It was a few hours before dark when the beat-up truck and motorcycle pulled into the old abandoned quarry. All three Dixons made quick work of unloading only the bare necessities. Evie started setting up the tents while Daryle got a fire going before setting off into the woods for some squirrels. Merle, meanwhile, grabbed a couple of empty buckets and made his way down to collect water from the bottom of the quarry. Merle was back first, setting the buckets by the fire before pulling out a pot to boil the water.

In short order, Evie had both tents set up and was working on inflating the air mattresses. Just because they could sleep in a bag on the ground didn't mean they had to since they had something better.

"Uncle Merle." She called out as she exited the big tent.

"Yeah?" he called out as he leaned back in the camping chair he'd pulled from the truck as he waited for the water to boil and be drinkable.

"You and Daddy take the big tent." She said as she made her way back to the truck for the air mattress for her own smaller tent. "Got you both set up with your own sleeping bags on top of air mattresses."

"You don't wanna share with ya daddy?" He asked, tilting his head back to look at her.

"I'm sixteen now Uncle Merle." She said with a roll of her eyes once her back was turned as she ducked into the smaller tent. "I don't jump at shadows anymore and I doubt my daddy wants to be surrounded by his little girl's bra and panties when I hang them up in here to dry after washing." She called out through the thin material of her temporary shelter.

"Fair enough." merle answered with a chuckle as he remembered the weekend Daryl had seen her underthings when she was packing for a gymnastics meet and he just so happened to be the one taking her. Daryl had just about had a stroke seeing his daughter pack that much, or little depending on how you looked at it, lace.

To be fair, neither Dixon brother was very please with the knowledge that little Evie wasn't so little any longer.

It wasn't too much more time before Evie had everything set up for the tents with the bags of their personal effects deposited into the appropriate tent. Once done with that first task, she started pulling out canned goods to go with whatever meat her dad caught, and just as she was sitting down in a chair next to Merle she heard her Dad coming back toward them.

"Tents are set." She called out. "You and Uncle Merle in the big one, me in the little one."

"Alright." he said as he sat down and started gutting and skinning the squirrels, Merle moving to help.

"If we're going to be here a while we should set some snares." Evie said as she dug out the cooking utensils.

"Good idea, Evie-girl." Merle said with a nod.

"You can set those tomorrow." Daryl said with a nod to his daughter.

"Will do." She said as she started getting the cans of vegetables to go in the stew with the squirrel meat.

After a decent meal, all three Dixsons retired to their own respective tents, and for two of them, sleep didn't come quickly.

Evie lay awake thinking about her mother and how she would never see her or speak to her again. Memories of growing up ran through the teenager's mind. The last words they spoke. The last hug her mother had given her. The last piece of advice her mother gave her.

-FLASHBACK-

"Mom, why are guys such asses?" Evie asked as she sat on the couch sharing a tub of cake frosting with her mother. It was their monthly mother-daughter date night.

"How do you mean baby?" Jo asked, giving her a curious look. "Some boy giving you trouble?"

"Not really." Evie said as she took another spoon of icing. "The last bot that asked me out didn't like that a tiny little girl showed him up when we went hunting." She said with a small laugh before remembering something. "Actually no. That was the time before. The last boy that asked me out was that guy that wanted to take me to his prom and then when he came to pick me up, Daddy and Uncle Merle were here and scared the crap out of him."

Jo laughed remembering both instances. The Dixon brothers were tickled pink when Daryl's baby girl showed up that cocky city boy who didn't think a girl would be able to hold her own in the woods.

Jo had hated Merle when she first met the older Dixon and refused to let him be around Evie. She'd thrown hundreds of fits and argued with Daryl over him but Merle had kept coming around. And now even though Jo still didn't like Merle personally, she knew that he loved and would do anything for Evie. That girl had both rough, asshole Dixons wrapped so tight around her finger that she was the center of their world.

"I remember those. The look on that on boy's face, pretty sure he wet his rented tux." Jo said in amusement. "As far as for guys, there will always be ones that chase you for that pretty face of yours. Some will look at you like you're the best thing they've seen all their life, at least while you're all dolled up. Others will look at you like that when you're in those gymnastics leotards and that's all they see. The trick is to find the one that thinks you're the most beautiful thing he's ever seen no matter where you are or what you're doing. The one that thinks you're just as pretty in dirty camo as you are jammies or jeans." Jo finished sagely.

"Makes sense. I don't want to be anyone's trophy and it isn't my fault not everyone is raised in the woods like a Dixon is." Evie said.

"Exactly baby." Jo said with a nod. "And anyone that catches and wants to keep you has your Daddy and Uncle to contend with, poor guy," Jo finishes with a laugh.

"Really though. Pretty sure Daddy missed the memo that I'm growing up." Evie said with a roll of her eyes.

"Baby, he got it then trashed it." Jo laughed. "Though any guy worth your time or heart will be willing to face your Daddy. Because that means you're worth getting shot for." Jo finished.

-END FLASHBACK-

Evie thought over those words and decided to hold on to them always before drifting off finally.

Daryl on the other hand was still replaying memories of Jo. While they had never been serious, they started out as a drunken one-night stand that evolved into fuck buddies for a couple of months before things just trailed off. He hadn't heard from Jo in almost three months when she showed up at his cabin out of the blue and told him she was pregnant. It was a shock and not something Daryle ever wanted.

In fact, Daryl and Merle bad both hated the idea of having kids and had wanted the Dixon line to end with them. But when Jo showed up and told him about the baby and that she point blank refused to even consider an abortion he knew he was stuck. She was having the baby and he refused to be a deadbeat and walk out on his own kid. It was the best decision he'd ever made.

He and Jo never tried to make a go of being an actual couple. They both knew they weren't suited to each other for more than sex. She let him be as involved as he wanted and he did his best to be there for everything.

He was there when his little girl was born. The moment she was put into his arms he knew he was done. He'd never loved anyone or anything as much as he loved that baby. She was everything to him.

He got weekends and summers and spend holidays and birthdays with her at Jo's. In 16 years the only birthday he ever missed was the one that Merle was released from prison the same day and he had to drive five hours to pick him up.

The last conversation he had with Jo ran through his mind, the phone call he'd made on the way to pick up Evie. He'd been intending to let the woman know where to find them when she could get out of the city but the conversation hadn't gone as planned.

-FLASHBACK-

"Daryl?" came the scared and almost heartbroken sounding foice of the mother of his child.

"Yeah Jo." He said. "I'm on my way to pick up Evie. Want to get her away from the city."

"I know. I just talked to her." Jo said with a little sniffle.

"Jo, what's goin on? You know I'll get Evie out. Don't worry about her. I got her." Daryl said trying to reassure her that he wouldn't let anything happen to their daughter. He wasn't any good with emotions but he'd had to learn as he was raising his little girl. He still wasn't great with them but he wasn't as bad as he used to be, even if they still made him uncomfortable.

"I… I know Daryl." Jo said, he could hear the tears in her voice. "I know you'll take care of her. You and Merle both. I... " She broke off, a sob tearing through what she was trying to say. It took her a couple of moments to pull herself back together and he waited for her to speak again. "Daryl when you get to Evie, take her and run. Get as far from the city as you can. This isn't going to end well. Or any time soon." Jo began, her voice quavering as she spoke. "Take our baby girl and run as far and as fast from the city as you can. This virus has spread too fast to contain and is extremely contagious. If you get bit or scratched you die. And then you come back." She said, her words now coming in a rush. "You're dead and back up walking. The… the things. They attack and kill. They… they eat people. They tear them apart with their bare hands and eat living, breathing, screaming people, Daryl! There's no stopping it but a shot to the head. Chest, stomach, legs, nothing works. It has to be the brain. Kill the brain you kill the thing."

":Jo…" Daryl started, shooting his brother a look as he started to get a really bad feeling about this. She sounded wrong. Something wasn't right. "Jo, I'll keep her safe, you know that. Me and Merle won't let anything happen to Evie. We're headed now to get her and we're going to the old quarry, there's water there and we can camp there. Get out of the hospital and the city as soon as you can and meet us there."

"Daryl…" Jo said with another sob. "Daryl I can't meet you." She said, her voice sounding completely broken now.

"What do you mean you can't!?" Daryl said, his own fear and anxiety cranking up at those words. "You run Jo! Run now! Get in your damn car and get out of the city and meet us!" He pulled the truck over onto the shoulder of the road and threw it into park, his hands shaking. He may not be in love with Jo, but he did love her in his own way. She was the mother of his child and there would always be a certain about of love for her in that. "Merle's with me. We'll get Evie and meet you outside the city but go now! They can't keep you there! Get can't lock you in that hospital."

"Daryl…" Jo said, her voice broken and small. "It… it's too late for me Daryl."

"What?" He croaked out, looking over at his brother, their eyes locking as he tried to process what Jo was saying. "What do you mean it's too late, Jo?"

"I was bitten Daryl." She said in almost a whisper. "One… one of the patients I was treating died. We didn't know that they came back. I was unhooking him from the machines to go to the morgue… I had just pulled is intubation tube and he opened his eyes. I… I was so shocked I was frozen. It hap-happened so fucking fast Daryl. He… he just snapped fo-forward and bit me. He got my arm and-and took a chunk before the doctor got him off of me."

Daryl sat there staring at Merle trying to get his mind to compute what he was being told. "You… you're bitten." He said finally, his own heart was breaking as the words finally sunk in. They weren't together, never really had been, but Jo was important. She'd given him a beautiful baby girl and let him be in her life. She put up with his bullshit and never once cut him off from seeing Evie anytime he wanted. "Oh no… Jo." He whispered, his eyes closing of their own accord.

"Yes." She said softly, sounding as though her breathing was becoming difficult. "I can't meet you. But… but please don't let Evie fall apart. And don't you fall apart either." She said, her tone now becoming gentle. "I know we were never in love but I do love you. And you don't believe it but you're a good man Daryl Dixon. I couldn't have picked a better father for our baby girl. You're my best friend, I hope you know."

The younger Dixon brother couldn't even respond for a long moment, too overwhelmed by everything she was saying. After a moment he was able to finally speak, bowing his head as the words poured out. "I love you too Jo. You… you're mine too."

"Take care of our girl." She whispered.

"I will. I promise." He replied just as softly.

"Bye Daryl." Jo said before the call ended leaving silence in its wake.

Both Dixon brothers sat quietly before Merle reached over and gripped Daryl's shoulder. Daryl didn't need to say anything, his brother knew just from what Daryl had said that Jo was gone, or soon to be.

They took a moment to breathe before Merle hopped out of the truck and started unstrapping his bike. This wouldn't be a quick trip and they would need the space to take what they could. It wasn't long before they were back on the road with Merle leading the way on his bike.

-END FLASHBACK-

Pulling himself out of his thoughts and memories, Daryle rolled over and finally fell asleep to the sounds of Merle's snoring and the woods.