival tricks into her, in hopes of keeping her Omega useful.

Neither person spoke a word to each other, mood too grim to attempt conversation. Samson merrily trotted along behind them, blissfully ignorant.

The busy woods proved fruitful fast, as a dead deer laid in the grass ahead of them. There was barely any of it left, as it had already been picked clean. But what was left behind, was enough for flies to stake claim.

As they approached, they could see a wiggling mass of off-white that was sitting in its empty rib-cage.

Tyreese made a disgusted groan, as he and Lydia kneeled down in front of the deer. A bucket was set to the side, as they got to work, picking the maggots off, and dropping them inside.

"So where'd she find you?"

Lydia didn't look up, focus solely on getting enough of the larva. "In a tree."

Tyreese nodded, accepting that she didn't like giving lengthy answers.

The bucket's bottom no longer visible, as maggots blocked the view, they rushed back to the house, fearful of the ramifications if they took too long.

When they got back, running inside, they were disheartened by what met them.

Still on the couch, Nye writhed and whimpered. There was no way to tell if it was from the pain, or a nightmare.

Carol wordlessly took the bucket, then surprisingly turned to Lydia.

"Show me where to put them."

...

"Eye-spy, with my little eye, something..."

"I swear to God, if you say 'green' one more time." Mason growled, laying flat on his back in the grass.

Nye stuck her tongue out at him while he wasn't looking. Leaning back against a tree, of which there was an abundance of.

"Can you blame me? Trees are like the only things around here."

"Rocks." Toby supplied, legs thrown over Mason's as he laid in the grass next to him.

"Birds."

"Cars."

"Tents."

"Alright." Nye cut them off, crossing her arms. "Point taken, reluctantly."

"...There's nothing to do." Mason whined, eyes closed as the sun shined over them.

"We were just playing eye-spy."

"There's nothing fun to do." He corrected.

Nye rolled her eyes, easy-going smile on her face, until she caught something out of the corner of her eye.

Two of the groups members, that she was pretty sure both went by "Dixon", were walking out of the woods surrounding the query. A sizable bounty of animals strung over their shoulders.

With a smile, she stood. Giving her boys a calming look as they shot up to follow her, she raised a hand.

"Stay here. I'll be right back."

The walk over to them was uneventful, as she went over what to say in her head. A simple 'thank you' seemed in order, as the two had brought in some hunted prey the night before as well.

But as she found herself stopping next to their camp, she ended up going beyond just a 'thank you'.

"Wow, that's impressive." She said, respect for the men's skill brimming in her voice. A wide and crooked smile sitting under a few freckles.

And in the future, all three adults would look back on that moment, and regret not doing things different.

Like dominos, after her compliment things started to tumble. First, the older of the two, used one the most sexist and vulger ways to flirt that she had ever seen, which was saying something. Then, the younger one looked down at the ground, looking almost sheepish to be standing next to the other man.

Smile long gone, replaced by a sort of deadpan expression, Nye spun on her heel, raising a single choice finger in the air as she walked away.

Mason and Toby watched her in faint concern, as she sat back down next to them.

"What happened?"

After a second of debate, Nye reached over and lightly pinched their cheeks.

"Repeat after me, 'I will respect women', say it."

Both boys wrestled with her arms, trying to get her to release their cheeks.

"Wha?! Why?" Mason slurred as he struggled.

"Say it!"

"I 'ill respec' women!" They said, words garbled and stringing together as they rushed to get it out.

When she released them, Mason and Toby rubbed their cheeks, pouting.

Standing, Mason coiled his body in preparation to run.

"Bitch."

Dirt getting kicked up, as Mason turned tail and ran, Nye shot up, darting right after him.

"I don't care if it's the apocalypse! I'll still ground you, you little shit!"

Toby sat back, occupying himself by watching a random ladybug that landed on his left hand.

Back in their camp, Daryl watched the short brunette chase after one of the two kids she was always with. Despite the threats she was shouting after the curly haired kid, a wide smile was split across her face, more tender than the one she gave him and Merle.

"You're ass is grass Ace!" He heard her shout from the other side of camp. But there was undeniable amusement sitting beneath the fained anger.

When he first saw her, and how she treated the kids, he had scoffed to himself. She just seemed like another soccer-mom, trying to ignore the chaos around them, and treat things like the world would just fix itself. But then, he had seen how she really was. In between the crooked smiles, and jokes, she always made sure the two boys had weapons on them. And instead of making them do homework, like Carl and Sophia had to, she taught them how to start a fire, how to fish, and countless other survival techniques.

Not to mention, he saw how she was the only one smart enough to raid a library, and grab any and all books on survival, and plants that were edible in Georgia.

Needless to say, he found himself respecting her, despite never actually trading a single word.

...

It was getting dark, sun setting on a traumatic day, and fading into a night that held promise to be just as bad.

The maggots were doing their job wonderfully, eating the dead and infected skin. But Nye still didn't show much sign of getting better.

After a few hours, she had been rolled over, so the maggots could start working on the exit wound. Even with slow and careful hands, she still moaned in pain when being turned over.

Samson was finally let inside, so long as he stayed clear of where Judith was resting.

Lydia sat on the floor beside the couch, watching over the brunette with keen eyes. Her hand was held over Nye's, fingers pressed against her pulse point.

Carol and Tyreese had stepped out to talk. Going off of Carol's grim and remorseful face, Lydia felt apprehension build further in regards to the woman.

And listening with half an ear, to the adults' conversation, she found herself in good reason to be wary.

"I killed Karen and David."

Lydia sucked in a breath through her teeth, hand tightening over Nye's. The brunette laid, unmoving and unbothered by the events unfolding right outside.

"I had to stop the illness from breaking out. I had to stop other people from dying." Carol defended halfheartedly, as Tyreese stayed silent. "It wasn't Lizzie. It wasn't a stranger. Tyreese, it was me."

Lydia wasn't sure who Lizzie, Karen, or David were, but it was a safe guess to assume they were all from Nye's prison group too.

There was a moment of silence, and then a faint sound of something metal being handed over.

"You do what you have to do." Carol's voice trembled. It wasn't in fear, but rather guilt.

Lydia waited, not knowing what to expect next. Her first assumption was a gunshot, but it was just Tyreese's voice instead.

"Did she know what was happening?" He whispered, low, and course like sandpaper. "Was she scared? ...It was quick?"

"Yes."

Samson gave a quiet whine, hastily being hushed by the ravenette.

"Do what you have to do." Carol said again, sturdier this time.

Lydia held her breath, biting harshly into her lip.

"...I forgive you."

Lydia blinked, thrown off by the sudden change in Tyreese's tone. She was sure Carol was flabbergasted as well.

"I'm never gonna forget. It happened. You did it. You feel it. I know you do. It's a part of you now. Me, too... But I forgive you."

Lydia let go of the air she was holding, feeling herself sag against the couch.

Then, as she laid unconscious, softer than a whisper, Nye sighed a name.

"Daryl..."

Lydia frowned, squeezing her hand hard enough that her knuckles popped. More concern for the brunette filled her, than concern for her lost group. And if that didn't show how much Nye had already made an impact, than she didn't know what would.

Sitting straighter, she hovered over Nye protectively. "I'll help you find Daryl. Mason and Toby too, you just have to wake up." She bartered quietly, feeling desperate.

And after saying the names herself, something suddenly became clear.

Pulling out the black pistol she borrowed from Nye, she turned it over, looking at the bottom of the handle, where three initials were scratched into the metal.

M, T, D.

The D looked newer than the first two, but it still appeared to have been carved there a while ago. If Lydia were to make a guess, she would say that this 'Daryl' person, must be Nye's partner. And maybe even the father of her sons.

Putting the gun back in the woman's holster, Lydia gave it a soft pat, almost like a promise.

"I'll help you find them." She swore, stronger and more sure than the last one.

It was like Nye said, her group wasn't a pack of wolves. So that meant they went back for each other, not giving up hope on finding one another. So Lydia would try that mind-set, and steel herself to help in the search for her group.

Carol and Tyreese stepped back inside, not saying a word as they sat on different sides of the living-room, though they both watched Nye with equal amounts of worry.

...

Hazy nightmares faded into dreams. Those dreams slowly fading into nothingness. After that, she was left with her senses coming back to her, trickling in through the fog.

She sniffled, brows scrunching together as she frowned in discomfort. Testing all her fingers and toes, she gathered that she could feel them again, which was a major relief. Her skin though, felt overly sensitive. The once soft and nice fitting hoodie she wore, now felt itchy and stiffling.

While she seemed unconscious on the couch, Lydia hadn't moved from her spot all night. Her chin resting on the cushions as her eyes blinked blankly, bogged down from tiredness.

As uncomfortable the two felt with each other, Nye and Judith were their priority, so Carol and Tyreese worked through the awkwardness between them, so they could care for Nye and the baby.

"I don't get how she does it." Carol murmured mostly to herself, as she cradled Judith in her arms.

Posture tense, as he reserved himself to be normal with the woman, after promising to forgive her, Tyreese leaned against the counter, rewrapping his bandaged arm. "Get what?"

Carol's eyes never left the couch, where she watched Lydia start to nod off, head drooping, only to snap back up as she forced herself to stay awake.

"We don't even know her name. And somehow Nye already has that girl wrapped around her finger." Carol shook her head ruefully, eyes turning slightly bitter. "She was always good with... kids."

How badly her lips wanted to form the three names, of the three girls she lost.

Tyreese turned and looked Lydia over in contemplation. "I bet it's because, well, Nye treats them as equals. Friends. Not someone she needs to shelter."

Carol bobbed her head, humming in agreement.

Tyreese ducked his head, bracing his hands behind him on the counter as he reflected on the previous day's events.

"How... how are we going to tell her?" He asked in a hush.

Carol whirled back around on Tyreese, holding Judith tighter. "We don't."

"Caro-"

"We say nothing." She asserted, skittishness around him momentarily gone. "She can't know. Mason and Toby aren't here, so we don't know what happened to them. She doesn't need anymore loss piled onto her."

"You're right, we don't know about Mason and Toby. But we know about them. She deserves to know."

Carol shook her head, lips drawn tightly into a deep frown. "Rapunzel, and Aurora. She gave them those nicknames, Tyreese. Those girls meant something to her." She sighed unsteadily. "She can't know how they..." Her eyes became distant. "...how they were killed."

Tyreese looked not too swayed, but dropped it.

Judith began whining, knotting Carol's shirt in her tiny hands.

"Girl." Carol called, grabbing Lydia's attention. "Where's the formula you mentioned?"

"Brown bag. Middle pocket."

Everyone, minus Judith and the brunette on the couch, jumped in shock, as it wasn't Lydia who spoke.

"Nye." Carol sighed through a laugh.

Her eyes cracked open a fraction, the spheres of emerald green leisurely landing on the two other adults.

Fogginess in her mind fading completely, a hesitant smile graced her lips, as her eyes began to water.

"Hey guys." She croaked, smile turning ironclad.

Lydia took a step back, as Carol and Tyreese rushed to her side, bombarding her with relentless questions as they checked her wound. Judith was hurriedly placed with a bottle by Tyreese, as Carol helped Nye sit up.

All while Carol and Tyreese fussed over her, Nye simply grinned the brightest smile Lydia had ever seen, tears rolling uncaringly down her cheeks, washing away lines of Walker blood.

"What happened?" Carol asked, hands hovering worriedly over her hunched body.

Nye's grin turned into something more sheepish. "I got shot. Probably traumatized Beth too."

"You saw Beth?" Tyreese stepped closer, Judith held closely to his chest.

Nye nodded, grin dimming. "Yeah, but we got separated. And I take it it's just you two?"

Tyreese hesitated, eyes flickering to Carol, as the woman sat up straighter.

"Yes. We haven't ran into anyone else, before you two."

It technically wasn't a lie.

Nye smiled again, though obviously disappointed that her boys weren't there. "Don't forget Lydia. Samson too, if he counts."

The ravenette looked up from the floor, watching as Nye turned to her with a genuinely thankful look.

"She found you guys, didn't she? I was out cold, so she had to have, right?"

Carol nodded slowly, before giving the brunette a sturdy one. "She did."

Nye grinned, once again looking over at the girl, this time a proud expression on her face.

"You did good Pup. Couldn't have done better myself." To finish it off, Nye raised her uninjured right arm, disregarding how they were both covered in rotting blood, and reached out to the girl.

Lydia watched her, uncomprehendingly, until Nye's face softened, as she beckoned her over.

"C'mon Lyd, when was the last time you got a hug?"

Lydia took a mighty inhale of breath, eyes wide and posture like a scared animal.

Seeing this, Nye's arm started to lower, her expression turning guilty.

"Not there yet, got it. Sorry, I just-"

Nye coughed, shoulder throbbing, as Lydia threw herself at her. Her body was shaking, and she was as tense as one could be. She was clearly fearful that Nye would throw her off, any second.

But of course, the goggle wearing brunette smiled, wrapping her arms securely around the shaking girl.

"This is okay. I promise you, Lydia, this is okay."

Lydia huffed something that sounded like a smothered sob, bony frame relaxing ever so slightly as Nye gently rocked them back and forth.

All that mattered, was that Nye was alive. She was awake. And she proved, once more, that she was genuine, and caring. She proved that she was what a real mother should be.

Carol stood back, rubbing the bridge of her nose to temporarily hide her face.

Tyreese was right in his earlier guess. But he was also missing an entirely different reason.

Kids flocked to Nye, because she relied just as much on them, as they did to her.

And that begged a concerning question.

If Nye hadn't been with Judith, or Lydia, what would have happened to her?

Carol could see it, a version of reality were Nye was all alone, with no one to fall back on. And with all likelihood, the brunette probably would have succumbed to her wound, ignoring the state it put her in, and left to die from it. No one there to help her, like Lydia did.

Thinking about it left a bad taste on the back of her tongue. So instead, she watched as Nye held the young girl covered in blood.

Gore painted the scene, but Nye's smile was serene, eyes closed as she focused on comforting Lydia, and being comforted in return. Somehow, despite their state of appearance, they made the embrace look heart-warmingly tender, and sweet. Innocent, even.

Yes, Carol knew for sure,

Nye couldn't know about Lizzie and Mika.