Hilltop
Daryl had finally decided to show Caroline around Hilltop as she walked next to him and Dog followed closed behind them. She had traded some rabbit pelts for four, edible chocolate bars and she had given one of them to Daryl.
"Still think they ripped you off," he grumbled. She shrugged her shoulders when Daryl saw Connie and Kelly and Kelly smiled at him. Daryl and Caroline stopped in front of them as Dog walked to Connie and she knelt down to ruffled the dog's fur.
"Hey," Daryl said.
"Hey," Kelly said and Connie nodded.
Who's this? Connie signed.
My name is Caroline, Caroline signed and Connie's eyes slightly widened.
You can sign?
Yeah. I had a neighbor who was deaf and she taught me how to sign.
I'm Connie and this is my sister, Kelly.
"What're you doin'?" Daryl asked.
"Just introducin' myself," Caroline said.
"You know how to sign?"
"Don't you?"
"Yeah, but I'm not that good at it."
"You're ok," Kelly said then she looked at Caroline. "Hi, I'm Kelly."
"Caroline," Caroline said and Kelly nodded.
"Haven't seen you around here before. Where are you from?"
"I used to live in Boston, but I am from Virginia Beach originally."
Connie looked from Caroline to Daryl when she frowned and she removed the notebook from her pocket. She wrote something down as she tapped Daryl's upper right arm and he looked at the notebook.
She looks like you.
Daryl had decided to tell only certain people about who Caroline was as he tried to think of how to tell her and Connie arched her eyebrows up.
"What's wrong?" Kelly asked.
"She noticed that Caroline looks like me," Daryl said.
"Yeah, I noticed that, too," she said then she looked at Caroline. "Are you related to Daryl?"
Caroline looked at Daryl as he nodded and Caroline smiled.
"He's my brother," Caroline said then she signed what she said to Connie.
"I didn't know he had a sister," Kelly said. After Daryl nodded again, Caroline explained and the sisters smiled.
"That is so cool," Kelly said and Connie smiled.
"Keep it to yerselves, ok? We don't want too many people findin' out," Daryl said and Connie wrote on the piece of paper then she showed him what she wrote.
Like Alpha?
"Yeah," he said with a nod. Caroline had looked at what Connie had written as Caroline sighed and Kelly frowned.
"What's wrong?" Kelly asked.
We don't want Alpha to find out that Caroline is his sister, Connie signed.
"Yeah, that would suck."
After they said their goodbyes to Kelly and Connie, Daryl walked away and Caroline and Dog walked behind him. He slowly reached behind him as Caroline went to walk beside him and she wrapped her fingers around his fingers.
The Kingdom
Caroline felt the panic moving through her as she and the others tried to find people who have gone missing and she sighed. Suddenly, she saw Daryl and Carol as she ran to them, but she stopped when she saw the look on Carol's face.
"Not now," Daryl said before she could say anything and Caroline nodded. Carol let go of Daryl as she slowly walked away and Caroline felt the anger, pain and sadness coming from her twin. "Have you heard from Alexandria, Oceanside or Hilltop?"
"Yeah. They got people missin', too," Caroline said.
"We found them."
"Where?"
"At Alpha's border line."
"Are they alright?"
"No," Daryl said with a shake of his head. Daryl started walking off as Caroline followed him and they looked straight ahead. She glanced at him, but she didn't speak then they stopped near one of the guard towers.
"What happened?" she asked after a few seconds. Sighing, he balled his hands into fists and told her. She felt her heart slamming in her chest as she growled and he watched her pacing back and forth. She stopped in front of him as she brushed the hair out of her eyes and a low growl came from her throat. "That bitch!"
"Yeah."
"What are we goin' to do now?"
"We need to figure out how to get the heads back."
"Can't we remove the pikes?"
"No," he said with a shake of his head. They stood in silence then he started walking away and she ran to walk next to him.
"I wanna help," Caroline said. He suddenly stopped, turned and he lightly placed his hands on her upper arms.
"No."
"Daryl…"
"I don't want you to see that."
"I've seen worse. Or did you forget Benji? I had to… I saw…"
He felt sadness, anger and pain coming from her as he locked eyes with his sister and she sighed.
"You had to kill him after the Walker got him?" Daryl asked and she nodded. He slid his hands up to her shoulders as she stood straighter and he gave her a serious look. "Fine. But you do what I say. If I tell you to run…"
"I'll run."
He let go of her shoulders as they headed for the gate then they headed down the road after the guard opened the gate.
Daryl led Caroline to the border pikes as she looked at the severed heads at the top of the pikes and she felt her stomach lurch. He watched her slowly walk up to the pole with Henry's head on it and she looked up at Henry's head. She swore Henry's mouth was moving as she blinked her eyes a few times then she heard someone walking up behind her. She spun around with the knife in her hand as Daryl backed up and he held his hands up in surrender.
"Sorry," she said. Nodding, he watched her place the knife back in the holder when he walked closer and they saw the others standing in front of the pikes. Gabriel and Rosita looked at them as Daryl saw the accusing look in Gabriel's eyes while Gabriel looked at Caroline and Daryl slid her behind him. Daryl walked to him as Gabriel gave him a blank look and Daryl balled his hands into fists.
"Don't," Daryl warned.
"Don't what?" Gabriel asked.
"Don't get any ideas of blamin' this on Caroline."
"How can I not blame her? She just shows up one day and now this happens. For all we know, she could have been working for Alpha."
"I know her."
"That's not good enough."
"Touch my sister…"
"Your sister!? Since when did you have a sister!?"
"Since the day I was born."
"What does that mean?"
"It means leave her alone," he growled then he walked to Caroline. Caroline had been looking at the pike as she tried to figure out how to get Henry's head down and she crossed her arms over her chest. She had felt the anger coming from Daryl as he walked closer and she titled her head to one side.
"You good?" she asked and Daryl nodded. He looked up at Henry's head when he heard something and Caroline sensed his concern.
Standing on the other side of the pike was Beta. He had some Whispers with him and Daryl saw the Whispers had long sticks in their hands. Daryl glanced over at Gabriel as Gabriel glared at Caroline and Daryl saw Gabriel lowering his hand toward his gun.
"Why are you here?" Beta asked in a low voice.
"We're here for the heads," Daryl said.
"They are here as a warning."
"Yeah, got that."
"Then leave."
"Not until you let us take the heads down."
"No."
"If you had any sense of mercy, you will let us take them down," Gabriel said as he walked closer and Beta looked at him.
"Where was your mercy when you took what was ours?" Beta asked.
"Then take her," Gabriel said and Beta frowned.
"She isn't here."
"I mean her!" Gabriel said as he pointed to Caroline. Beta looked at Caroline when he walked forward then he stopped when Caroline's knife landed inches away from his left foot.
"You wish to fight me?" Beta asked.
"Only if you come any closer," Caroline said. Beta's eyes locked with hers when he glanced over at Daryl and Beta leaned down to pick up the knife. He walked to her as he held the knife handle out toward her and she cautiously took the knife back.
"You may take them down," Beta said. After the Whispers had placed the sticks on the ground, Beta and the Whispers walked away and Daryl started walking toward Gabriel. Daryl stopped when he felt Caroline's hand on his right upper arm and he turned to look at her. She shook her head as he sighed and she moved her hand away. He gently moved away from her as Gabriel saw the anger in her eyes and she followed Daryl to the pike with Henry's head on top. Caroline went to get one of the sticks as she picked up the stick and she some nets on the ground.
"They left nets," she said. Daryl walked to her as he picked up the nets and the sticks and he handed the sticks and nets to the others. A few minutes later, they had taken the heads off the pikes and Caroline carefully lifted Henry's head off the ground. Henry's dead eyes locked with hers while his mouth opened and closed as if he was saying "Mom" and she blinked the tears out of her eyes. "Yeah. We'll take you back to yer mom."
"Here," Daryl said while he held his hands out and Caroline knew what he had to do. She handed him Henry's head when she picked up the sack and Daryl used his knife to stab Henry in the side of his head. Henry's mouth became still as Caroline watched Daryl placed Henry's head into the sack then she closed the sack. He placed the knife away after he had cleaned it then they slowly walked away.
The Kingdom
Caroline saw Carol sitting on the steps after they had burned the heads and she saw how tired and sad Carol looked. She stood in front of Carol when Carol looked up then she moved over so Caroline could sit on the step. They sat in silence when Carol looked at her and Caroline looked straight ahead.
"Daryl told me what Gabriel did," Carol said.
"I guess you think the same as he does. That I'm workin' for Alpha," Caroline said.
"Yeah, I did think that, but there was one thing which kept me from believing it."
"What was it?"
"You and Daryl have the same eyes. You also have the same heart and soul."
"What does that mean?"
"Like Daryl, you are fiercely loyal. You can say more with your face, eyes and actions then you can with words. You put everyone before yourself. And no matter what happens, you go above and beyond to do what needs to be done."
Caroline never had anyone tell her something like that. Carol saw the slightly stunned look on her face and Caroline blinked her eyes a few times.
"See. This is exactly how Daryl would react. Or he would just blow it off."
They sat in silence as Caroline removed the chocolate bar from the inner pocket of her vest and she held it out to Carol. Carol nodded as she took the chocolate bar and she opened the wrapper. She broke off a piece of chocolate then she placed the piece of chocolate in her mouth and she enjoyed the rich, sweet taste moving of her tongue.
"Henry was a good kid," Caroline said after a few second. Carol nodded as she broke off another piece of chocolate then she placed the piece of chocolate in her mouth.
"You know what we need?" Carol asked and Caroline shook her head. "We need a large bottle of wine, some more chocolate and a gallon of ice cream. Maybe a cheesecake."
Caroline arched an eyebrow as she gave her a confused look then she and Carol started laughing. Neither of them noticed Daryl watching them from the window as he turned then he walked away.
Alexandria
The gate opened while the motorcycle moved by the guard and Caroline held onto Daryl. He steered the motorcycle to the meeting house as he turned the engine off and they dismounted the motorcycle. Caroline removed the backpack from the back of the motorcycle when she placed the backpack on and they headed for the meeting hall. Daryl opened the door as they walked inside and he looked at the Council sitting at the main table. He had informed Michonne about what Gabriel had done as he glared at Gabriel and Michonne nodded for them to walk closer.
"Will someone please tell me what this is all about?" Gabriel asked.
"We're here to clear somethin' up," Daryl grumbled. Caroline took the backpack off as she opened the top of the backpack then she removed the two, large envelopes and a file folder.
"What is that?" Gabriel asked, looking at the large envelopes and the file folder
"Proof," Caroline said as she placed the large envelopes and the file folder in front of Michonne.
"Proof?"
"Yeah," Daryl said with a nod. Michonne opened the large envelopes as she looked at the adoption papers, the birth certificates, the cancelled checks, Merle's letter, the photographs of Merle, Daryl and Caroline and the photograph of Merle, Daryl and Caroline. Ezekiel had found a paperclip to hold the two pieces of the photograph together and Michonne looked at the information in the file folder. She slid everything to Siddiq as he looked at them and his eyes slightly widened. After the rest of the Council looked at the proof, Gabriel frowned and he sat back in the chair.
"Are you sure this is real?" Gabriel asked.
"Yeah, it's real," Daryl said, glaring at him.
"But…"
"Fuck," Michonne sighed. "Gabe, no offense, but are you really that blind?! Even I can see they're related."
"Even if she is Daryl's sister, it doesn't mean she isn't working for Alpha."
"For fuck sake! I am not workin' for him!" Caroline said, tossing her hands into the air.
"Wait. You think Alpha's a man?" Siddiq asked.
"Yeah. Isn't he that big asshole who wouldn't give us the heads back?"
"No, that was Beta. Alpha's a woman," Daryl said.
"Really!?"
"Yes," Siddiq said.
"Looks like you owe Caroline an apology," Michonne asked, looking at Gabriel.
"You're right," Gabriel said as he stood, walking around to the other side of the table and he stood in front of Caroline. "I'm sorry."
Caroline nodded as she and Daryl gathered the proof, placed everything back in the file folder and the large envelopes then they headed for the door. Gabriel watched them leave when Michonne walked to him and he turned to look at her.
"You know. If Rick was here, he wouldn't have needed proof. He would've seen the resemblance between them. He would've also believed her when she said she wasn't working for Alpha. As for you? He would've killed you for what you tried to do. Want my advice? I'd leave her alone. Because if anything happens to Caroline… If people start turning against her… I will kill you. Or Daryl will."
His eyes widened as she and the rest of the council left room and Gabriel sighed.
The Kingdom
The gate opened while the motorcycle moved by the guard and Caroline held onto Daryl. He steered the motorcycle toward the house when he stopped the motorcycle and he turned the engine off. Caroline dismounted the motorcycle when she went inside the house and Daryl watched her go inside.
"How did it go?" Ezekiel asked, walking to the motorcycle.
"They believed us," Daryl said.
"I'm not surprised. You have to be blind not to see that you and Caroline are family."
"You and Carol didn't see it at first."
"Uh…," he said and Ezekiel sighed. "Yeah, you're right. We didn't see it."
"You also thought she was workin' for Alpha."
"How did you know that?"
"I didn't."
Daryl dismounted the motorcycle then he headed for the stairs and Ezekiel watched him head for the door. Daryl stopped when he turned and Ezekiel looked at him.
"Caroline thought Beta was Alpha," Daryl said.
"She did?!"
"Yeah," Daryl said then he went inside, closing the door behind him. He wondered where Caroline was when something made him look at the staircase leading upstairs and he quickly ran upstairs. He walked down the hallway when he stopped in front of the doorway to Caroline's room and he felt his stomach sinking. Caroline was packing her things into the backpack as her crossbow and quiver sat on the bed and what he was feeling coming off of her made him feel like he was going to be sick. "Where're you goin'?"
"I'm goin' back to Boston," Caroline said.
"Why do you wanna go there?"
"I need to go find my real friends."
The icy tone to her voice reminded him of the first time they met and he leaned against the doorframe.
"Like the friend who gave you that cross?" he asked after a few seconds.
"Yeah."
"How are you gonna get there?"
"On my bike."
"That's not what I mean."
"I know what you mean.:"
He walked to her as she stood stone still and he slowly placed his hands on her shoulders to turn her to face him.
"Don't go," he said with a slight crack to his voice. She locked eyes with him as they had a silent conversation then she lowered her head.
"Benji told me a small rock can cause a tidal wave. I didn't get what he meant, but now I do."
"You didn't do anythin'."
"I showed up!"
"So?"
"So?! None of you believed me until we had a DNA test, we found that photo Merle left us and that fuckin' dream! It's only a matter of time before someone, probably Gabriel, will put a bullet in my brain, cuts my head off and set my body on fire!"
She moved away from him when she started packing again and she blinked the tears from her eyes.
"She was right."
"Who was?"
"Jessie! I'm nothin', but unwanted trash."
Caroline felt the anger moving off of Daryl as he growled and she closed the top of the backpack. She put the backpack on when she picked up the crossbow and the quiver then she turned to look at Daryl. He moved back as she walked by him then she went down the hallway. She headed down the stairs as he followed her then she opened the front door. She stood in the doorway when she saw Ezekiel, Carol, Jerry and the rest of the Kingdom standing near the motorcycle and Daryl appeared behind her. He could feel the anger and fear moving through her as she headed down the stairs and she stood in front of Ezekiel.
"Going somewhere?" Ezekiel asked.
"Yeah. Seein' how Gabriel's gonna turn all of you against me…" Caroline said as she paused and she looked at the crowd.
"I don't remember him doing that."
"And who cares what that asshole says. He doesn't know you like we do," Jerry said. The others nodded their heads in agreement and Caroline swallowed the lump in her throat. She looked at them when Daryl walked down the stairs to stand next to her and his fingers brushed against her fingers. Carol walked closer as Caroline slid her hand into Daryl's hand and he wrapped their fingers together.
"You have all right to leave. But you have to stop running at some point. Before you know it, you've run out of places to go," Carol said and Caroline heard the truth in her voice.
"So, are you staying?" Ezekiel asked. They waited as Caroline looked at Daryl when she let go of his hand then she handed her crossbow and quiver to Carol. Caroline removed the backpack as she placed the backpack on the ground and Ezekiel smiled. He motioned with his hands for the others to go back to what they were doing then he picked up the backpack. Daryl and Caroline watched Ezekiel and Carol go up the stairs as they went inside and the door closed behind them. Caroline looked at the motorcycle when she walked to motorcycle and she go on the motorcycle. She moved back so Daryl could get on the motorcycle then he started the motorcycle. He steered the motorcycle toward the gate when the guard opened the gate and the motorcycle moved by the guard.
The motorcycle came to a stop near the side of the road as they dismounted the motorcycle and Daryl led Caroline to the end of what appeared to be a broken bridge. They stood in silence when he glanced at her and she titled her head to one side.
"Why are we here?" she asked.
"This is the reason I ended up livin' in the forest fer six years," he said then he told her what happened to Rick. She felt the guilt and sadness coming off him as she went to sit on the ground and he sat next to her. "I didn't wanna be around people anymore. But that all changed when I ended up stayin' at Hilltop."
"Why did you stay?"
"Alpha showed up and I figured someone had to take charge."
"Or you just missed yer family."
"Maybe."
"You're lucky. I never felt like I ever had a real family. Except for Dad."
They stood in silence as the wind moved through their hair and they listened to the soft sound of the water moving over the rocks.
"So, are you ready to stop runnin'?" Daryl asked, glancing at her.
"Only if you are," she said.
"Yeah, I'm done runnin'."
They went silent as they looked at the bridge then she looked back at the motorcycle.
"Do you wanna go home?" she asked.
"Nah."
Caroline looked at the other side of the broken bridge while Daryl slid his right arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him.