Daryl groaned at the throbbing in his head as he slowly blinked awake. His eyes suddenly widened and he sat up, alert, all traces of sleep gone, as he realized it was morning. He remembered waking briefly during the night, only to get hit in the head again, knocking him out a second time.
He hoped it had only been one night. He couldn't afford to be gone longer. The thought of Rhiannon back home, wondering and worrying about him, had his chest aching.
The thought of Rhiannon was like a punch to the gut. He hoped to god she and Rick made it back to Alexandria. Those gunshots he had heard through the walkie still haunted him and his worries lingered so terrifyingly over him.
He looked down at his hands that were bound together sloppily with rope. He tensed as he looked at his surroundings, his face hardening at the woman who sat in front of him, his crossbow in her hands, pointed at his head.
Daryl sighed in resignation, knowing there would be no possible way to get himself out of the bindings and fight back.
"You gonna shoot me?"
"Depends. Are you gonna tell me what you did to her?"
Daryl's brows furrowed and he looked at the woman incredulously. "Look, lady, I don't know who the hell you are or what the fuck it is you think I did, but I got somewhere to be and I don't have time for this."
The woman scoffed and shook her head.
"If you tell me where your band of psychos are, I'll make it a painless death. If you don't tell me where my cousin is, I'll fire an arrow in your stomach and let you bleed out."
"You shoot me, the only thing that's gonna hurt is your hand when you sever it on the bowstring. You're holdin' it wrong." Daryl told her, watching with a smug satisfaction as her face dropped and she looked down at the clearly foreign weapon in her hands with dismay.
She clenched her jaw angrily and threw the crossbow to the side, pulling out a knife from her waistband as she got to her feet and strode towards him, pointing the blade in his face.
"You think this a joke?"
"I think you're bein' stupid enough for one."
"Just tell me where she is. I know she's dead, I know you killed her. Just tell me where my cousin is so I can bury her. It's the least you can give me after what your group of assholes did to us."
Daryl sighed and bowed his head, trying his best to not lose his temper at the colossal misunderstanding he was caught up in.
"Look, I told you, I ain't got a clue who you or your cousin are. I ain't who you think I am."
"Oh yeah? Prove it." She laughed slightly, as if finding it ridiculous that he would even try and worm his way out of this.
Daryl exhaled in annoyance, racking his brain for how he could possibly make her believe him.
"I come from a place, not too far. A good place with good people. My family's there, there's children, my… my wife is there." He told her, unable to keep the raw emotion out of his voice as he mentioned his wife, the love of his life that he prayed he would get to see again.
The woman rolled her eyes, unable to believe his words.
"You really expect me to believe that a man like you found a woman to marry? How do you think your little wife would feel knowing what you and your friends do after hours?"
Daryl rolled his eyes at her unwavering hatred and refusal to listen. But he couldn't help but feel unsettled by the group she was talking about, they definitely didn't sound good and the way she so adamantly wanted violent revenge was just giving him more reason to become worried.
If she was talking about the same people who shot at him, who strung up those bodies, he didn't need to be told twice that they were bad news.
"You won't get away with what you've done. You and all your friends, you're gonna burn in hell for this." She told him, her voice threatening to break as the fire in her eyes blazed through him.
Daryl bowed his head and breathed deeply in frustration.
How the fuck am I getting out of this one?
Rhiannon felt her heart jump when she woke up alone the next morning, Maggie no longer beside her. She raced down the steps and into the kitchen, her wide eyes scanning every inch of the room.
"Have you seen Maggie?"
"Think she took watch. Wanted to be there in case there was a sign of Glenn." Carl told her calmly as he fed Judith her breakfast.
Rhiannon sighed in relief, mentally kicking herself for not immediately thinking of that. She let herself relax and sat down at the table next to them, her eyes softening as Judith smiled toothlessly at her.
"Are you ok?" Carl asked tentatively.
Rhiannon felt a lump in her throat at the question. The thought of Daryl out beyond those walls had her stomach twisting, she felt downright sick at his absence.
"Nope. Are you?"
Carl just shrugged in response, his eyes falling from hers. Rhiannon eyed him curiously, his reaction making warning bells go off in her head. She reached out, placing her hand atop his comfortingly.
"I know it's scary, having all those things right outside our door. But we'll find a way, I'm sure your dad's already making a plan." She assured him, assuming the herd of walkers at their gates was what had him looking so down, but his lack of reaction told her she was wrong.
She narrowed her gaze at him questioningly.
"Carl, what-"
"Enid's gone." He blurted out, a rosy blush coming to his cheeks, like he was embarrassed to even say her name out loud.
Rhiannon looked at him in confusion, feeling lost as to where this conversation was going.
"She scaled the wall. I don't know if she's coming back."
Rhiannon couldn't help the small smile from forming that she tried to hide to save Carl's feelings.
"You like her?"
Carl sent her a dry scowl, but he couldn't stop his blush from spreading, which answered her question.
"It's not like that, she's with Ron, Jessie's son." He mumbled and Rhiannon gaped at him and shook her head.
"What is it with you Grimes men and going after taken women?"
"Ron's an asshole, he doesn't deserve her." Carl argued, making her lift a teasing brow.
"I thought you said it wasn't like that?" She teased triumphantly. Carl rolled his eyes and sighed, before finally giving in.
"Ok, yes, I like her!" He admitted dramatically, making her smirk.
"So, what? You're gonna follow in your dad's footsteps and start drama?"
Carl avoided her eyes, looking down at Judith intently. Rhiannon narrowed her gaze at him.
"Carl." She warned and he blushed even harder.
"Ron knows I like her." He said quietly. "He hates me for it."
"What does Enid think?"
"I dunno. Sometimes, when we talk, I feel like she could like me, but then she gets in this mood, she gets angry at everything I say, like she couldn't care less about me."
Rhiannon sighed and leaned forward, making Carl finally look up at her.
"From what I can tell, Enid's here alone, without her parents. And I'm guessing that's hit her pretty hard. You just do what you're doing, be there for her, as a friend. Let her realize how great you are and let her come to you, when she's ready."
"Thanks." Carl said quietly, sounding bashful still.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I was about your age when I got my first boyfriend. It's normal to feel like this."
"Oh god, please stop. My dad's already given me the puberty talk, I don't need to hear it from you too." He groaned.
"Hey, you came to me for advice, you twerp."
Carl rolled his eyes, unable to keep the smile off his face. Rhiannon laughed and stood from the table, grabbing one of Carol's cookies that lay on the plate in front of them so enticingly.
"Rhi," Carl called out before she could leave the room and she turned back to face him. "Thank you."
"Of course, Twerp."
"God, you're so lame now." He mumbled. "But seriously, don't tell anyone about this, ok?"
"It'll be our little secret." She promised him.
Rhiannon smiled at him one last time and left the house, quickly making her way to the watch point set up by the gates. She sighed, seeing Maggie standing at the post.
She'd never seen her sister like this before.
Climbing up the ladder, Rhiannon plastered on an encouraging smile as she joined her sister on the watchtower. Maggie, seeing her sister's plastic smile, rolled her eyes and gave her a look of unamusement.
"How's it going?"
"About as you'd expect." Maggie answered dryly.
"No sign of him?"
"Not yet."
Rhiannon held back a sigh and she looked out to the road in front of them, grimacing at the sight of the herd that crowded around their gates.
"How are you holding up? I'm sure this isn't how you expected to spend your first days as a married woman."
Rhiannon sucked in a breath and shook her head, slightly in disbelief at what her life looked like now. She let out a humourless laugh. "I kind of hate that this isn't even surprising."
Maggie frowned and nodded in agreement.
"I just wish, for once, we could have something good, that something would finally work for us." Rhiannon said, sadness lacing her voice.
"He'll be fine. It's Daryl, if there's anyone who can survive out there, it's him. You'll see him soon." Maggie assured her, reaching over and taking her hand in hers.
Not wanting to dwell on Daryl, she knew she wouldn't be able to talk about him for too long without letting her worries overtake her and cause her to get emotional, so she changed the subject. She looked over at her sister, a small smile forming.
"How are you feeling? Any morning sickness?"
The dead look in Maggie's eyes lifted and she was unable to keep that delighted glow from her expression at the mention of her baby.
"A little bit, hasn't gotten too bad yet."
Rhiannon smiled, hoping she wasn't showing just how much it pained her to hear. Despite how happy she was for her sister, she couldn't deny the aching in her heart, like there was an enormous hole that was missing.
Maggie looked over at her sister, her smile falling slightly as the light in her sister's eyes dimmed. It was barely noticeable, but Maggie knew her sister, she knew the little signs to look out for.
"I'm sorry."
Rhiannon sighed heavily and squeezed her eyes shut, cursing herself silently for feeling what she was feeling.
"I told you, you don't have to apologize. You never should, not about this." She assured Maggie. "I'll get over it, I know I will. I just feel like I haven't even really had a chance to."
"Can I… what is it about… that's making you hurt?" Maggie stammered nervously, feeling like her question was overstepping, or would just make her sister hurt more.
"Honestly, I'm not even sure." Rhiannon admitted quietly. "I guess… realizing it was something I wanted, really wanted, and then… it was gone."
Maggie stayed silent and reached out, placing her hand over Rhiannon's.
"Honestly, I think I miss what could have been more than anything." She continued. "Dad was so happy when I told him. I'm sad that my baby won't grow up with their grandpa or their auntie Beth."
Both sisters had tears in their eyes at the mention of their family. It was heartbreaking and hard to believe they were the only Greene's left. Rhiannon came to a realization suddenly. She had lost her father, her baby and her sister so close together. When she mourned one, she mourned them all.
She realized when she looked at Judith and felt that ache in her chest, it wasn't just because she had lost her baby, it was because she lost her father and her sister and even if she did have the chance to get pregnant again, they wouldn't be a part of it.
It would never be the same and it made her want to break down all over again.
Rhiannon's eyes looked out onto the long stretch of road in front of Alexandria, wishing she would see Daryl, wishing he was making his way back to her.
She longed for him, she always would, but more when she thought of their baby that never was.
She exhaled shakily when the sight in front of her remained the same.
"Have you eaten anything yet?" Rhiannon asked, changing the subject.
"I had an apple this morning."
Rhiannon scowled at Maggie halfheartedly. "You need more than that. I'll get you something." She leaned over, pressing a kiss to Maggie's cheek and started to make her way down the ladder before her sister could argue.
Maggie watched her sister go and rolled her eyes as she held back a laugh at her antics. She figured she'd have to get used to this, she knew Rhiannon was going to be more protective than ever.
As Rhiannon was walking back to the house, Rick approached her, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Do you have a minute?"
"Sure, what's up?"
Rick sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "You know those people that ambushed us in the RV?"
"How could I forget?" Rhiannon drawled sarcastically, but Rick's hardened expression didn't budge, making her shoulders tense at his seriousness.
"Carol said she saw Morgan during the attack, he let some of them go, refused to kill them."
Rhiannon sucked in a breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was sure a stress headache would be along soon enough.
"Have you talked to Morgan about it?"
"Was just about to. You wanna come, say your piece?"
Rhiannon huffed out an unenthused laugh. "Don't think I could be as cordial as you or Michonne could be about this. He could've gotten us killed."
"I know, I know." Rick said quietly, a contemplative look in his eye.
Rhiannon sighed, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. "Is this what we've come to? Scolding people when they don't kill?" She asked uneasily.
"It is when their actions put people in danger." Rick answered simply.
Rhiannon nodded slowly. She wanted to know how the hell Morgan could possibly rationalize letting any of the 'wolves' go, but she didn't think she could handle any more drama, she had enough to worry about.
"Look, however you decide to handle this, you got my support. Morgan's a good guy, but I'm gonna be selfish on this one and say I value my life more than his morals."
Rick looked at her, his eyes softening when he saw the bags under hers. He didn't want to drag her into this, not now. He reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch and his eyes widened, remembering her injury.
"You didn't get that looked at yet, did you?" He stated, his tone not even posed as a question. He already knew she hadn't.
"I will later, when there's not a storm of shit headed our way." She rationalized, making him roll his eyes at her sense of logic.
"Daryl's gonna be pissed."
The mention of him had a rush of butterflies fill her and a weak smile grew at the thought of him.
"I know he will."
Daryl's throat was achingly dry. He watched, his eyes flaring with jealousy as the woman in front of him took a long swig from the water bottle she held.
The woman turned her gaze to him contemplatively, pausing for a few moments before finally giving in. With a heavy sigh, she reached out, handing the bottle towards him.
"It's not poison." She told him with a roll of her eyes when he hesitated.
Daryl held back a snarky comment and took the bottle from her hands, taking a much needed swallow of the cool water. He sighed in relief, already feeling a thousand times better.
"How long you plannin' on keepin' this up?" He asked her.
"Why, you got places to be?" She remarked sarcastically.
"Yeah, I do. I got a family to get back to, a community to get back to and it sure as hell ain't the one you're thinkin' of."
"Your community, what's it called?"
Daryl scowled at her, untrusting of her, given the weapon that was pointed at him. He didn't want to tell her where he lived, where everyone he cared about lived.
"Come on, you wanna prove to me you aren't who I know you are, then tell me."
"I don't trust you." He told her straight.
The woman eyed him curiously and shook her head, letting the question go.
"What is it you think I did?" He finally asked, the question having been on his mind all day.
"You want me to give you all the gory details? You get off on that?"
Daryl rolled his eyes. She was really starting to piss him off.
"I'll tell you what you did. Your friends raided our camp, dragged us back to theirs, kept us in cages like animals, made us run for our lives like it was a game, like we were nothing more than a game to you." She explained, tears forming in her eyes as she spoke.
Daryl felt his stomach twisting uncomfortably. He hoped this woman was just plain crazy, that that kind of group didn't really exist.
"They got to my cousin first. She told me to keep running so I did. I ran until I couldn't hear her screaming anymore." She cried, furiously wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"I'm sorry."
The woman looked up, a look of disbelief on her face at his words.
"What?"
"I said I'm sorry." Daryl said again and the woman's face twisted as she cried, turning her body away from him so he wouldn't see, though it was no use.
The men who had taken her and her cousin were bad men. They were psychotic. They would laugh at their pain, find joy in their tears. They never once showed any human emotion towards them, ever.
She knew one of them would never, ever say sorry or feel genuine remorse for anything. But the man in front of her now, she could see the genuine look in his eyes through his shaggy hair. It took her aback.
"What's your name?"
"Daryl."
She didn't know why she needed to know, it didn't make her thoughts any less confusing.
"Give me a reason why I should believe anything you've said."
Daryl sighed, coming up blank, unable to find a reason. He suddenly tensed, maybe if she didn't believe him, she'd believe someone else. He shifted, his bound hands raising and she reacted quickly, the knife in her hands coming closer to his face.
"Ok, easy." He backed away from her. "If you look in my vest pocket, you'll find it."
"Find what?"
"The reason." He said shortly.
The woman looked suspicious but leaned forward, carefully reaching into the pocket over his heart. She looked down at the polaroid photo and her doubts grew tenfold.
"That's my wife. Her name's Rhiannon. We met at the start of this when my group found her family. She's my reason. She's the reason I'm still goin', why I'm tryin' my fucking hardest to be a good man."
"And what's this?" She held up the folded piece of paper and watched with blatant curiosity as the rugged man before her blushed. He actually blushed.
"It's uhh-" He cleared his throat, looking down nervously. "We got married a couple days ago. We ain't got no shit to make it legal, so she made one herself."
The woman unfolded the paper and looked at the names that were signed, the one last name crossed out to match the one that followed his name.
She looked up at the man with a look of confliction. He had a small smile on his face, like he was unable to mention the woman, his wife, without breaking out into a smile. That only made her doubt grow until it was the only thing she could think of.
"We started in Georgia. Lived anywhere we could find. Stayed in a prison for a while, until we lost it. Made it here, to Virginia only 'bout a month ago." He explained. "Look, believe me or don't, but I am tellin' you I ain't who you're lookin' for. Ain't gonna get closure from killin' me."
He sounded so genuine, so real and she found it harder and harder to dispute. But she needed to be sure. After what she'd been through, she couldn't afford to make mistakes, to trust too easily.
"What's your wife's middle name?"
"Aida." He answered without hesitation. She narrowed her eyes slightly, it wasn't a name she'd ever heard before and she was quick to wonder if he just made it up on the fly.
"Her family's Irish." Daryl explained, noting the look of disbelief in her eyes.
"Does she have siblings?"
"Two sisters, Maggie and Beth, both younger. We...lost Beth a couple months back." Daryl explained, the grief in his voice twisting that knife of doubt in her gut even more.
"What did she do before all this started?"
"She was a dancer at some fancy ballet studio in New York."
Her breathing stuttered. He answered the questions with ease, with unnecessary detail no one would have thought of on the fly. The woman was real, he was telling the truth.
He couldn't have been who she thought he was.
The woman looked at him intently, her eyes filling with tears. She was finally realizing her mistake. It hit hard knowing she wouldn't get her revenge, she wouldn't get her justice.
She bowed her head, hoping he wouldn't see her starting to lose control of her emotions.
Daryl's gaze softened when he noticed the woman begin to break down. No matter how annoyed he was at her, there was a part of him that felt for her. If someone from his family was killed, brutally, he'd want revenge.
Hell, if it were Rhiannon that had gotten hurt, he'd tie up every asshole he'd come across to get justice. He didn't blame her, not in the slightest. He understood her.
"What's your name?" He asked her quietly, making her lift her gaze, her watery eyes meeting his again.
"Julia."
Daryl nodded slowly, biting his lip. "You believe me, don't you?"
Julia's face twisted as more tears fell down her cheeks. "I do." She let out a bitter laugh. "Fuck, I believe you. Am I stupid for that?"
"Nah. Frst time today you ain't been stupid."
She huffed out a laugh at his blunt words and ran a shaking hand through her tangled hair.
"You, uhh, wanna untie me now or what?" Daryl asked, holding out his bound hands towards her.
Julia blushed and reached forward, cutting his ties off his wrists swiftly. She'd never been so embarrassed to be wrong before.
"I'm sorry." She muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Don't be, I get it. I'd do the same for the people I love."
Julia sniffled, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"I'm sorry too, 'bout your cousin." Daryl offered, slightly awkwardly. Julia nodded in thanks, the lump in her throat keeping her from responding. Daryl eyed her carefully for a few moments before making his decision.
"How many walkers have you killed?"
Rhiannon left the watch point for the third time that day. Maggie had complained about how hot it was and to her big sister, that meant tracking down a cool glass of water ASAP before she passed out from heat exhaustion.
Rhiannon was sure she was already becoming unbearable, but she wasn't willing to give anything less.
"Hey!"
She turned on her heel, an involuntary smile coming to her face when she saw Rob coming towards her.
"Hey." She greeted him happily. It was easy to forget all the horrors that daunted them when with Rob. He had that kind of power to render her nothing but happy when she was with him.
"How are you holding up?" He asked, placing his hand on the small of her back comfortably as they walked.
Rhiannon sucked in a breath and shrugged.
"About as good as you would expect."
Rob cringed slightly, he didn't expect a different answer, but that didn't mean it was any easier to hear it.
"I'm sorry. I know this isn't how you wanted to spend your honeymoon. You and Daryl should be holed up in your room, breaking your bed."
Rhiannon let out a loud laugh and raised her brows. "I'm not disagreeing." She mumbled. She would have much preferred that to be on her to-do list, rather than 'deal with the enormous herd outside the gates' and 'worry about your new husband'.
"How's Jen?" She asked hesitantly, her worry for her friend growing the longer she didn't see her, just adding to the many other worries she had that threatened to push her over the edge of unable to function.
"She's… it's bad. Jack still isn't talking, he's barely even looking at Jenelle. He's terrified and those walkers at our gates aren't helping." Rob answered grimly.
Rhiannon felt so disheartened, so upset to know that that lovely kid she'd already grown to love had been exposed to the harsh realities of the world and was hurting because of it. And Jenelle, her best friend, to know she felt so helpless, so scared because of her actions, which allowed her to remain living, was a punch to the gut.
She hated that her friends were exposed to this world in such a harsh way.
"Rhi!"
A loud voice called out, catching her off guard. Instinctively, her hand reached for her weapon on her back, before she saw Maggie running towards her.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? You can't be running around-"
Maggie ran past her, grabbing her hand to drag her along with her as she raced towards the gates, Rob following behind them in confusion.
"Maggie, what the hell?" Rhiannon yelled as she let her sister pull her along.
"It's Glenn!" Maggie yelled, pointing towards the sky.
Rhiannon followed her gaze and her breath stuttered, a hand covering her mouth to stifle her whimpered cry of relief as she saw the pile of green balloons floating over Alexandria. It was Glenn, it was his sign, his call to them that he was ok.
Rhiannon smiled, a light laugh escaping her at the relief that washed over her so greatly. "Thank god." She muttered to herself.
Maggie ran forward, assuring Rick of the sign Glenn had sent.
Suddenly, everyone's smiles simultaneously fell as a loud creaking was heard. Rhianon looked up, her brows furrowing worriedly at the sound. She watched in horror, her hand reaching out on reflex, taking Rob's in her own as they watched the tower splinter and fall.
It was like it moved in slow motion as it fell, crashing through the steel walls of Alexandria. Rhiannon covered her face, coughing and waving her hand in front of her to clear the dust from her vision.
Her eyes widened when she heard the first growls hit her ears and she realized the wall was down. Alexandria was compromised.
Her eyes widened with terror and she moved forward, wanting nothing more than to get to Maggie and protect her with everything she had left in her, but a sturdy arm around her waist stopped her.
Rob held her to him tightly and began to walk backwards, his wide eyes watching as walkers began to make their way inside the community.
"No!" Rhiannon screamed in protest. "I have to get Maggie! Let go of me!"
"Come on." He muttered, dragging her with him as he ran back to his house, ignoring Rhiannon who was kicking squirming, trying to worm her way out of his tight grip.
"Rob, please! I can't leave her, I have to get her!" Rhiannon cried desperately.
Her words were a dagger in his heart. He'd never heard her sound so scared before.
"It's ok, Maggie's ok, but we gotta move!" He yelled at her, dodging the walkers that came closer to them.
Rob was able to carry Rhiannon the rest of the way, her soft cries of protest making each step feel heavier and heavier. He didn't know if Maggie was ok, he hadn't seen where she had gone, but he had to get Rhiannon away. He knew she would walk straight into danger, into death, for her sister and he had to stop it, stop her, from risking her life.
Rob ran as fast as he could with her weight wrapped around him, but he eventually made it to his house, racing up the porch steps, his heart pounding.
Rhiannon cried, covering her face with her hands the second the door slammed closed behind them and he let her go.
"Rob, I can't leave her, I have to see her, I have to make sure she's ok." She rambled frantically.
"Maggie's ok. She's smart, she would've found somewhere to hide." Rob assured her, taking her hands in his tightly. "It's ok, just breathe. It's gonna be ok."
"W-what's going on? What was that noise?" Jenelle asked, making her way down the stairs to meet them, her eyes wide and frightened at hearing their commotion.
Rob sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose tightly. "The wall's breached. Walkers got in."
"What?" Jenelle yelled, moving towards the window to get a look for herself.
"What the hell's going on?"
Rhiannon blanched, her stomach dropping at the sound of a different voice making its way towards them. Her eyes widened as she saw Alex walk into the room, the familiar redhead, his new girlfriend, she supposed, just a step behind him.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" She asked fiercely, her glare locked onto him.
"I was just here for a quick visit, I wanted to make sure Jack was ok." He answered her, crossing his arms over his chest as he scowled at her. "Now, what's this about a breach?"
"Walkers are flooding the streets. We need to barricade the door, cover the windows and make sure we stay quiet." Rob ordered, getting right to business.
"Are you fucking kidding me with this?" Rhiannon muttered under her breath. Her luck was especially dismal lately.
They all got to work, making sure the house stayed secure. Rhiannon made sure to avoid Alex and his girlfriend as best she could, giving a wide berth any time they walked by each other. But she knew she wouldn't be able to keep the disdainful glare off her face.
"Are you ok?" Jenelle whispered to her as they hung up blankets over the windows together.
"Nope." Rhianon answered simply. "I'd rather be out there, getting my guts devoured than be in here with him."
Jenelle winced at the thought. She looked back at Alex and bit her lip nervously. She desperately hoped he wouldn't be immature about this and keep to himself.
"Cassie's a nice girl. I think she'll be able to keep him from being an ass."
Rhiannon spared a look over her shoulder at the couple. "So that's her name." She mumbled. "Does she know… about us, why we broke up or why Daryl beat the shit out of him?"
"I don't think so."
Rhiannon felt another wave of hatred wash over her. The poor woman had no idea the kind of man she was with. She wanted nothing more than to break the news to Cassie and watch Alex get his ass handed to him.
"Don't say anything." Jenelle told her sternly, knowing where her mind was going. "Now is the last possible time to air that shit out."
Rhiannon sighed loudly, clearly annoyed, but she couldn't deny that Jenelle was right. "Fine." She finally agreed.
"W-what are we supposed to do? What if they get in, where are we supposed to go?" Cassie spoke up, her voice shaking with fear.
"They're not gonna get in, not if we stay quiet and careful." Rhiannon said, her tone harsher than was needed, but she didn't exactly have full control of her anger at the moment. "Do you have any weapons here?"
Rhiannon had her sword, she knew Rob carried a gun, but if walkers broke through, that wouldn't be enough.
"I have a rifle in my room." Jenelle told her, making Rhiannon look at her in surprise. "After the ambush yesterday, I took one, just in case."
Rhiannon nodded, giving her friend a grateful nod of the head. "I'll go upstairs, see what I can see."
Alex rolled his eyes. "What you're gonna see is walkers in the streets, there's no point."
"I need to know that my family got inside. You might not care about other people, but I do. I'm going." Rhiannon snapped back at him angrily. Without another word, she stormed upstairs, not bothering to look back at the others.
Footsteps followed her up the stairs and a hand on her arm stopped her. Rhiannon grit her teeth and turned to face Rob, raising a questioning brow at him.
"Are you sure that's where you need to be right now?"
"I need to be as far away from that man as I can."
Rob's face turned down into a frown and he nodded. "Ok, whatever you need."
Rhiannon sighed and reached out, squeezing his hand tightly. "I'll be ok, I just can't be around him." She assured him.
Turning on her heel, she continued to make her way upstairs. She wished she could push Alex out the door, to never hear his voice again or have his eyes on her again. She shoved the door to Jenelle's room open and she stopped in her tracks, her tight expression of anger dissipating when she noticed Jack at her bedroom window, his little body rigid with fear as he looked out at the herd in their community.
"Jack? What are you doing in here?" She called out softly.
"I heard yelling. Mommy always said to come in here and hide when there's trouble."
Rhiannon approached him slowly, kneeling down beside him. Her eyes looked out the window and a shiver rushed down her spine at the sight of the streets flooded with walking corpses.
"You shouldn't be seeing this."
She closed the curtains, cutting off his view of the horror below them.
"Are more bad men coming?" Jack asked, his voice barely above a whisper, she almost didn't hear him.
"No, they're all gone. Your mom made sure of that." Rhiannon told him, hoping he would realize that despite the violence, Jenelle did the right thing, that she protected him.
"Mommy was angry. She hurt that man."
"Your mom was protecting you. The man was bad, he was hurting people and your mom stopped him."
Jack nodded slowly, though his expression was still troubled. He was still scared. The tears she saw in his eyes made Rhiannon want to cry herself.
"Are we gonna die?"
The sound of his tiny, innocent voice saying those words was like a dagger in her heart.
"No, no one's dying today. Not you, not your mom, not your uncle Rob, no one."
"Are you sure?"
Rhiannon frowned and reached forward, taking Jack's hand in hers and wiping the tears that fell down his cheeks.
"I'm sure. I'm gonna do everything I can to keep you all safe."
"Who's gonna protect you?"
Rhiannon's eyes widened and she couldn't help the small smile that grew at his concern for her. "We'll all protect each other. That's what families do."
"We're related?" He asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"Well, not by blood. But that doesn't mean you aren't family."
Jack smiled softly and nodded.
"Why don't you go downstairs and be with your mom. I think she could use a hug right now."
Jack suddenly looked hesitant again, that look of uncertainty back in his eyes.
"You wanna know a secret?" Rhiannon lowered her voice, causing him to lean in and eagerly nod. "You have a magical power, did you know that?" Jack shook his head, looking at her excitedly. "Anytime you hug someone, all their sadness goes away."
"How?"
"It's magic and only you have that magical power."
Jack smiled widely and suddenly lunged forward, hugging Rhiannon tightly.
"Did it work?" He asked, looking up at her expectantly.
Rhiannon let out a light laugh and nodded. "You did it."
Jack let go and quickly ran out the door. "I have to go tell Mommy!" He yelled excitedly as he raced downstairs to see her.
Rhiannon smiled as he left, feeling less burdened knowing that sweet child was ok, that the attack the day before and the trauma he endured wouldn't scar him forever.
Her body suddenly tensed again, the shred of light she'd felt with Jack soon fading as she peered out the window, eyeing the herd outside their door. She grabbed the rifle that was leaning against Jen's closet door, checking to make sure it was fully loaded, and swung it over her shoulder.
As carefully as she could, she opened the window and slowly climbed out. She tested her weight on the roof. She knew it was sturdy, but her paranoid mind conjured a million ways this could go wrong.
She slowly crawled out onto the roof and raised the rifle, looking through the scope as she scanned the flooded streets. A sigh of relief escaped her when she didn't see any crowds of walkers feeding, or any bodies left on the streets.
They made it inside. Her family was safe.
Where was Maggie?
The thought had her stomach turning and her eyes frantically searched every inch of the street below her. She had been by the gates, near the watch point. If she hadn't made it inside, that was her best bet.
It was far, but Rhiannon had to try, she had to know.
She pointed the rifle, checking the scope. Her heart stuttered and a shaking breath escaped her when she saw a figure at the watch point. She narrowed her gaze, unable to make out the blurry figure from far away.
It had to be her.
It wasn't certain, but it was the only sign she had that her sister was ok.
Rhiannon didn't know why, but she found comfort out on the roof. The roar of the walkers below her didn't completely terrify like she thought they would. Her mind was too preoccupied to really be uneasy about it.
Her worry for her sister and Glenn, her worry for Daryl, the rest of her family, and her anger over Alex's presence clouded every other emotion she could have been feeling.
She stayed on the roof, alone, for hours. She shot the occasional walker that got too close to a home to make sure crowds didn't form and break down doors or windows. It was the least she could do to feel like she was being at all productive.
The sun was just beginning to set when footsteps behind her caught her attention. She looked over her shoulder and her face dropped, a scowl overtaking her features as she saw Alex crawl out the window and take a seat beside her.
"What the fuck are you doing out here?"
"You'd really sit out here with walkers just to avoid me?"
Rhiannon shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, I thought that was obvious."
Alex scoffed in amusement, making her roll her eyes.
"You know, I'm about five seconds away from throwing myself off this roof, so why don't you save me some trouble and leave."
"I just wanted to talk. You haven't exactly given me any chance to."
"Wonder why." Rhiannon muttered sarcastically.
"I just want to clear the air, ok?" He said, sounding like he was almost pleading. He jumped suddenly when Rhiannon fired off a shot at a walker below. He looked over at her in disbelief and shook his head. "You've really changed."
"Yeah, that's what's gotta happen to survive."
He raised his hands in surrender. "Didn't say it was a bad thing. You're pretty badass now."
Rhiannon looked over at him in confusion, a hint of disgust in her gaze at his compliment. "What are you trying to do here?"
"Nothing-"
"Bullshit." Rhiannon interrupted. "You hurt me, more than any other person I'd ever met. I'm not just gonna forgive and forget that. And I'm married. I'm with a man who I love more than anything and you have a girlfriend, one that somehow hasn't realized you're a piece of shit yet, so maybe go spend your time with her and stop trying to get back in my pants before she figures that out."
Alex's face darkened and he shook his head. "You're a piece of work, you know that?"
"Yeah, I do."
Alex paused, biting his lip erratically. He hadn't wanted this to turn into a fight. He took a deep breath and turned his gaze back to her. "I'm not that guy anymore."
Rhiannon rolled her eyes. She found that hard to believe. He had caused nothing but trouble ever since she got to Alexandria.
"Honestly, I'm clean. I went to rehab after we broke up and I've been sober ever since."
Rhiannon stayed silent, not having anything to say to him.
"Look, what I did to you… it was… I can't believe I was capable of that. I hated myself for it and when I realized I had lost you forever and seeing you with that redneck, I got bitter."
Rhiannon clenched her jaw at his tone when he mentioned Daryl.
"Alex, you realize you've never actually apologized, right?" Rhiannon called him out. "And good for you for not actively trying to kill yourself by putting that shit in your body, but you're perfectly capable of being this 'new you' without me. I don't owe you anything and you don't need to prove anything to me."
Alex sighed heavily. This conversation wasn't going how he anticipated. He wanted her back and he thought showing he was different, that he wasn't that drug addict she once knew would convince her.
"What can I do to make it right?"
"Leave me alone." Rhiannon told him simply. "Go be with Cassie, try not to fuck it up and stay away from me and Daryl."
Alex grit his teeth. She was always difficult. Without another word, he stood and made his way back inside.
Once he was gone, Rhiannon exhaled deeply, finally feeling like she could relax her tense body without him there at her side.
She sat alone again, mulling over his words over and over again. She hated him, she hated everything about him and she was starting to feel embarrassed she'd ever looked at him with anything but hatred.
She stewed in her anger well until after the sun fell and it became dark.
With the scope raised to her eye, she surveyed the street in front of her, trying hard to see through the darkness. Suddenly, the bone chilling sound of screaming startled her. She raised her head, her eyes wide with fear.
As carefully as she could, she slowly stepped across the roof, making her way to the other side of the house to see the street over. The sound of a gunshot had her flinching, almost making her drop her rifle.
She got into place and raised her weapon to look through the scope. Her stomach dropped when she noticed two groups of walkers crowded together. They were feeding.
Her eyes narrowed as she noticed three bodies standing still. The sheriff's hat was unmistakable. Almost as soon as she recognized Carl, she saw him fall to the ground. Her mouth dropped open, a scream of horror forming but unable to escape as her insides felt like they were twisting together.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck." She muttered frantically, trying to steady her shaking hands as she aimed the rifle. She watched with agony as Rick gathered his son in his arms, Michonne mowing down the walkers that crowded them.
They needed to get to the infirmary.
Rhiannon sucked in a breath and pulled the trigger, making a walker that was coming at Michonne fall at her feet.
Michonne stopped in her tracks, her head raising and her eyes frantically searching for where that shot had come from.
Another walker fell in front of Rick who looked around just as confused and frantic.
"There!" Michonne called out, pointing to a rooftop where she saw that familiar head of blonde hair. "It's Rhiannon." She breathed out, relief lacing her voice.
"Come on, she's givin' us a path."
They ran as quickly as they could, sending a silent thank you to the woman that shot every walker that got close to getting in their way.
Rhiannon let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when they made it inside the infirmary. She blinked rapidly, willing the tears in her eyes not to fall. Carl was hurt, that was all she knew, and it was enough to make her feel weak.
If anything happened to him… she couldn't even think about it.
Just seconds later, a figure racing out of the infirmary caught her peripheral vision. She focused her gaze and her jaw dropped when she saw Rick, with nothing but an axe in his hands, start to take out the herd, all on his own.
"Shit." She whispered.
She moved quickly, thanking her years of dance training for the ability to balance as she practically ran across the roof and crawled back inside the window. With heavy footsteps, she thundered her way down the stairs to meet the others.
"What's going on?"
"Carl's hurt. Rick's taking on the herd. We gotta go help him." She rambled, throwing the rifle off her shoulder and reached for her sword.
"What? Are you crazy? We can't take those things on, there's hundreds of them." Alex argued back.
"Then stay here if you're too scared. I'm going." Rhiannon shot back and without another word, she dragged the couch that had been pressed against the door away and stepped outside.
Rhiannon was like a machine as she slashed her way through walker after walker. It only took a few minutes until she made it by Rick's side. He startled, raising his weapon when he saw her, but quickly lowered it when he realized it was her and not a walker.
He sighed in relief, the gratitude on his face clear. He nodded to her and she nodded back, each of them standing back to back as they fought for their home.
Soon, Michonne was racing towards them, fighting at their sides. It wasn't long until others joined them and soon almost all of Alexandria was fighting. Rhiannon smiled when she saw Rob and Jenelle fighting their way towards them, taking a stance they never had before.
Rhiannon didn't tire, she didn't know if it were the adrenaline or the fear that kept her moving without any sign of slowing down, but she was thankful for it. She moved methodically, swinging her sword viciously, each strike taking down a walker.
From across the community, Daryl's watched in horror as the truck pulled in through the gates. He looked over at Julia beside him whose eyes were wide with fear. She looked over at him incredulously.
"This is where you live?"
"It ain't usually like this." He muttered sheepishly.
His head turned, his eyes frantically searching through the crowds of bodies they passed. His heart raced and he clenched his hands into fists tightly to keep them from shaking. He couldn't see her.
He could see people fighting, he knew his wife was out there, amongst them and he couldn't see her.
Just a street over, Rhiannon was fighting with all her might. She heard growling behind her and turned on her heel, lunging to swing her sword at the walker behind her when it fell, Merle's concocted knife attachment, stabbing it before she could.
She let out a heavy breath, feeling relieved to see him still standing.
"You ok, Bambi?"
"Yeah, you?"
"I'm fine and dandy." Merle yelled sarcastically and went back to viciously stabbing every walker he saw.
Rhiannon panted with effort as she kept fighting. Suddenly, the darkness of the night was gone as a burst of orange light lit up the sky.
"What the fuck is that?"
"I dunno, but it's workin'! Push 'em back!" Rick yelled.
The walkers stumbled right into the burning lake, catching fire the second they did. The ones that didn't fall into the trap were taken down by the people of Alexandria, the numbers dwindling rapidly.
Rhiannon didn't know what to expect when she stormed out to help Rick take down the herd. All she knew was that he was alone and he needed help. But now, seeing there were only a handful of walkers left, it finally sunk in just what they had done.
She hadn't thought of mowing a herd down hand to hand when she'd thrown herself head first into danger. It had seemed too impossible to be able to work.
She was rolling her eyes at herself now. She should've known better than to have underestimated her family.
There was a single walker in front of her, she grit her teeth and rushed forward, slamming her sword into its head. At the same moment, another blade protruded from the walker's skull. Her eyes widened and as she pulled her weapon back, letting the body fall to the ground, her eyes met those bright blue eyes she'd been longing to see for days.
Daryl stood in front of her, his chest heaving with effort. As soon as he'd found her, he'd stormed his way towards her and the sight of the walker in front of her was enough to send murderous rage coursing through him and he made it his new mission to kill the walker.
"Daryl." She breathed out in disbelief, letting her sword fall from her hands. She smiled widely, letting out a soft cry, unable to keep her emotions at bay as pure relief washed over her so strongly. She launched herself forward, jumping into his waiting arms.
Daryl let his eyes fall closed blissfully as he held her tightly, almost lifting her right off the ground. It felt like a fever dream, being back in her arms after everything they'd been through in such a short amount of time.
"Love you, fucking love you, so much." He whispered into the crook of her neck, neither of them minding the blood and gore that covered them head to toe.
Rhiannon let her tears flow freely, her hands tangling in his messy hair. She let out a shaking breath, finally allowing herself to relax in his embrace.
"Missed you." She mumbled quietly.
"Missed you too, darlin', you got no idea."
He pulled away slightly, just enough for him to crash his lips to hers fiercely. Rhiannon moaned against him, in awe of the feeling of ecstasy that followed at his touch. He never failed to make it feel like the first time.
Rhiannon and Daryl didn't care about the thousands of walker corpses that littered the ground around them. All that mattered to them was each other. The days of hell were over, the quarry was dealt with and they could finally relax.
Daryl was back in her arms and her reign of horror and worry was over, finally.
"You're not allowed to leave Alexandria, ever." She told him, holding onto the lapels of his vest tightly once they finally pulled away from each other.
Daryl smiled and leaned down, letting his forehead rest against hers.
"You got it, Darlin'."
Rhiannon smiled and pulled him down, pressing her lips to his again. She didn't care if they had an audience, she didn't care about the dead bodies around them, or the fire that was still raging on the lake.
All that mattered was Daryl, that her husband was back, safe and sound.
It was easy to forget about everything that was stressing her out just hours before. The walkers didn't exist, the longing for a baby didn't exist, the jealousy she felt for her sister didn't exist, and Alex certainly didn't exist.
Not with Daryl's strong arms wrapped around her tightly.
Hope you all liked the chapter! And as always, thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review! xx
