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.

0o0o0

[306]

Isabell, Glenn, and Axel started to go back through the tombs from the way that they came. Isabell led the way and made the turns that she remembered making. She stopped them at a hallway after hearing more shuffles. She swallowed and grabbed her gun from her holster at her back. Isabell turned quickly down the hallway only to find Rick, Daryl, and Oscar holding their weapons up towards her. She let go of the breath she held and put her gun away.

They were close to the corridor that would lead back to their cell block, so they continued that way. They could hear walkers chewing and Rick looked down the hallway spotting two of the dead. He ran up on them and shot them in the head.

Isabell followed, stepping closer to what they'd been feeding on. "T-Dog." She whispered, rubbing the back of her arm against her forehead. "Aw, shit." Isabell looked over at Daryl. She watched as the man bent down and picked something up. "Daryl?"

Daryl stood up, holding out the scarf in his hands.

Isabell's eyes quickly teared up at the sight of it. "That's Carol's."

Daryl nodded, he stuffed the scarf in his back pocket and they continued, finally finding the exit to the courtyard.

"You didn't find them?" Hershel called.

"We thought maybe they came back," Glenn answered.

Hershel and Beth shook their heads. "What about T? Carol?"

"They didn't make it," Daryl said quietly.

Isabell closed her small pocket knife, dropping it in the side of her boot. She pulled her hair up and secured it on top of her head.

Rick turned facing Daryl. "That doesn't mean that the others didn't. We're going back. Daryl and Glenn, you come with - " The sound of a baby cooing stopped Rick's words.

Isabell turned quickly towards the sound, spotting a baby in Maggie's bloody hands wrapped in Carl's jacket. The boy was trailing slowly after her. Isabell realized quickly there was no Lori. "Oh, fuck." She breathed. Isabell dragged her hand to the back of her head, holding her long ponytail.

Rick took steps forward, lazily dropping the ax he was holding. He started to pace when he noticed Maggie on the verge of tears. "Where - Where is she?" Rick asked. "Where is she?" When he didn't get an answer, he took determined steps forward toward B block.

Maggie held the baby awkwardly in one arm and reached for Ric, trying to stop him. "No, Rick, no!"

Rick stopped alongside Carl, bursting into tears. He wiped his eyes with his thumbs. He turned sideways to look at Carl and squatted next to his son. "Oh, no. No!"

Isabell felt the tears sting her eyes. First, T-Dog and Carol. Now Lori? Her eyes landed on Carl who was trying not to show his sobbing visually. The gun in his hand that he wouldn't holster told Isabell everything she needed to know about what happened. Carl was a sweet boy, she knew that. However, in the last few months, he had tried to be the tough guy. Carl wouldn't have let his mother die and turn into one of those things. No.

He'd killed her.

Isabell took a few steps forward, going to Carl, and getting down on her knees in front of him. Her lower lip trembled and she looked up at him. "H-hey, bud."

Carl looked to her for a moment before wrapping his arms quickly around the blonde's neck tightly.

Isabell did the same, wrapping her arms around his torso. She held the boy, rubbing her hand up and down his back. "I know, bud. I know."

Daryl's voice pulled Isabell from the moment that she was having with Carl. "Rick, you with me?" He waved his hand in front of Rick's face. "Rick?"

Isabell pulled away from Carl after nodding to him. "Go get the baby."

Carl nodded, wiping the tears from his face, and walked over to Maggie.

Isabell got to her feet and joined Daryl's side. "He okay?"

Daryl shook his head with a shrug. "Don't know. He's in a trance or somethin'."

"Let me see the baby," Hershel demanded.

Daryl walked with Isabell and Carl back towards Hershel. "What are we gonna feed it? We got anything a baby can eat?" He looked over at Isabell who shook her head.

Hershel moved Carl's jacket away from the baby, examining her and checking her color. "The good news is she looks healthy. But she needs formula and soon. Or she won't survive."

Isabell felt warmth and panic in her chest at the same time. "A girl," she smiled but quickly remembered they needed to get her food.

Daryl shook his head, "Nope, no way. Not her." He wrapped the strap of his crossbow over his head and across his shoulders. "We ain't losin' anybody else. I'm goin' for a run."

"I'll back you up," Maggie said.

Glenn nodded. "I'll go, too."

"Okay," Daryl said, nodding his own head. "Think of where we're going. Beth, Iz." He gestured for them to follow him a few steps away. "Kid just lost his mom. His dad ain't doin' so hot." Daryl whispered.

Beth nodded. "We'll look out for him.

"We got it, D. Just get back soon, okay?" Isabell insisted.

Daryl grabbed Isabell's hand, giving it a squeeze.

"We got her."

"We gotta take care of them sumbitches on the fence."

Isabell agreed, she turned her back to him, looking at Oscar and Axel. "Ay!" She shouted, "Grab a pipe. Take out the ones on the fence. Too many pile up and we're gonna have ourselves a problem."

Axel and Daryl nodded quickly. Axel came up to Isabell and handed her back her hunter's knife.

"Good job in there," Isabell admitted to the blond. "But you gotta work for it to be in there." She said, gesturing to their cellblock.

Axel nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He said, before taking off with Oscar.

Daryl looked to Isabell. "You gave him your knife?"

Isabell scoffed. "Yell at me later. You gotta go."

"Maggie, Glenn, vamanos." He called.

Rick moved suddenly, going for the ax he dropped and going back into B block in search of his wife.

"Rick!" Maggie shouted, trying to stop him.

"He's gonna be okay," Isabell said, stopping her. "Y'all need to get out of here."

Daryl nodded, looking to Oscar and Axel. "Get the gate." He commanded and they quickly took off. He found Glenn and Maggie. "C'mon, we're gonna lose the light."

Isabell made her way over to Carl, Beth, and Hershel. "Let's get her inside and cleaned up."

0o0o0

Glenn ended up staying at the prison. There was a road that Daryl and Maggie would have to take that only Daryl's bike would fight through. Maggie knew more about what they were looking for so she was the one who went with Daryl.

Isabell could tell that Glenn was struggling with T-Dog's death specifically. She could tell when she saw Glenn head out to the field with a shovel. He was starting to dig graves for the three friends they lost. Glenn and T-Dog had been really good friends, since the beginning. He would use this time to mourn and Isabell would wait until Daryl got back. That way, she knew that the baby was safe and she had someone to bring her back.

Isabell grabbed Daryl's rifle from the perch and went out to stand guard over Glenn in the courtyard. She was feeling paranoid since they had been ambushed by Andrew's stupid plan and Isabell wanted to make sure they didn't lose anyone else. Standing by the fence, Isabell heard the sound of crutches against the pavement coming up behind her and she turned back to smile at Hershel. "You a regular Speed Racer on them things, ain't ya?"

"Better to be acquainted with them than not."

"Very true." They both stood, watching as Axel and Oscar approached Glenn. She wasn't at all worried about them. Not anymore. They had proved themselves as part of the group. "Baby all cleaned up?" Isabell asked the old man.

Hershel nodded. "Beth and Carl are looking over her. But maybe they could use a mother's expertise."

Isabell looked away from Hershel. "I'm not a mother anymore. I'm sure they're doin' just fine."

"You're always a parent, Isabell. Even when your child is gone." Hershel preached. "That child, in there, her mother is dead."

Isabell raised her brow, firing back at him with his own words. "That doesn't mean she doesn't have one."

Hershel nodded at her.

"Besides, I was thinkin' more like 'Favorite Aunt' was the title for me."

Hershel smiled, eyes flicking towards Glenn making his way to them.

Glenn arrived at the fence. "Rick?"

"Still inside," Isabell told him.

Glenn nodded. "Okay. I'll get him." He looked back at Axel who had taken over digging the graves. "A third of our group in one day. "

"All 'cause of one asshole," Hershel said.

Glenn thought for a moment. "Part of me wishes that we killed those prisoners on sight."

Hershel nodded towards the men digging holes. "Axel and Oscar seem like good guys."

"When the evacuations started, T-Dog drove his church van to the home of every senior he knew just in case they needed a ride. He saved my ass a thousand times. He wasn't just a good guy. He was the best."

"No one's sayin' he wasn't," Isabell promised.

"He got bit closin' the gate." Hershel reminded the other man. "If he hadn't done that…"

"It could have been Maggie. It's wrong, but…" Glenn shook his head. "I'd trade any number of people for one of ours any day."

Isabell nodded, agreeing.

Hershel grabbed Glenn's hand through the fence.

Glenn took the support for just a moment before walking away from the pair.

"He'll give them a chance, won't he?" Isabell asked Hershel.

"I think so. Though, if I'm bein' honest, I'm surprised you have."

"When we met them, found them in that cafeteria, these two were probably the only ones I wasn't on edge by. Them and the other one, a big gut." Isabell shrugged. "It was just a gut feeling, I guess."

"That's a powerful tool."

Isabell nodded. "Let's get back inside. These two can look after themselves. I wanna hold that baby." She said, smiling at Hershel who smiled back at her. The pair slowly made their way back into the cellblock. Isabell found Carl and Beth in the common area with Carl holding onto his baby sister. She unwrapped her bow and the rifle from around her shoulders and set them on the table. "Can I hold her?"

Carl nodded, carefully passing over the baby.

Isabell held onto the baby, tightly wrapped in a pink blanket they'd found a while back. "Aren't you beautiful." She said down to the baby, before looking up at the others. "She's so big." She said with a smile, looking at Carl.

"That's good, right?"

Isabell nodded. "That's very good. Considering what we've been dealin' with."

Carl thought for a moment. "Was Harley this big?"

Isabell swallowed and shook her head. "Harley was born a little early. She was a bit small."

"Was she sick?"

"Nah, she just thought that it was her time to come out. She was healthy and ready. Just early." Isabell sighed. "But that was my baby girl. She was always ready to take on the world. She was shy when she first met someone new. A lot like Daryl, but that didn't mean she wasn't ready."

"Who'd she look more like?"

Isabell stuttered and looked down at Carl. She wanted to keep him talking though. "I gotta picture. Wanna see?"

Carl nodded once.

"Go get my backpack. The blue one from the perch."

Carl smiled at Isabell and hurried off while Beth and Hershel joined the table Isabell sat at.

Beth passed Isabell a bowl of oatmeal and the older blonde realized that she hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was almost dark again.

Carl came back, putting the bag on the table.

"In the main pocket, there's a secret pocket on the back," Isabell informed the kid.

Carl unzipped it and pulled out the two polaroid pictures inside. He examined the pictures, paying more attention to the one of 9-year-old Harley. "I think she looks like you."

"You think so?"

"Can I see?" Beth's soft voice asked from across the table.

Isabell nodded, watching Carl pass the photo.

Beth looked them over and her father leaned over to see. "I see Daryl."

Isabell nodded. "I always saw Daryl lookin' at her. It's nice you see me, though, bud."

"This is her as a baby?" He asked, earning a nod. "You look so young."

"Well, I was," Isabell laughed, "A little more than twenty if I remember right. Daryl and I bought our house when we were twenty after sellin' our parents' places. I think it was four years later that I got pregnant."

"Got pregnant," Beth repeated. "Were y'all tryin'?"

Isabell blushed, glancing at Hershel. "Uh, no. Daryl and I weren't really a thing. We were just foolin' around."

"Oh."

"But you two eventually got together, right?" Carl asked, "I mean, you are now. Did you get married?"

Isabell opened her mouth, hesitating. Before she could answer, the door to the tombs opened, and Glenn came sauntering in. Isabell let out a quiet sigh of relief in avoiding Carl's question. "Did you find him? Is he okay?"

"Yeah." Glenn said, "Followed the trail of walkers. He's…"

Isabell glanced at Carl who was back into his quiet state. She looked back to Glenn who'd seen her change in attitude.

"Something's not right."

Isabell nodded. "Well, hopefully, Daryl and Maggie'll be back soon. We'll see about gettin' him back." She looked down at Carl. "Why don't you hold your sister for a bit? Look after her?"

Carl nodded, putting the photo of her and Harley down on the table next to her backpack. He stood and took the baby from Isabell.

Isabell sighed, standing and walking outside with Glenn, allowing the man to fill her in on exactly what happened with Rick. Isabell sighed. "I was worried about somethin' like this happenin'. He's been in a weird spot since the farm."

"We need him back, right?"

"We do." Isabell agreed, "But we gotta focus on one thing at a time. It's the only way we'll make it through this." she sighed.

"Okay. So, I'll keep watch in the guard tower. Wait for them to get back. It's nearly dark, so hopefully, they're back soon." Glenn said.

Isabell nodded. "They're probably on their way back. Keep Axel and Oscar on fence duty. I want all the ones on the fence dead, not just spread out."

Glenn raised a brow. "Paranoid?"

"A little bit. But at least this way, Daryl won't have to fight through anything when they're back."

"Good plan," Glen said, leaving her side.

Isabell sighed and went back into the cellblock, keeping the others company. It wasn't much longer before Isabell heard Daryl's motorcycle driving up to the prison. The sound of it eased her anxiety. She had been passing the baby around between her, Carl and Beth, switching when their arms got tired. So far, the baby had managed to stay quiet, which was a blessing, but in the last bit of Daryl and Maggie making their way inside, she started to cry.

Carl was rocking his sister to calm her to the best of his ability. The baby was hungry, though, so there wasn't much they could do until the bottle was ready.

Maggie came in, calling for her sister's assistance.

Daryl shed his crossbow and poncho, going to Isabell and Carl, "How's she doin'?" he asked.

"She's perfect. Just hungry." Isabell watched in amazement as Daryl knelt down on the other side of Carl and took the baby from the boy.

"I'm sorry," He said, both to his sister and Daryl. He was so worried that he was doing something wrong.

Isabell put a hand on his shoulder. "You're doin' great."

Daryl shushed the baby, standing to his feet and moving to the middle of the room, waiting for the bottle.

Beth handed it to him and he instantly tapped the baby's lips with the bottle. She took to it instantly and her cries died down with the relief of food. Daryl smirked, looking at Maggie. They had been successful. He looked down at the baby and smiled before turning to Carl. "She got a name yet?"

Carl shook his head. "Not yet. But I was thinkin' maybe Sophia. Then there's Carol, too. And…" Carl sighed. "Andrea. Amy. Jacqui. Patricia. Or...Lori. I don't know."

Isabell stood from the table, joining the circle. "It's alright, bud. You'll know when you find the perfect name."

Daryl nodded, looking down at the baby. "Yeah, you like that? Huh?" He asked as the baby was quickly drinking from her bottle. "Little Ass-Kicker. Right? That's a good name, right?"

Isabell laughed quietly. "And that is why I picked out Harley's name." She glanced towards Daryl, their eyes meeting. Isabell gave him a soft smile, watching him, and feeling tears fill her eyes. She cleared her throat, turning back to the table to grab the photos of Harley and put them back in her bag.

"Little Ass-Kicker. You like that, huh, sweetheart?"

Isabell couldn't take much more. She looked at the others, walking towards the door. "I'm gonna get some air." Isabell closed the cellblock door behind her. She found herself sitting on the grass in front of the newly dug graves. Seeing Daryl with the baby combined with losing three people today was just too much for her to handle. From what she was told, Axel and Oscar went back into the tombs to bury T-Dog properly, but the other graves were just dirt. They hadn't filled Lori's up yet, waiting on Rick to come back out with a body, but they never found Carol. There wasn't much of T-Dog left after the walkers had gotten to him, so they realized that Carol was just gone.

After being outside for a while, Isabell heard shuffling heading towards her in the grass. Heavy yet silent steps.

Daryl. He stopped a few steps behind her, standing there.

Isabell sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "You don't have to stand back there. She was your friend, too."

Daryl stepped forward the rest of the way, going past her to lay a Cherokee Rose at the base of the pair of sticks acting as a headstone. After getting up, Daryl sat down next to Isabell, half a foot of space between them. They sat in silence for a moment.

"The baby okay?"

"Yeah. Sleepin'."

Isabell nodded. "You were amazing with her." She turned her head, looking at Daryl. "Lil' Ass-Kicker."

The corner of Daryl's mouth twitched.

"Not that I had any doubt. You were perfect with Harley when she was born."

"Thanks."

Isabell nodded. "Just hurts. 'Cause I keep thinkin' - "

"I know." Daryl interrupted, not sure if he wanted her to actually say the words.

Isabell looked away from him and sighed, willing the lump growing her throat away. "We gotta take care of them kids, D."

"Yeah."

"I promised Lori we would." She finally admitted. "When she got a hold of me the other day before everything happened. I told her we'd look out for them."

"We will."

Isabell felt a tear roll down her cheek at her next thought. "I also told her she was gonna be okay." Her voice was breaking with each word.

Daryl quickly closed the distance between them and put an arm around Isabell, pulling her tight into him. "Don't do that to yourself."

"You know," Isabell took a deep breath, "We'd fixed whatever was between us. She thanked me for everythin' I've done with Carl. And it all just turned to shit so fast."

"Yeah, it did."

Isabell leaned her head on Daryl's shoulder. "I miss Carol." Isabell felt Daryl's head nod.

"One thing at a time, Izzy."

Isabell took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. "Are we really calling her Lil' Ass-Kicker?"

0o0o0

Isabell was sitting on the couch of her brother's living room, watching TV. She'd taken a few days off of work to get out of her head and spend some time with her family. But still, Isabell could feel the hole that leaving Daryl made. Isabell didn't like Merle in the slightest, but he was never awful to her daughter. She hated that she made it so personal. Hated that she snapped at him like she had. But then again, Daryl didn't think that Isabell loved him.

How could he think that with everything they've been through?

It's because you never say it, dummy. Isabell thought to herself.

"Mama?" Harley's small voice pulled her from her thoughts. "I miss daddy." She said, crawling into her mother's lap.

Isabell held her daughter tight to her chest. "Me, too, baby."

"I'm sorry I made you guys fight."

Isabell quickly pulled her daughter away at arm's length. She put her hands on either side of the girl's face. "That was not you, Harley Lane. You are never a problem. Okay?"

Harley nodded.

Isabell sighed. "Yer daddy and I love you very much. And I do love your dad so much, but sometimes I guess I might not say it enough. This is my fault."

"So, just say it to him."

Isabell looked down at her daughter, brow furrowed but smiling all the same. "It's that easy, huh?"

Harley nodded. "I love you, Mama. See? Easy."

Isabell laughed at her child. "Well, I guess it is." She leaned forward and kissed her daughter hard on the cheek scrunching her face. Isabell looked at Harley with admiration and sighed. "Alright, well go pack your bag. Let's go home."

Harley and Isabell packed their bags quickly and loaded up in their car to drive back home.

When they arrived, Isabell walked up to the front door. Not knowing what she should do, she knocked on the hard wood. Isabell glanced back towards the car, watching Harley grab all her things together.

The door opened, Daryl behind it, and Isabell switched her gaze again. "Whatchu knockin' for? Ya live here, ya know."

Isabell took a deep breath, her eyes were watery. "I love you."

Daryl's tenseness dissolved and his shoulders fell. "I know."

Isabell let out her breath and stepped forward, wrapping her arms tight around Daryl. "I'm sorry," she said into his neck. "I don't say it like I should.

Daryl lifted her from the floor, squeezing her hard. "You do, I just don't listen very well."

Isabell kissed the crook of his neck, up the side and to his cheek, making her way to his lips. "I love you."

Daryl let Isabell go, her feet on the ground. "I love ya, too."

"Can somebody help me with this stuff!?" Harley shouted from the car making her parents laugh.

"Whatchu shoutin' for? Didn't yer mama raise you better than that!?" Merle's voice shouted from around the side of the house.

Harley's head swiftly peeked out the car door. She spotted the man a few yards away from the car. "Uncle Merle!" Harley quickly dropped her things and raced over to him.

Isabell sighed.

"I couldn't leave him," Daryl explained.

Isabell nodded. "I know. It was unfair of me to ask you to."

"He's gonna be better." He said, getting another nod from Isabell. "But there is one thing I gotta tell ya."

"IS THAT A REAL BOW!?" Harley's voice said excitedly.

"All for you, there, Ace," Merle stated. "Early birthday present. Or Christmas. Whatever comes first."

Isabell turned her head to look at Daryl, eyes narrowed.

"He promised to teach her how. Safely. It'll give him somethin' to do other than drugs."

"It better."