An: Thank you GirlNextDoor01 for your review. I am writing another story where the main character is called Sawyer, so I accidentally put her name in this instead of Bailey. That was a mistake that I corrected. Sorry for the confusion.


AN: Sorry it took so long to update. I really wanted to make this chapter perfect. I wanted to really let you get understanding of Tommy. The single aposophe ' is him taking in sign language and the dual aposophe " is regular speech. Tommy is essentially mute, the reason behind it will be known later in the book. Daryl is a single father and he raised Tommy on his own, but you'll see that their relationship isn't exactly normal. Tommy isn't normal. Tommy is character I love writing in this universe. I have tried to write him a couple of times, but he never turned out quite right, but I think I got him pretty good this time. Let me know what you thought of him and this chapter. I hope Daryl doesn't seem too OOC. I really wanted to make him a good loving father unlike what he had as a child. I also gave some interaction with Bailey towards the two of them. I hope you like it. Let me know with reviews.


Tommy wasn't like his father in many ways and he was definitely not like his uncle. He was a very quiet kid, most thought he was much younger than he really was. He was twenty two, but looked so very young and innocent. The group back at camp haven't heard him say a single word, only ever saw him use sign language to communicate with his father and uncle, they were a bit surprised that either Dixon even knew sign language. It didn't seem like something two rough rednecks would ever learn. Tommy was pretty interesting to those at camp for a few days, but it quickly became understood that he hated attention. He did everything in his power to go unnoticed by others.

He didn't socialize with the group at all. He barely left his father's side. Always kept his head down, his mouth shut, and his body tensed up ready to flee at a moment's notice. At first, they were concerned that he was receiving the same treatment that Carol was, but that was quickly dismissed about a week after the family arrived.

Ed had tried to start something and had barely grabbed the kid when Daryl Dixon ripped the man's fat hand off of his son and damn near beat him to death in front of everyone. Surprisingly, it had been Merle that had pulled Daryl off and got him to calm down. That was another thing that made Tommy different from his uncle and father, he didn't like conflict. He shied away from it, preferring to just hide in the shadows and get through life with as little attention as possible.

He wasn't loud and outspoken like his uncle. He wasn't racist, sexist, or anything of the likes like his uncle was. He was a mute, shy, timid young man who cracked under the spotlight. He also didn't look like his family. They all had dark brown hair (It was hard to tell with Merle's hair cut so short he was almost bald) and they have the most unique blue eyes, like two ocean pulls frozen in ice and struck by lightning. They were tall and rugged, Merle was burlier than Daryl, but Daryl still was pretty solid. They did have differences. Merle had a small face with a more square jaw and larger nose, while Daryl had a more oval and narrow face with a more pointed nose.

Tommy had black hair that was thick and as dark as raven feathers. It wasn't too long or too short and always looked windblown. He had beautiful hazel eyes, very pale porcelain skin. He was tall too, but very thin and lengthy. He looked to have almost no body mass or muscles, but looks could be deserving. He had a smaller nose than either Dixon and not down pointed like his father's. He did have his father's oval slim face, but the rest was clearly his mother. He had a cut going through his left eyebrow, a deep scar.

He wore henleys with a flannel over it, a pair of jeans, and his work boots. He also had a leather jacket for when it got colder. He always wore long sleeves despite the humidity. Another thing that made him so different from his uncle and father was that he hated hunting. He didn't mind making traps for the animals, but spending hours in the woods tracking animals and hunting them down just was not something that interested him. It bore him truly to no end.

He only went hunting with his father because he barely left his father's side. Merle was back at camp, but Tommy didn't want to stay with Merle. He wanted to stay with Daryl despite how bored out of his mind he was. He kept playing with the rubber band around his wrist, snapping it constantly. He knew it was driving his dad nuts, but he couldn't seem to make himself stop. "Thomas." That made him stop. He looked up at Daryl with a blank expression, he rarely managed anything else. "Please, stop." Tommy let the band go with a snap, causing Daryl to take a deep breath in. "We're almost done. We just need to find the deer and bring it back to camp. Once we do that then you can go back to your tinkering." Tommy loved to tinker. Any electric device he could get his hands on he would take apart and make into something else. He was also good with cars. He could take an engine apart in an hour and put it all back together with no hesitation. He didn't even have to learn this stuff. It was just engraved into his skull.

He was always making things. When he was just ten years old he had made a stereo out of parts he got from the junkyard. It became the best Christmas present that Merle ever got. One thing that Tommy really enjoyed playing with was this mechanical ball he always carried around that acted more like a fidget item than anything else. It didn't do anything that Daryl knew of. It just twisted and moved, kind of like a rubix cube, but a metal ball version with indents for his fingers.

'How much longer?' Tommy signs.

"As long as it takes to find it." His father says irritably. He usually was very patient with Tommy. Tommy was a bit… special. Many thought he was autistic or something, but he was just very brilliant and very damaged. It took a lot of patience to deal with Tommy. He was always so twitchy. Constantly moving, always looking over his shoulder, never relaxing for a moment.

His father was always worried about him, but Tommy was able to take care of himself. He was an excellent shot. He had his own assault rifle with a scope that he kept strapped to his back. He also had a pouch on his rip hip that held throwing daggers. Beside the pouch was a very large hunting knife. He also had countless other knives on his person and he had a pistol strapped to his thigh. On his left hip was a sling shot and another pouch, this one filled with gears that were sharpened to be quite deadly. The kid was like a ninja. Silent, but deadly.

"We'll be back at camp soon and you can relax, okay?" Daryl asks, trying to soothe the boy.

'Can I have some water?' Daryl slips his bag off and hands Tommy the water bottle that was inside. 'Thanks.'

"You're welcome." He ruffles the kid's hair, or tried to. Tommy pulled away, his eyes wide and fearful. "Easy, Tommy." Daryl says, concern showing in his eyes. He never knew why Tommy was so opposed to touch. Apart of him feared it was because he was a bad father, but he wanted to hope that it was something else. Tommy hated being touched without his concent. If anyone beside his dad or maybe his uncle touched him then he went into what Daryl called 'episodes'. It was never a pretty sight. "Tommy…" Daryl slowly moves to him, incase Tommy freaks out. Tommy watches him warily as if he thought Daryl would hurt him, which he'd never do. "It's okay." Daryl places a hand on the boy's cheek, running his thumb across the scar in his eyebrow. Tommy wasn't a boy, but it was hard to see it when he acted like one so much. Always acting like a scared boy, constantly clinging to his father when others were around. "You know I'd never hurt you." Something came across Tommy's face, but it was gone before Daryl could read more into it.

'We need to get back.' Tommy signs, stepping away from his father's touch.

"Right… Come on. It shouldn't be much farther." Daryl promises as he makes his way through the woods once more. Tommy follows silently behind him. As much as Tommy hated hunting and tracking, he was just as silent in the woods as his father was. Always placing his feet just right, never putting enough weight to make a twig snap. The woods were easy for him to get through. He was raised to know the woods. He might find hunting and tracking boring, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to do it all.

They push through the trees and out into a clearing. Tommy stopped dead in his tracks as he saw all the people around. He hated crowds. If he had it his way they'd never have stopped in this camp to begin with. "Son of a bitch!" Tommy's eyes snapped up to his dad before looking where Daryl was looking. The deer they shot laid on the ground with chunks taken out of it. "That's my deer." Daryl snaps as he walks around the rock and out the trees. Tommy follows behind him with his head bowed. "Look at it." Tommy's eyes went to the deer. It had five bolts in it and chunks missing from it's neck where the walker chewed it up. "All gnawed on by this...Filthy," Daryl starts kicking the walker. "Disease-bearing, motherless, poxy bastard!" Tommy simply watched, all too use to the Dixon temper.

"Calm down, son. That's not helping." Tommy frowns as the old man, Da something, says.

"What do you know about it, old man?" Tommy sighs, drawing attention to himself.

'I'm going back to camp.' He signs.

"Yeah, go on." Daryl says, causing Tommy to nod and move past the group, starting up the hill. He hated to be around conflict, Daryl knew that, so he didn't put up much of a fight for Tommy to go off on his own.

The group all stared after Tommy like they usually did. Trying to figure him out. The group loves drama and gossip and the Dixons were often a good source for both. Something that Tommy truly hated. He hated attention and just wished they'd leave him alone. His eyes met a pair of dark green eyes, much like his own. He pauses as he stares at the unknown woman. "Hey, I'm Bailey." She introduces herself. Tommy tilts his head to the side as he looks at her. She was… different from the others. She was very welcoming. She had a kind smile on her face that just made Tommy want to relax, something that was always hard for him to do. "What's your name?"

"He doesn't talk." Tommy jumps slightly when he heard the deep voice behind him. He bowed his head and moved quickly out of the way of Ed Peletier. "The freak's a mute. Hasn't said a damn word since he got here. Hides behind his daddy mostly."

"I don't think we met yet." Bailey says, her voice taking on a different tone than the one she had greeted Tommy with.

Ed eyed her over, like a hungry man eyeing a juicy steak. The sight made Tommy sick. "Ed." He says in a tone that was trying to be seductive, but failing incredibly.

"Well, Ed, how about you leave the kid alone." Bailey says cooly. "I was talking to him, not you and I don't appreciate people jumping into conversations that don't concern them." Ed sneered down at her, looking right to punch her right then and there. Tommy moves in front of Bailey, staring Ed down. Tommy might not like conflict, but what he hated more was abuse. No man should ever raise a hand to a woman or child.

"Hey!" Daryl yells, causing the three to look over at him. The group was behind him. "What'd I tell you about messing with my boy, Peletier." He snarls, looking like he was itching for a fight. Ed was stupid, but not sucicidal. He just sneered at Daryl and walked away, too much of a coward to fight. Daryl glances over at Tommy, taking note of the woman behind him. "You okay?"

'Fine. Ed's just being a dick.' Tommy signs, causing Daryl to laugh.

"Come on, let's find Merle." Tommy nods and follows Daryl the rest of the way to camp. "Merle!" He yells. "Merle! Get your ugly ass out here!" Daryl calls as they walk into camp. All eyes turn back on them. Tommy frowns when he notices the group standing under the roof of the rv, huddled together and whispering. Tommy looks up at his dad to see Daryl also taking note of that. "I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up." Tommy frowns as he glances around. Normally Merle would be out by now, even when high on drugs.

'Dad, something's wrong.' Tommy signs, causing Daryl to frown.

'What exactly?' Daryl signs, not wanting to be overheard. It's not often that Daryl or Merle signs back. Normally they just talked back. It was clear the group were surprised by this too because their staring got even more intense.

'Merle should be out by now. Look how nervous everyone is. Something happened.' Daryl puts his crossbow down and starts further into camp, looking like he was beginning to grow tense.

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you." Daryl's eyes fell on Tommy.

"About what?" Daryl asks.

"About Merle." Daryl looks down at Tommy.

'Go drop off your stuff in the tent.' Daryl signs.

'Dad.'

"Now, Tommy." Daryl orders, causing Tommy to sigh and make his way off. Daryl waited until Tommy was far enough away before turning back to Shane.

Tommy sighs and tosses his pack into the tent without much care. He hated when his father treated him like a child. Yes, he was skittish, yes he hated conflict, and yes he did have 'episodes', but he still deserved to know what was going on. He sighs, sitting down on a log, nervously playing with his metallic ball. His head shot up when he heard yelling starting. "Watch the knife!" Tommy's heart leaped up to his throat.

He stood up, his eyes straining to see over the hill where the group was. He moved shakily, he was told to go to his tent, but not ordered to stay. He walks forward and freezes when he sees the fighting. His father is on his knees, Shane's arm wrapped around his neck. Tommy could see his father's face turning from red to purple. He couldn't breath. Tommy pulls of his rifle, looks through the scope, and aimed. The shot skimmed Shane's ear and hit the rv. Everything stilled, all eyes falling to Tommy, who was still aiming. For the first time in a long time, Daryl heard his son speak. "Best let him go." His voice was very quiet and surprisingly deep, but it held a clear warning. Let go or you die. Not a single member in this camp would be stupid to underestimate Tommy's aim. They had all seen the target practice that Merle made Tommy do almost every day. The kid was good and they knew it. Shane let go of Daryl almost immediately, who started coughing and struggling to get his air back. Only when Shane had moved away did Tommy lower his gun.

"Listen, Tommy, was it?" Tommy glares at the stranger. "We don't want any trouble." Tommy's glare only grew darker. "I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic." He said in a rather condescending tone that made Tommy really want to shoot him. "I do not want to fight with your or your dad." Tommy's glare didn't lessen.

"Tommy," His eyes shot over to his father's, who'd manage to get his breath back. Their eyes met, an entire conversation being held in just the few seconds that they stared at each other. Tommy gives a barely there nod.

"What I did was not on a whim." The stranger says to Daryl as Tommy moves to help him up. "Your brother does not work and play well with others." Tommy snorts at that. Understatement of the year.

"It's not Rick's fault." T-Dog spoke up. "I had the key. I dropped it."

"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl asks, his voice still rough.

'What happened?' Tommy signs. Daryl huffs before signing rapidly, but Tommy caught it all.

'Merle got left. Chained to a pipe on one of the buildings. They don't know if he's alive or not.' Tommy frowns, his eyes going from the cop to T-Dog.

"It wasn't Tee's fault." Bailey spoke up. "We were on a time limit. The building was going to be swarmed in seconds. We…" She sighs. "He dropped down the drain, we didn't have time to figure out another way to get him out, but we did lock the door after us." They frown.

"Bailey came up with the idea." T-Dog said. "She used a chain to keep the door closed, so that the geeks wouldn't get in."

"He's still up there." Bailey adds. "Tee and I are going to go back for him." The entire camp fell silent at Bailey's announcement.

"Bailey-" Dale starts, but Bailey cuts him off.

"I promised Merle that I would be back. I'm not the type of person to leave a person to die." She kept her eyes on Daryl. "Tee and I talked about it last night. He and I are going back to get him. Others are welcomed to join, but we're going back. We made a mistake back there, we didn't want to leave him. We're going back to fix the mistake."

"Why?" Daryl asks, he couldn't understand why some stranger would risk their life to go back for his bastard of a brother.

"Like I said, I don't leave anyone behind to die. It doesn't matter whether or not they deserve it. No one has a right to die like that." Bailey and Daryl stared at one another, an understanding rising between them.

"Rick's going with you. Isn't that right?" Lori asks in a completely judgemental tone, her eyes staring down her husband.

He gave a weak nod, looking around as everyone stared at him. "I'm going back." He admits, as if afraid of being yelled at. Lori doesn't say anything as she walks back onto the rv. The group disperses and Daryl grabs Tommy's arm, leading him back to the tent, not a single person missing the flinch that Tommy tried to hide.

'Dad, let go.' Daryl frowns, looking down at his hand on Tommy before sighing.

"Sorry, kid." Daryl says, letting go of his son.

'You okay?' Daryl takes a seat on the log by the fire, running his hands down his face. 'Dad, please. Truth.'

"You spoke back there." Daryl says, his voice so quiet that Tommy had to strain to hear it. "I haven't heard you talk since you were little."

'They can't read signs.' Daryl frowns. 'Are you okay?'

"I'll be fine. You shouldn't worry about your old man." Tommy frowns.

'I always worry.' Daryl's eyes lift to look at Tommy. He hesitates before brushing the hair out Tommy's eyes.

"You shouldn't, kiddo. I'll be fine."

'What if Merle doesn't come back like Noah and Parker?' Daryl swallows hard.

"He'll come back."

'What if he doesn't? You won't end up doing what Merle did, right?'

"Tommy…" Daryl trails off. 'You know I'd never leave you, right?' He signs.

'I know.'

'It'll be okay, kiddo. I promise. I won't let anyone hurt you.' Tommy looks down. "I miss hearing you talk, Tommy." Daryl admits. Tommy stares down at his hands.

'I'm afraid.' Daryl's heart stopped.

"Of what?" He whispers.

'Of being heard.' Daryl felt like he couldn't breath. This is the first time Tommy has been so open.

'Why? Who are you afraid of?' Tommy looks away.

'Doesn't matter.'

"Tommy-"

'I want to go with you into the city.'

"No. No, that's not happening." Daryl dismisses quickly. "You're staying here."

'It's no safer here. Ed hates me.'

"You know I won't let anyone hurt you."

'How can you promise that when you're leaving me alone.'

"Tommy-"

'I want to go!'

"Listen to me, kid." Daryl says, moving to kneel in front of Tommy. "I can handle something happening to Merle. He's my brother, but I can handle it. If something were to happen to you…" Daryl squeezes his eyes shut at the thought before looking once more at Tommy. "I need you safe, Tommy. I need to know you'll be safe. The camp is safe. If Peletier bothers you then you have my permission to shoot him." They share a smile. "You'll be safe here and that is what is most important to me, understand." Tommy hesitates before wrapping his arms around Daryl. Daryl's eyes widen momentarily before he pulls Tommy into his arms and hugs him.

"I love you, dad." Daryl squeezes his eyes shut to keep from letting the tears spill.

"Love you too, buddy." His voice is a bit rougher than usually. "Please, stay here where it's safe." Tommy sighs before nodding. He pulls back and Daryl lets him go, cupping his son's face in his hands. "I need you to be safe. You are more important than anything else in the world to me." Tommy nods.

'Bring Merle back.'

"I will." Daryl lets Tommy go and sits back down to sharpen his knife. "I will."