Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. I also have no claim on any pop culture references that I may use throughout my writings. I only own my OCs. Enjoy the read.

305

"No, Daryl! I'm not comfortable with him bein' here anymore." Isabell insisted, her voice stern and loud. "Harley's eight now. Copyin' everythin' that we do. The last thing I need is him sayin' somethin' and it stickin' with her."

"Izzy, he's my brother." Daryl combatted.

"And she's your daughter." Isabell shook her head, "Look, he's been in and out of this house for twelve years, and I don't think it's a good idea."

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to do? He's gettin' out! I can't just send him out there on his own."

"Yes, you can! He's been on his own before. He's a grown-ass adult who can take care of his own problems."

"Merle's blood!" Daryl reminded her.

Isabell seethed, talking between clenched teeth. "Merle's blood was all over my fuckin' livin' room the last time he was here. I don't need that shit around an eight-year-old."

"Stop!" A voice sounded from outside the bedroom. Both Isabell and Daryl turned their heads towards the doorway to their room with shocked looks on their faces. Harley appeared in the opening a moment later. "Just stop fighting!"

"You did not just talk to your parents like that, Harley Lane," Isabell warned.

Harley took a step back, intimidated by her mother for just a second. "Just stop shoutin' at each other." the little girl begged.

Isabell sighed tiredly, "Just go to your room." she said with resignation.

"Why?" Harley asked, "So you can keep fightin' about Uncle Merle? You keep fightin' like that and yer gonna get a divorce."

Isabell paused. She turned to Daryl, unsure of how to respond.

Daryl scratched the back of his neck. "Harls, Mama and I ain't gonna get a divorce. We ain't married."

Harley furrowed her brows. "Why not? Don't you love each other?"

"But, I love yer mama so much, but we just ain't." He shrugged.

Harley turned her head to her mother, wondering her side of the story.

Isabell took a step forward to crouch in front of her daughter and be at her height. She wanted her daughter to hear what she had to say. "Baby, I love you." She said, pushing her daughter's bangs out of her face. "And your dad and I are family and we're gonna be in your life whether or not we're married."

"But you don't wanna be?"

"Harley it's a lot more complicated than - "

"I know I do." Daryl's voice was quiet behind Isabell.

Isabell looked back at Daryl with a confused look on her face.

Harley's face lit up. "You do?"

"Daryl," Isabell stood to her feet, standing between him and Harley. "Not now, please."

Daryl shrugged. "I could see it."

"D, stop."

"I wanna marry ya, Iz." He pursed his lips to one side in an attempt at a half-smile.

"Mama, do you wanna marry daddy?" The soft voice of the little girl was hopeful.

"Harley, go to your room.

"Not until you answer the question."

Isabell flicked her head around, staring her daughter in the eye. "Harley, go!"

Harley's eyes started to tear up. "But..."

"Now!"

Harley looked to her father, disappointment on her face.

Daryl flicked his head towards her bedroom. "Listen to yer mama."

Harley put her head down and left her parents' room.

Isabell sighed.

"You wanna tell me why you just screamed at our daughter?" Daryl asked.

Isabell scoffed. "You wanna tell me why you put me on the spot in front of her?"

"'Cause maybe I wanna know. Maybe it's what I want."

"And if I don't?"

"Well, why not?"

"Because…" Isabell trailed off, thinking. "What we're doing right now, it's working. Why change it? Why put a label on it? We have Harley. Let's just leave it at that."

"Don't you think Harley wants us to be happy?"

"I am happy."

Daryl hesitated, words on the tip of his tongue not daring to come out.

Isabell took a step back from him. "Are you not happy?"

"I don't know." He said, one shoulder lifting in a shrug. "Iz, you just got this thing about ya where ya can't be with me. We can screw around and we got a kid, but you still don't love me."

Isabell's heart dropped. "That what you think?" she asked, softly.

Daryl nodded. "Don't ever hear you say it."

Isabell shook her head. She grabbed a duffle bag from the closet and loaded some clothes into it.

"Iz, what are ya doin'?"

She ignored his question, filling her bag with random clothes."You should know better than anyone, Daryl, that it's not all about what you say." She finished packing the bag and zipped it shut. "Harley!" She shouted, "Get a bag packed. We're goin' to Uncle Garrett's."

"Nah," Daryl said, shaking his head and standing close to her, trying to stop her. "You can't leave. You can't take her." He reached to grab her arm but stopped when he saw the intense look on her face.

"Go pick up your brother. I'm sure he's waiting for you."

It was another day or two before the group was able to start making good on the plan to clean out the field and the courtyard. Isabell knew they had to get up and start clearing so they could open the fence and let the grasslands be open to them. The group needed to start making plans for a vegetable garden and look into finding animals they could keep for food, such as chickens for eggs and pigs for a source of meat. That was the part Isabell was excited for. She loved the chicken coop she and Daryl built in their backyard. Fresh eggs were always a staple in their house.

Isabell had shed her normal plaid shirt in the Georgia heat, the scars on her arms shining in the sunlight. With the group being so used to her, Isabell wasn't worried about keeping them hidden anymore. It was something that reminded her that she survived the giant herd of walkers that day. Her eyes squinted up to the sky in the summer heat next to Daryl as he talked with Rick about a plan.

Carol was backing the truck up into the grass to make loading the bodies into it easier.

"Okay, let's get the other car in. We'll park 'em in the west entry of the yard." Rick explained, pointing.

"Good. Our vehicles camped out there look like a giant 'vacancy' sign." Daryl said with his normal level of sass.

Isabell leaned against the rear of the bus, watching as both T-Dog and Carol made their way over to discuss more of the plan.

"After that, we need to load up these corpses so we can burn 'em," Rick said.

"Gonna be a long day." T-Dog griped.

Isabell shrugged, moving as they all started walking up the gravel path. We've had worse. It'll be worth it."

"Where's Glenn and Maggie?" Carol asked, "We could use some help."

Isabell tried to hide her smirk and put a hand over her mouth to stop her chuckle. She knew exactly where the couple was.

Daryl pointed, "Up in the guard tower."

"Guard tower?" Rick asked. "They were just up there last night?"

"Yeah. Well, alone time wasn't exactly easy to find in the past few months." Isabell said, nudging Daryl with her elbow lightly.

Daryl rolled his eyes at the blond. "Glenn! Maggie!" He called with a hand cupped around his mouth.

The door clicked to the tower and Glenn walked out, still trying to button his pants. "What's up, guys?"

Isabell couldn't hide her laugh anymore and she doubled over with her hands on her knees trying to contain it.

Daryl stood with his hands on his hips. "You comin'?"

Isabell jerked up at the particular words he'd used. "Daryl, stop it!" she chuckled.

"What?" Glenn asked, definitely having heard what Daryl said.

Daryl wasn't phased by the four others behind him laughing. "You comin'? C'mon, we could use a hand."

Glenn waved his hand. "Yeah, we'll be right down."

Daryl shook his head, but he had the faintest smirk on his face. He turned around and started walking back to get his bike to drive it inside.

Carol looked between Daryl and Isabell. "Think they'll let you rent it out later?"

Daryl's smirk instantly disappeared. He didn't like being the butt of the joke. "Stop." He grunted.

Isabell giggled quietly to herself. "Oh, come on, D. Wouldn't hurt to ask." She teased, slightly serious about the proposition.

Daryl met Isabell's eyes. He didn't say anything, but she could tell that it was something that he was thinking about.

"Hey, Rick," T-Dog said, getting their attention away from the flirtation. The man had gestured his head to the two prisoners that were left, making their way through the courtyard.

Rick noticed, remembering the deal that they made and how they were breaking it. He took urgent steps back up the hill to talk with them. "Come with me."

Isabell sighed, following behind Daryl.

Rick led the group up the gravel hill and stopped the two men a few steps away. That's far enough." He said, stopping his own feet. "We had an agreement."

The blond one, Axel, had his arms crossed over his chest. "Please, mister." He begged. "We know that. We made a deal."

Behind them, Glenn and Maggie exited the door to the guard tower, this time fully dressed.

"But you gotta understand. We can't live in that place another minute. You follow me? All the bodies - people we knew. Blood, brains, everywhere. There's ghosts."

"Why don't you move the bodies out?" Daryl asked.

"You should be burnin' them." T-Dog reminded them.

"We tried. We did." Axel insisted.

Oscar, the tall man, spoke up. "The fence is down on the far side of the prison. Every time we drag a body out, those things just line up. Dropping the body and just runnin' back inside."

Axel took steps forward, pressing his luck and putting the others on alert. "Look, we had nothin' to do with Tomas and Andrew. Nothing. You tryin' to prove a point? You proved it, bro. We'll do whatever it takes to be part of your group. Just please, please, don't make us live in there."

"Our deal is not negotiable. You either live in your cell block, or you leave." Rick stressed.

Axel sighed.

"I told you this was a waste of time." He said to Axel before turning to Rick. "They ain't no different than the pricks who shot up our boys. You know how many friends' corpses we had to drag out this week? Just threw 'em out, like…" Oscar paused. "These were good guys. Good guys who had our back against the really bad dudes in the joint, like Tomas and Andrew. We've all made mistakes to get in here, chief. And I'm not gonna pretend to be a saint, but believe me, we've paid our due. Enough that we would rather hit that road than go back into that shithole."

Rick watched Oscar for a minute, debating. He looked back at Daryl, who shook his head. Rick's eyes met Isabell's and she shrugged. She didn't know what to make of the situation. He turned back to the guys. "Alright. Daryl, show the men out."

Daryl nodded, going behind them and forcing their way down the hill.

Isabell sighed as the group followed them back down the hill and reconvened by the prison bus.

"Maybe we should think about it," T-Dog suggested in the silence.

"Lettin' 'em in?" Isabell questioned, getting a nod from the man.

Rick glanced between the two of them."Are you serious? You want them living in a cell next to you? They'll just be waiting for a chance to grab our weapons. You want to go back to sleeping with one eye open?"

Daryl rejoined the group and stood between T-Dog and Isabell.

"I never stopped," T-Dog admitted. "Bring them into the fold. If we send them off packing, we might as well execute them ourselves."

Glenn shook his head. "I don't know. Axel seems a little unstable."

"Sure, but he's been mostly friendly this whole time." Isabell pointed back at the prisoners. "See how Axel's standin' with his arms crossed? That's a defensive pose. He's scared of us. Rightfully so, but still, he never once posed a threat. And the other guy's just tryin' to survive the day."

"You want them next to you at night?" Daryl asked Isabell with a furrowed brow.

"No, we'll continue to lock our doors at night like we do now. Interact during the day. Get to know 'em." Isabell clarified. "Hell, I didn't trust you, people, for almost a week after I met you."

"After all we've been through?" Carol questioned. "We fought so hard for all of this, what if they decide to take it?"

"Axel doesn't even look like he could overpower Carl on a bad day."

"It's just been us for so long. They're strangers. I don't - " Maggie paused. "It feels weird all of a sudden to have these other people around."

"You brought us in," T-Dog said.

"Yeah, but you turned up with a shot boy in your arms. Didn't give us a choice."

"They can't even kill walkers." Glenn shared.

Isabell shrugged. "So we teach them."

"We tried that," Daryl argued.

"Maybe they need a different teacher." Isabell snapped. "One who isn't pointin' a crossbow at their heads."

"They're convicts. Bottom line." Carol said.

T-Dog still tried to plead their case. "Those two might actually actually have less blood on their hands than we do."

"I get guys like these." Daryl shared. "Hell, Iz and I grew up with them. They're degenerates, but they ain't psychos. I could have been in there with them just as easy as I'm out here with you guys."

"So, are you with me?"

"Hell, no. Let 'em take their chances out on the road just like we did."

"What I'm sayin', Daryl - "

"Merle was one of 'em," Isabell said, turning her attention to Daryl.

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her. "Merle was blood."

Isabell shook her head. "Not mine. But I let him in my house. Around my daughter."

Rick could see that the fight was making its way into a spat between the two of them so he interrupted. "When I was a rookie, I arrested this kid. Nineteen years old, wanted for stabbing his girlfriend. The kid blubbered like a baby during the interrogation, during the trail - suckered the jury. He was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. And the two weeks later, he shot another girl." Rick shook his head. "We've been through too much. Our deal with them stands."

The others went one by one, but Isabell stayed. She sighed, giving T-Dog a sad smile. "Sorry, T."

The group had spent the first half of the day gathering up all of the bodies and making them into a pile to burn. Rick had decided to give Axel and Oscar a week's worth of food and supplies for them to get a head start. Isabell knew it wouldn't do much. They weren't even going to teach them how to properly take care of walkers. The two were going to die out there, fast.

Isabell went beyond the fence with Rick, Daryl, and Glenn to retrieve more firewood for their walker pile.

Glenn went through the hole in the fence first, finding a walker on the other side. "Should I take her out?"

Rick shook his head. "No, if that armory hadn't been picked clean, we could spare the ammo."

"We'll worry about the ones who get too close when the time comes," Isabell informed.

"Iz and I'll start makin' runs. The sooner the better." Daryl told Rick, surprising Isabell. It was rare that he would volunteer her to go with him on runs. Isabell had been focusing more on keeping close to Lori and Carl during the winter.

Rick nodded. "We'll throw as much wood as we can in the dog run."

"Won't the fire attract more walkers?" Glenn asked. "Maybe we should bury them."

"We're behind the fence. It's worth the one-time risk to get rid of the bodies for good. I don't want to be planting crops in walker-rotted soil."

The four didn't have to go far to find branches good enough for their fire. They walked back with three armfuls, Daryl keeping his crossbow up just in case. Daryl went back through with their piles of firewood. "Looky here." He said, gesturing to the courtyard.

Isabell came through the fence last, catching Hershel walking around the concrete with crutches. Her mouth grew into a wide smile as she dropped her pile of branches next to Glenn's, not worried about it.

"He is one tough son of a bitch," Glenn noted.

Isabell nodded. "Yes, he is."

Glenn laughed. "Alright, Hershel!" He yelled with a hand cupped around his mouth.

Daryl quickly shot him down with a shush. "Keep your cheers down." He pointed back outside the fence. A few walkers had started to pile up at the small commotion they'd made getting back inside the fence.

"Oh, man. Can't we just have one good day?"

"Still is, Glenn." Isabell insisted. When Glenn met her eyes, she shrugged, shoving her hands in the pockets of her jean shorts. "Perspective." Isabell reminded Glenn, bringing his attention back to Hershel.

Rick stepped forward, a hand on the fence in front of them. For once, he had a hopeful look on his face.

Isabell looked back at Daryl and smiled. He'd returned it with a one-sided grin.

"Walkers!"

Isabell's head shot back to the boy. Behind the group of Lori, Hershel, Carl, and Beth were more walkers than they were probably able to take on; with Hershel down a leg and Lori too pregnant to do much of anything. The four of them broke off running back to the courtyard, but Isabell stumbled to a stop.

"Shit, Glenn, the openin'." She scratched to a halt and turned back around.

Glenn went to follow, but Isabell stopped him.

"Give me the lock! They need the keys! I'll catch up!"

Glen hesitated, wanting to help, but he threw Isabell the padlock anyway and took back off running after Rick and Daryl.

Isabell quickly and skillfully laced the wire through the fence and sealed it up tight. She ran catching up with them just as Rick got the first door open.

Rick shouted at Axel and Oscar, making them get out of the way so that he could unlock the second door to the courtyard.

"They're gonna be okay," Isabell said, hoping to convince the men around her.

Daryl wasn't feeling the patience that she was trying to push. "Come on, come on!" He shouted at Rick.

Finally, Rick got it loose and pulled out the chain before taking off in a run, dropping the lock.

"Hey, bro, what about us?"

Isabell stopped, turning back around. She looked back at them debating. She gestured her head for the men to follow the others. "Don't make me regret it."

Both men nodded at her. They took off in a run while she stayed behind to close the door back up. Isabell ran catching up, getting ahead of the men who were pausing at the perimeter of the courtyard. They were more afraid of Rick.

Glenn ran for the gate to get it closed. They'd found Hershel and Beth safely behind a cage.

"The gate was open!" Beth shouted.

"Where's Lori, Carl?" Rick asked. "Everyone else?"

"Maggie led Lori and Carl into C Block."

"And T was bit." his daughter said.

A pang hit Isabell's chest. "Damn." She whispered.

Rick shook his head. "Anyone else?"

The young blonde shrugged. "I couldn't tell."

Rick nodded to Beth, "Stay put."

Glenn came back from having secured the gate on the other side of the courtyard. "Those chains didn't break on their own. Someone took an ax or cutters to 'em."

Rick glared back at the prisoners who were still waiting where Isabell left them.

"You think they did it?"

"Who else?"

Isabell shook her head, still trying to catch a breath. "Couldn't have been. They've been locked in that gate all morning."

"They could have rigged it."

"I'm tellin' ya Rick, it wasn't them." After the words left Isabell's lips, a loud alarm blared throughout the prison.

"What's that?" Glenn asked.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me." Daryl griped.

Rick threw Daryl his keys, aiming his Colt at the speakers on the sides of the buildings, shooting them out; Glenn followed his lead. Rick ran up on the prisoners, aiming his gun to shoot them. "How the hell can this be happening?"

Oscar brought his hands up in defense. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. It has to be the backup generators"

Rick dropped his gun from his face, pointing back at the prison. "Well, how do you turn those on?"

"There's three that's connected to a diesel tank, okay? Each one controls a certain part of the prison. The hacks shut 'em all off when the prison was overrun."

"Can someone open up the main gates electronically with full power?"

"I only worked in there a couple of days." Oscar shrugged. "I guess it might be possible."

Rick grabbed Oscar by the neck of his shirt and pulled him along. "Come with us." They all ran back to the prison through C Block in search of Maggie, Carl, and Lori. Rick and Isabell went straight for the actual cell block, wondering if they were hiding out in one of the cells.

Isabell ran up the stairs, checking the top level.

Rick was shouting for his wife and child.

"Carl?" Isabell called on the second level, checking the cells. She looked down at Rick, shaking her head, having found nothing.

Daryl and the others came in. "We just took five of 'em in there."

"There were four in here, but no sign of Lori or any of them," Rick said, worry in his voice.

"They must have been pushed back into the prison," Glenn suggested, fearing for his own family.

Isabell ran down the stairs, joining Daryl's side.

"Somebody is playing games!" Rick shouted, frustrated. "We'll split up and look for the others. Whoever gets to the generators first, shut 'em down. He led the way to the tombs and the first fork in the hallway they came to, Rick pointed one way. "Iz, Glenn, Axel, go that way. Daryl, Oscar, you're with me."

Isabell nodded once, pulling out her hunter's knife and holding it firmly in her hand. She locked eyes with Daryl for a split second before taking off with Glenn and Axel. Isabell and Glenn hurried through the hallways, whispering for Lori, Maggie, and Carl. It was a few minutes of searching and they hadn't found them.

Behind her, Isabell heard shuffling. She turned just in time to see a walker come out of a cell off of the hall and try to get Axel. Isabell took a large step back, tightening her grip on her hunter's knife and stabbing it in the walker's head.

Axel stood with wide eyes, looking like he was about to pass out.

Isabell raised a brow at the man. "You good?"

Axel nodded, but Isabell couldn't tell that he really wasn't.

Isabell sighed. She flipped the knife in her hand, offering it to him. "Aim for the head."

"I can't take that from ya, ma'am." He said, staring the knife down.

"You can. And you will." Isabell stressed. "I'm not havin' an unarmed man watchin' my six. Take the knife."

Axel nodded, grabbing it, holding it in his hand.

Isabell shook her head, reaching down to get the knife she kept in her boot for emergencies. She showed him how to hold it in his first. "Better leverage."

The man changed his grip.

"Come on!" Glenn whispered, hurrying everyone along. They went down a few more halls before the alarms finally stopped.

Isabell sighed in relief. "They've gotta think it's safe now. Maybe they'll go back to B Block."

Glenn nodded. "Let's head back."