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.

[308]

0o0o0 THEN 0o0o0

"Got everything?"

"Yes, Mama," Harley said, answering her mother's question.

"Did you grab your homework from the table? I know I saw you left it out last night."

The girl nodded. "I got it," she said, sounding a little annoyed. Harley knew better though to watch her tone with her mother. Her life may have depended on it. "And I grabbed my lunch from the counter." She said, fixing her voice.

"Good girl," Isabell led her daughter to their front door, opening it and allowing her daughter to stop through. She followed her daughter and stepped onto the porch, closing the giant wooden door behind her.

Harley stood at the bottom of the porch steps, looking up at her mom, worry in her eyes.

Isabell looked down at Harley. She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What's up, baby?"

"Can I go to the bus stop by myself?"

Isabell tried not to let her expression change, but she was a bit hurt. "By yourself? You don't want me to walk with you?"

Harley looked down at her shoes. She'd chosen to wear her hiking boots today, trying to be just like her dad. Harley shook her head, not looking back up.

Isabell smiled at her daughter. She took a few steps forward, sitting on the steps to be at Harley's height. "Baby girl," she said, putting a finger on her chin to lift it. "You can go to the bus stop by yourself. Can I watch you from here?"

"You're not upset with me?"

"No, Harley." she laughed once. "You're a big girl. You've gotta take the reins."

Harley lifted her head, holding it herself. She pulled her shoulders back and smiled.

Isabell leaned forward and placed a kiss on the young girl's head. "I'll see you after school, okay?"

"Bye, Mama!" she said the excitement for school back in her voice. Harley turned away and made her trek down the street to her bus stop.

Isabell sat on the stairs, waiting for the bus. When it came and picked Harley up, she sighed and stood from her spot. Isabell went back inside, spotting Daryl on his chair in the living room.

Daryl had been out tending to the animals all morning and had come in after shedding his gross boots.

Isabell joined him in the living room, collapsing herself onto the couch. She grabbed the remote and muted the news that Daryl was watching.

Daryl furrowed his brow at the action and looked over at her. "What's up?"

"She didn't want me to walk with her to the bus stop."

Daryl chuckled, hiding his smile. "I'm surprised she ain't said so 'fore now."

"Yeah, because it's so funny," Isabell said sarcastically.

"Nah, I get it. We went huntin' last weekend, right? I was tryin' ta coach her with the bow. She told me she had it. Didn' need my help."

Isabell sighed. "How'd she get to be ten so quick?"

"Ta hell if I know."

Isabell looked down at her hands, twirling her fingers together. They sat for a long moment before Isabell spoke again. "Ya know, I've been thinkin'."

Daryl scoffed, shaking his head with a quick laugh.

"What? You don't know what I'm gonna say."

Daryl nodded. "I do. You want another one."

Isabell felt the heat rise to her face quickly. It was easy for her to admit that he was right. Even with the surprise that Harley was her life with Daryl had come to be one that she enjoyed. Their little family couldn't be full just yet. "Yeah," Isabell said before taking a breath. "But I was thinkin' we could do this one the right way."

"The right way?" Daryl questioned, his brows pushing together.

"Yeah, you know. Plan for it this time. Not that Harley was wrong or whatever. But we could actually try. Be married. Have stupid parties."

"Wait, married?"

Isabell shrugged. "I don't see why not." She glanced up at him, their eyes locking. "I mean if you still wanna." The corner of her mouth turned up, just a little.

Daryl was shocked. He couldn't find his words for a moment. "Yeah, I wanna."

"Let's do it then. This weekend."

"This weekend?" He said, getting up from his chair.

"Why not? You know neither of us wants one of them big fancy things. We can call my brother. Have Garrett and his family come by. We can all go to the courthouse."

"You think?"

Isabell nodded. "And maybe he'll take Harley for the weekend so we can get some alone time while Merle's on a hunting trip."

Daryl knelt on the ground in front of Isabell. "You sure?" He asked, eyes on the ground.

Isabell laughed to herself at the similarity between Daryl and Harley, both nervous about what the blonde would have to say. "Absolutely."

0o0o0 NOW 0o0o0

Daryl's Group

Daryl finally unpacked himself from the small car and went around the back to grab their supplies from the trunk. They drove for a while before the stranger beside him told Rick to pull the car over. He wasn't quite yet ready to trust the new person, Michonne, but Isabell had a little bit of sympathy for her so he decided to give her a shot and follow her lead.

"They have patrols. We're better off on foot." Michonne said.

Rick looked up at the sky, debating on actually following through with the woman's plan. "How far? Night's coming." He reminded Michone, knowing it would be hell getting back in the dark.

"A mile. Maybe two." She said, turning around having heard a walker behind her.

Daryl kept his hand on the trunk itself, waiting for Rick to be clear of it before he closed it. The pair nodded to each other before making their way into the line of trees, following after Michonne and Oscar. Daryl kept in pace with Rick, walking next to him with his crossbow at the ready, prepared for any incomers. He kept glancing over at Rick, feeling a certain tension. The sheriff had wanted to say something, but he just kept walking. A minute or two passed before he finally did.

"You know, what you did for me, for my baby, while I was working things out… Thank you." Rick said.

Daryl shrugged, glancing at Rick for just a second. "It's what we do." He said easily, waiting for a beat before continuing. "'Sides, if I didn't go, Isabell mighta had my head in a basket."

Rick smirked at him, catching his joke. "She's somethin' else."

"Yes, she is."

"It's good we found her. Back in Atlanta." Rick admitted. "She's good people and I'm not sure my kids would be the same without her."

Daryl scoffed at him, "Don't tell her that. It'll go straight to her head."

Rick chuckled quietly. "I'll be sure not to." The pair stopped talking, instead kept walking with the mutual respect between them.

Daryl kept an ear out, making sure to protect them from all sides. His natural hunter's skills were prime when it came to walking in the woods. Even when he had no idea where he was, Daryl would be able to spot trouble from any direction. That's why he became on alert when he heard a rustling in the trees surrounding the path they walked. "Rick." He warned.

Rick, catching the sound just after Daryl had acted quickly, crouching. "Down." He said, warning the others. At least a dozen walkers came at them from all sides. "Get in formation. No gunfire."

The small group fought off the walkers for a minute before it became clear that they weren't going to be able to take care of all of them. "There's too many of 'em." Daryl grabbed his hunter's knife from his belt, forgoing the use of his crossbow as the dead were all getting too close for its use.

Rick thought quickly. "This way." He said, leading the group through the trees. They'd find some way of hiding out for a bit.

0o0o0

Isabell's Group

It was getting dark and the light that usually shown through the prison windows was quickly disappearing and being replaced by the softer light of the moon. Isabell sighed as she entered the prison again. She'd been outside since the others left, keeping watch in a guard tower and making sure no one had seen the carpool leaving the prison. The chill of the late air caught up to her, but she enjoyed the breeze on her bare arms. Isabell stepped into the prison finding everyone gathered in Judith's cell, even Axel. She furrowed her brow, knowing that the man normally kept his distance.

Axel sat on the bed next to Beth who held baby Judith while Carl stood watching over. "You are good with her." He said to Beth as she rocked the baby in her blanket, trying to get her to sleep. "You got little sisters?"

Beth looked over at Axel for a moment. "No."

"How old are you, anyway?"

"Seventeen."

Isabell noticed how Carl folded his arms over his chest, becoming defensive.

"Seventeen," Axel repeated. "Interesting."

Isabell and Carol, both standing outside the cell, heard the tone the man gave and peered into the cell. "Ay!" Isabell called into the cell, getting Axel's attention. She watched as the man trembled at the sight of her. "Out here, now!"

Axel looked between Beth and Carl before catching Isabell's eye. "Me?" He questioned, pointing at his own chest.

"You think I'ma talk to a couple a kids like that?"

"No…" He said quietly. He looked and nodded at Beth. "I'll be right back."

Isabell scoffed. "The hell you will." She said to him as he passed her, following Carol.

Carl took steps after Axel, making sure he was clear of the cell. He glanced up at Isabell with an angry look on his face.

Isabell nodded at him. "Carol and I will handle it." She said before turning her sights on Beth. "If he ever fuckin' says anything to you, tries anything, touches you, you come to me, got it?"

Beth nodded once.

"Good. You guys okay with AK?" Isabell received nods from both kids. "Alright." She left the two alone in the cellblock and joined in on Carol's conversation with Axel.

Axel was shaking his head at a grinning Carol. "You're not a lesbian?" He asked.

Carol gave him an amused looked but Isabell hoped she was anything but.

"My, my. This is interesting." He said, leaning an arm over Carol, trying to be seductive.

Carol glanced at Isabell and then back at Axel. "No, It's not." She said before walking away.

Isabell snickered to herself thinking she'd come just in time.

Axel realized that he was not left alone with Isabell.

Isabell gave him the hardest, most intimidating look she could come up with. "If you so much as breathe in Beth's direction again, I will not hesitate to let one of my arrows fly in your direction."

Axel gave a few small nods, "Yes, ma'am."

"If you've got a problem, I don't even want you to handle it in this cellblock, or I will handle it for you in a way you'd rather me not, you understand me?" Isabell said, placing a hand over her hunter's knife attached to her belt and flicking her eyes downward.

"Yes, I do," He said, gulping.

"Great. Glad we understand each other."

0o0o0

Daryl's Group

They managed to hide out in a shed nearby, killing the man who was living in it. He wouldn't have survived anyhow as he was very unstable. It got dark quickly and Michonne was able to help them get into the town. It didn't take long for the rescue team to find Glenn and Maggie and they had found them just in time. They gassed out the room, grabbing the two hostages and rushing out of the building to get somewhere safe. They kept a low profile even with it being difficult to hold Glenn. Apparently, he had taken a beating and it wasn't pretty.

They ran into another building that they hoped was empty and took cover, preparing to gather themselves so they could make their escape from the crazy town.

Daryl quickly cleared the building while everyone else piled in, catching their breath. "Ain't no way out back here," Daryl informed the group, finding no second exit.

"Rick, how did you find us?"

"How bad are you hurt?" Rick asked Glenn, ignoring Maggie's question. It wasn't important right now how they were found, just that they were.

"I'll be alright," Glenn said, practically spitting up blood from his spot on the floor.

"Where's that woman?" Maggie asked.

Rick looked around the room, finding Maggie's question was real. Michonne was gone. She was right behind them. Rick moved the curtain covering the window to look outside.

"Maybe she was spotted." Oscar offered.

"Want me to go look for her?" Daryl asked.

Rick shook his head, turning his attention back to Glenn and Maggie. "No, we gotta get them outta here. She's on her own."

"Daryl," Glenn called, getting the archer's attention. "This was Merle."

Daryl paused, looking at Glenn. That was a name he never thought he'd hear again.

Glenn, who was shrugging on a hoodie that Maggie had found nodded. "It was. He did this."

"You saw him?" Rick questioned trying to clarify.

"Face to face. Threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us."

Daryl nervously approached Glenn, asking a question he didn't want to ask. "S-so my brother's this governor?"

"No, it's somebody else." Maggie closed the zip-up hoodie on Glenn. "Your brother's his lieutenant or something."

"Does he know I'm still with you?"

"He does now." Glenn said, "Rick, I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out."

Rick took fast steps towards Glenn, crouching to the ground in front of him he held out a hand."Don't. No need to apologize." He made his way back towards the door to try and find a clear path out of the town.

"They're gonna be lookin' for us." Maggie insisted.

Rick nodded once. "We have to get back. Can you walk? We got a car a few miles out."

Glenn nodded, trying to pull himself up. "I'm good."

"Alright." Rick moved to help Maggie get Glenn to his feet.

Daryl's mind was moving too fast to keep up. "Hey, if Merle's around, I need to see him." He pressed Rick.

Rick looked him in the eye. "Not now. We're in hostile territory."

"He's my brother. I ain't - "

"Look at what he did!" Rick interrupted, pointing at Glenn. "Look, we gotta - we gotta get out of here now."

Daryl shook his head, pleading with his eyes. It was a side of Daryl that Rick hadn't seen. "Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can work something out."

"No, no, no. You're not thinkin' straight." Rick made sure Daryl was paying attention to the words that he was saying, talking in a low, serious voice. "Look, no matter what they say, they're hurt. Glenn can barely walk. How are we gonna make it out if we get overrun by walkers and if this governor catches up to us? I need you. And you need to get home to Isabell." Rick paused, studying the archer. "Are you with me?"

Daryl hesitated. He did need to get home to Isabell, but he thought his brother had died. It had been almost a year and Daryl had come to terms with that. But hearing that Merle was alive, brought up new information, new feelings. Still, he knew he needed to get the others to safety. "Yeah."

0o0o0

Isabell's Group

Isabell found a spot on the ground against the wall opposite the cells. She sat there with her legs up to her chest and her bow and quiver on the floor next to her. Carl and Beth were nearby on the stairs, Beth was fiddling with her gun, loading and unloading it. There wasn't much to do but wait for the others to come back and Isabell hoped it wouldn't be long before they pulled up the gravel road with Glenn and Maggie in tow.

Hershel hobbled out from Judith's cells, making his way over to the others.

Isabell leaned her chin on her arms, wrapped around her knees. "How's AK?" she asked the old man.

Hershel nodded at her. "Finally got her to sleep."

"How are we with formula?" Carl asked. He was always worried about his sister and that's what made him the best big brother.

"We have enough to last us another month."

Carl nodded. "I'll take Carol for some more at the end of the week."

Beth leaned down, speaking to him softly. "Your dad and the others will be back by then."

"We don't know that," the boy responded looking up at her having a seriousness in his voice that Isabell didn't like. "Right now, Judith is the only family I got."

Isabell leaned back, the back of her head lightly hitting the cool concrete. "You got us, too, bud. We're family."

Hershel and Beth both agreed with Isabell's statement.

Distantly, in the next moment, there was a scream echoing through the block.

Isabell said up straight at the sound.

"What was that?" Beth asked.

"That was from inside."

Carl's eyes widened. "Was it Carol?"

Hershel shook his head, "She's out keeping watch in the guard tower with Axel."

"What if they came back in for something? What if they're in trouble?" Beth wondered.

Isabell stood from her spot, grabbing her quiver and attaching it to her belt next to her hunter's knife and gun holster. She held her bow in her hands. "She wouldn't have come in without checking in first."

"Let's check the tower, see if she's there," Hershel said, trying to calm the children around him.

"How could anyone else get in?" Beth questioned.

"The tombs are filled with walkers that wandered in from the outside. Someone else could have done the same thing." Isabell ensured. "We don't have the resources to rebuild the walls to keep them out."

"I'm going," Carl said, standing with his gun in hand.

Hershel shook his head, stopping the boy from stepping down the stairs with his crutch. "I can't let you go down there."

"My father would go."

Hershel realized the boy was right and cleared his path.

"It's alright, Gramps. I'll go with him." Isabell said. "You two stay here. Protect Judith in case they find you before we find them." Isabell rushed after the eager boy, finding him at the door to the tombs to follow the screams.

"You don't need to come with me." Carl insisted.

Isabell scoffed. "I'm only here for your backup kid. You're holdin' the reins." She admitted to him as they stared down the dark hallway. "You got your flashlight?"

Carl nodded, pulling it from his pocket.

"Hold it under your gun, supportin' it so you know where you're shootin'."

Carl did as he was told, leading their way deep into the prison. He moved slowly and carefully through the hallways, making sure to check around every corner before he turned down them.

Isabell was impressed. He must have learned a lot from his trip into the halls with Daryl. Isabell only hoped it would stick if he were ever by himself somewhere.

The door to the boiler room was open and it sounded like the screams were coming from inside it. Isabell stood a few yards behind Carl, really giving him the lead. Her bow was raised and ready just in case she saw something he didn't. Isabell was about to let an arrow fly, but Carl turned quickly, shooting his gun up into the jaw of an oncoming walker, watching as it fell to the floor.

Carl looked back at Isabell.

"I told you. You got it. Now go in there."

The screams sounded from inside the room. Carl looked to the door and hesitated.

"Carl, go! I'll cover the exit!"

Carl nodded once and went through the door, firing off shots. "Cmon!" He shouted, "Hurry!"

Footsteps sounded through the hall and passed her as Carl led the group back to the cell block. Two men, two women, and what could have been a teenage boy hurried out of the room. The group looked surprised at the adult letting the child in the room, but Isabell waved them along.

"Go! I'll cover the rear!" She said to the new people.

The group continued on after Carl, one of the women being carried by a man. The man dropped her, not being able to hold up the woman and keep himself alive.

"Hurry!" Carl called again.

The bigger man of the group backtracked. "Let me take her!"

The woman left standing came barrelling towards Isabell with her shovel. "I'll cover you." Both this woman and Isabell were killing the few walkers that had followed after them.

"You have to leave her!" Carl insisted.

A deep voice filled the hallway. "No way!"

"Carl! Go!" The footsteps sounded again and the group took off. Isabell and the woman stopped killing the walkers behind them and Isabell nodded at her appreciatively before gesturing back towards the group. They both hurried to catch up.

Carl pushed through the cellblock door, letting the whole group in before he saw Isabell enter. He locked the door to the tombs before joining the group.

They laid the woman down that was being carried and she was motionless. Dead.

"I'll take care of it," Carl said, cocking his gun and pointing it at the woman's head.

The big man stopped Carl with a hand out. "Whoa! Whoa, kid. Wait a minute."

"She doesn't have that long."

The woman that helped Isabell stepped forward. "Who the hell are you?" She asked, looking to Carl first and then finding Isabell close to the entrance of their cells. "How did you get in here? Is it just you two?"

"Look, we can help you. First things first." Carl gestured down to the dead woman.

"No, we take care of our own."

Carl looked up at Isabell.

The blonde gestured her head for Carl to follow her into the cell block. The door closed loudly and the new group looked towards it as Carl locked the door.

The woman gasped. "Hey. What are you doing?"

The big man came over to the door. "Kid, did you just lock us in here?"

"He's only doing what he was told," Isabell told him.

"Open the door." The woman ordered.

"This room is secure," Carl assured her. "You'll be safe. You have food and water."

The woman walked up to the door and grabbed onto one of the bars, shaking it hard. "Open this door."

Carl shook his head. "I can't."

"Oh, c'mon, man. We're not animals. Don't do this." The woman looked up and Isabell turned her head to find Hershel peeking out of his cell. "Hey!" She said, screaming towards the man. She shook the cell door again. "You can't just leave us in here!"

Isabell raised her bow, notching an arrow and pulling it back, pointing it at the woman's head.

"Open this door!"

"Back up," Isabell said through clenched teeth.

"Sasha!" The big man chastised. "Back away from their door and let the man go." The pair back away from the door. "Look around. This is the best place we had in weeks. His house. We got other things to do." The man said, looking back to the two other guys who were mourning over the dead woman. He turned his head back to Carl and Isabell. "We don't want any trouble."

Carl nodded.

Isabell lowered her bow. "Hey," she said, calling the attention of the man back. "Use a knife at the base of her skull. Preserve as much as you can for her memory. It'll be better than a hammer."

The man nodded. "Thank you."

0o0o0

Daryl's Group

He hadn't remembered how it happened or when, but somewhere in the scuffle of trying to get out of the godforsaken town, Daryl was nabbed. He got knocked out and when he came to, he couldn't see his surroundings to even try to get out of the problem he caught himself in. Daryl didn't have any of his weapons on him or he would have been able to feel the knife in his back pocket. He couldn't use his arms as they had been tied behind his back. There was shouting all around him, a man's voice singled out above the rest.

Daryl was shoved forward, nearly tripping over his own feet since he couldn't see in front of him. Two people grabbed him by his elbows and ushered him towards the shouting. He was stopped and his vision came flooding back. They'd covered Daryl's head with a sack and had just ripped it off.

In front of him was Merle, his brother. Alive and well. He was in the middle of what could have been a makeshift arena. The crowd around them was chanting.

"Kill them!"