The Truth Will Out
Jesus thought he had left his past as Malcolm Bright buried in the remains of New York. He thought wrong.
Fandom: Prodigal Son, Walking Dead
Tags: crossover, Jesus was Malcolm Bright, pre-Daryl/Jesus/Rick, spoilers for up to episode 11 of Prodigal Son, Tom Payne can sing like an angel so therefore Malcolm/Paul can as well, Paul is good with kids and they like him as well
Chapter 3
The song Paul is singing is Tom Payne's part of the song 'Hold On' by Final Child, which is a band, his fiancée is the lead singer for.
"Come on, we finished unloading everything. Let's see how Jesus is doing." Rick clapped Daryl on the shoulder as the two left one of the storehouses they had scattered throughout Alexandria.
"He should be out of the shower by now, we can bring him to my place for dinner with everyone. He shouldn't be alone tonight, not after everything." Rick said lowly as he and Daryl entered Daryl's place, not expecting to still hear the shower running.
"He's still in there? Don't think he's trying to drown huh?" Daryl said slowly as he looked over at Rick and a moment passed before the two were bolting up the staircase. Daryl was flinging open the bathroom door before freezing in his tracks while Rick made a wounded noise in the back of his throat.
Paul was sitting in the bathtub completely naked under the spray of water that no doubt had long since gone cold. His arms were wrapped around his knees and his forehead resting against the tops of them. His hair was soaking and draped around his face like a shield as he took shuddering, gasping breaths.
"Oh Paul, we're here, we've got you." Rick crooned in a voice he usually saved for when Carl or Judith got upset as he approached the tub with slow movements. Rick shut off the showerhead and knelt next to the tub, Daryl grabbed a towel off the rack and dropped it around Paul's bare shoulders.
"I'm sorry, God I don't know what is happening to me. I haven't had an attack since this new world began," Paul lifted his head up to look at Rick with blown wide eyes, shifting his fingers to clutch at the edges of the towel Daryl gave him.
"After what happened today, reliving it as you told us about your past. It's enough to make anyone a bit unstable." Rick said in the tone he used when consoling an upset witness back in his days as a cop.
"A bit unstable," Paul let out a strangled laugh as he ducked his head again, letting out a loud exhale of breath. "That's an understatement."
"Come on, let's get you dry and into some fresh clothes. Then if you're feeling up to it we were thinking you could come to my place for some grub. You know Judith and Carl love it when you come to visit." Rick took a smaller towel Daryl handed to him and gently rubbed it over Paul's long hair, earning a snicker from the other man.
"I think you, Grimes, only like me for my hair," Paul teased sounding like his usual self again.
"It's definitely a plus," Rick teased back and got a half-hearted smile from the soaked man.
"We'll wait for ya downstairs, holler if you need help." Daryl offered up.
"Thank you, both of you," Paul said quietly before the two men left the bathroom.
"Think he's gonna be okay?" Daryl asked quietly as the two lounged in the living room, waiting for Paul to finish dressing.
"It may take some time and a few nightmares along the way but I think he'll make it. He's strong, stronger than either of us gave him credit for." Rick commented and Daryl hummed before the two fell into a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Minutes later Paul was coming down the stairs into the living room in fresh cargo pants and a black shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows in his usual style. His hair was half dry from where it hung loosely around his shoulders and he gave the two another half-smile.
"Let's go get some food, I'm starving," Paul said as the older men rose from the couch, looking pleased in their own styles at the fact Paul was agreeing to come to Rick's place.
It was a quiet walk to the Grimes' home, a short one at that as Daryl's place was only a street down from the place. The moment the doors opened that quiet was broken by the mixture of voices and laughter. Paul's shoulders relaxed a bit when the others in the house called out their greetings to the trio.
Rick walking off to check in on his kids while Daryl went to grab some food before he got sidetracked by Tara who slugged him in the shoulder as she talked. Paul found himself smiling at the familiar sights before him as he sank down onto an empty seat in the living room.
"Hey, Paul!" Carl smiled at the longhaired man as he balanced Judith on his hip.
"Hey, Carl, how are you and Judith doing?" Paul lit up at the sight of the Grimes kid's, as he tended to do; he was always weak for children even back in New York.
"We're good, Judy here has been making grabby hands at you since you came in with Dad. Think you can take her a bit?" Carl looked hopeful as Judith made grabby hands at Paul just like Carl had said she had been doing.
"I think I can take her off of your hands for a bit," Paul lifted his arms and laughed when Carl settled her into his offered arms and Judith instantly curled her small fingers around Paul's long hair.
"You're a lifesaver, I'll grab you some food okay?" Carl looked pleased with how taken Judith was with Paul.
"Thanks, Carl," Paul said with a small smile as he watched the teen bounce out of the room.
"Hi there sunshine," Paul cooed down at Judith as he adjusted his hold on the small girl. Judith grinned up at him and one of her hands patted his beard.
"I used to have a bird named sunshine, you remind me of her in some ways. I think she would be honoured if you carried on her name." Paul smiled sadly for a moment before he rose to his feet to lightly bounce Judith who was crinkling up her nose in a telltale sign that she was about to cry.
"Hey now sunshine, don't cry, there's no reason to cry." Paul crooned before He lightly cleared his throat and began to softly sing under his breath.
"Hold onto something, hold onto me, hold on to things that you can not believe." Paul swayed as he sang, not taking his eyes off of Judith. Judith's face relaxed slowly as he sang to her.
"Hold onto something, hold onto something, hold onto something," Paul hummed the final few words as he tucked a fluff of hair off of Judith's forehead with a tender smile. Judith was staring up at him with drowsy eyes and a content smile on her little face.
"I didn't know you could sing," Rick whispered making Paul startle slightly as he looked up to see he had an audience. Most of the house had been watching and listening, but seeing that he was caught they respectively went back to their conversations minus Rick, Daryl and Carl who had inched closer.
"Yeah, when we were younger my little sister would have these… Nightmares I guess you could say and I usually had to sing to get her to sleep." Paul admitted something he hadn't thought about in years as he sat back onto the couch and cradled Judith to his chest as she yawned cutely and pressed her face into Paul's hair, a few of her fingers tangled in his beard.
"You were a big brother, that makes sense." Carl murmured as he sat on the other side of Paul and stroked his sister's pudgy cheek with a fond smile.
"Does it?" Paul asked curiously, blinking at Rick when the teen leaned his head against his shoulder to be more comfortable and to watch Judith sleep.
"Yeah, you always help everyone out. You take care of Hilltop and now us, you're such a big brother." Carl stated like he wasn't one as well but something warm settled in Paul's chest.
"Thanks, kid," Paul whispered as he closed his eyes remembering Ainsley and his mother's faces and closely behind Gil's, Jackie's, Dani's, JT's and Edrisa's. Instead of feeling a stabbing pain he just felt warm, something he hadn't felt in a long time.
"You're not alone Paul, not with us around," Rick said as he placed his hand on Paul's knee.
"Won't be letting you run off alone anymore, you may be like a ninja but that doesn't mean you have to do it alone anymore," Daryl added his own comment in his own gruff way that made Paul smile. He understood the sentiment and the worry they held for him now.
"I like the sound of that," Paul admitted, he hadn't been a apart of a team, of a family since New York and he very badly wanted to become apart of this one in Alexandria and it helped that he now knew they all wanted him to be apart of it as well. He would still go back to Hilltop to help those living there, he would aid Gregory when or if the need arrived but he knew in his heart that Alexandria was his home, like New York had been all those years ago.