Sorry for the delay in this chapter. It's been done but I've been so busy with school I haven't had time to edit and upload but now the semester is done and I can finally put this up. Thank you guys so much for all the follows, favorites and reviews. Thank you to:

celia azul

A Panting

DarylDixon'sLover

Your reviews mean the world. Hope you enjoy!

Lydia had bruised ribs and a sprained wrist. Isabelle had bruises on her throat, a partial black eye, and stitches on one side of her head from a cut from the pavement. She'd passed out and was fast asleep with Carol keeping guard. Her gash on her skin hadn't been opened, and for that Daryl was thankful.

He was still pissed as all hell though.

"I knew that Margo was trouble. She's been trying to hurt Lydia and Isabelle since they moved here…what do you think should happen to Negan?" Beth asked gravely, knowing that the situation was worsening. She didn't want Negan to be executed and thought he had saved Lydia and Isabelle. But she knew others would think he should go.

"I think he should stay. As much as I hate the fucker, he did save 'em. Alfred and Gage tried to kill them, along with Margo. I'm gonna have a little chat with them later…fuckin' assholes," Daryl said angrily. Lydia came into the room then silently, her face bruised and her lip bloody.

Daryl looks over at her and instantly holds out an arm, feeling Lydia cry against him. He looks over at Beth, who was quiet. She throws Daryl a look of sympathy before heading back to the infirmary, going to restock. When Lydia pulls back, Daryl puts her face in his hands.

"Ya listen to me. These fuckers ain't going to get away with this. They're gonna pay for what they did. We're gonna get this shit done."

Lydia swallows and nods, her throat hurting.

"Isabelle…she tried to save me first," Lydia says softly, looking up at him. Daryl's brow furrows.

"I thought they were attackin' ya both?"

Lydia shakes her head. "No…they were trying to attack me...I guess she must have come out to get me for dinner. She saw they were hurting me and came at them with a knife even if she was still hurt. Then they started to hurt her…Alfred was choking her…if she had died because of me…"

"Hey, she ain't dead," Daryl states quietly, trying to ease her nerves. "For what it's worth, I don't think we give the girl enough credit despite 'er bein' hurt. She's got some balls; I can see it." Lydia snorts but nods. "She's okay. She wasn't strong enough to stop them, but she did enough that other people were alerted at the noise."

Lydia looks over at him. "Negan saved me. He threw Margo off me because she was going to kill me. Please…please don't kill him. He's changed. He's different. I know you hate him but please, he saved my life, Daryl...I can't have another person die 'cause of me." She was near tears again.

Daryl sighs and nods his head. "Lydia…if ya say that's what happened, then I'll believe ya."

Lydia hugs him tightly and Daryl hugs her back, letting out a deep breath. When did his world become like this? Comforting someone who had just been nearly killed more and more? Every single week?

"Isabelle is pretty cool," Lydia mumbles into his shirt. Daryl snickers and shakes his head.

"Yeah, gotta admit she is." He pulls back from her and squeezes her shoulder. "Imma take ya home, then check on her. Ya okay with that?" Lydia nods softly, and the two leave the building to go back home so she could rest for the time being.

~%~

Afterward, Daryl heads back towards the infirmary, heading to Isabelle's room. He nods at Carol, who was resting near the door and guarding the girl. Carol had said that sleeping came a little harder to her lately, so guarding was something that she could do in the meantime.

He heads inside and closes the door, walking over to the edge of her bed. He sits down next to her, and in that moment, her eyes flutter open.

She looks around groggily and then sleepily speaks. "…am I in heaven?"

That was the first time he had ever heard her voice. And it made him laugh. Her voice was shot, croaky, and definitely not used for a long time. It sounded like someone who had been coughing non-stop and just decided to have a conversation. But it was there, and it sounded beautiful.

"If ya think this is heaven, Belle, I got some bad news for ya," he chuckles a little. She smiles a bit and leans up, cringing. "I wouldn't do that if I were ya."

She sighs and nods, leaning back in bed. His brow raises a little at her.

"Ya talked," he points out. "I thought ya wouldn't?"

She bites her lower lip and looks up at him. "I…don't. I…trust you and…her." She points outside. "I'm not usually…someone to talk but I…I don't know." She glances towards the window. "Even with what happened…I feel safer with you then I did out there. And I need to speak...at least at some point."

He had to admit that he felt a little warm inside hearing her say that. That was his main goal half the time now, to somehow make some people feel a little bit fucking safer in this fucked up world. And the fact that Isabelle felt that way made him feel good.

"Well…ya gotta drink water." He walks over to her and tilts her head back, helping her drink. "If ya want to talk again."

"I'm just…" she starts once she finishes. "I'm afraid…of…the man…him…."

"I know…but we ain't gonna let them get to ya. Not again." She looks up at him, his expression stagnant, serious. "I ain't gonna let 'em hurt ya."

She nods softly. "…ok."

Daryl glances outside and then back at her. "What ya did with Lydia…ya didn't have to do that. But we're thankful for it. Really."

Isabelle manages a soft smile. "I couldn't let her get hurt…she's not like them."

Daryl chews the bottom of his thumb, still nodding. "I know, but it still means a lot. So thank ya." Isabelle nods. "How are ya feelin'?"

"Like my head is gonna explode."

Daryl snorts and nods. "Yeah, I get that. You'll be restin' here for the day, try and get back energy. Beth and I are gonna go on a run tomorrow to get more medical supplies. Little bit to avoid the bullshit happenin' here tomorrow with Negan…sure ya saw him for the first time."

"He was good…he saved her He didn't seem bad."

"I know…I believe her." Daryl looks at her and then nods back outside. "Gonna make sure we pick up everything to make sure ya are gonna be okay. Just rest for now, alright?"

She nods softly and then closes her eyes, heading to sleep a few moments later. Daryl leaves the room and nods again at Carol before heading downstairs, sighing.

This whole entire mess was driving him up the wall.

~%~

The next day, Daryl and Beth headed out of the zone, trying to figure out the best places to go to try and find medicine for the group. After some thorough searching on the map, they both concluded that a nearby hospital would be their best way of finding them.

That was until they were swarmed with walkers in the medical unit.

"Fuck, what do we do, Daryl?" Beth asked worriedly. This hospital had been clear of walkers last time. Clearly a herd of them had migrated there over the winter.

"Try and clear a path to get out of here, Beth," Daryl said grimly. He pulled out his crossbow and fired at the first two walkers. Beth nodded and covered him as they tried to escape the hospital and head home, but there were just too many.

More walkers crashed through the hole in the upper floor - this might actually be it.

Daryl stabbed another walker in the head, trying to get some air when he saw five of the walkers get taken down by a nail bomb.

"Quick, over here!" a male voice shouted urgently. Daryl and Beth hurried over to where the voice had shouted out to them. They ran down the hallway and barricaded the doors. Once they did, they turned around to see four people aiming their weapons at them.

Two of them were men. One had short dark brown hair and grey eyes, like a gathering storm and the other man had dark blonde-brown hair and hazel eyes. There were two women with them. One had dark brown hair and the other one had dark blonde hair. There was a young teenage boy standing next to her.

"Thanks for helpin' us. We wouldn't have gotten out of there if ya hadn't saved our lives," Daryl said gratefully, causing the man with the hunting bow to nod his head in understanding.

"No worries. We were hiding out in a house near the hospital. Are you two alright?" the man asked wearily. Daryl nodded and looked at the group when he realized something.

They were Isabelle's family. Her two older brothers, best friend, and cousin. The young boy was her best friend's younger brother.

"Ya wouldn't happen to be looking for someone, would ya?" Daryl asked wearily. The man stared at him silently.

"We're looking for mine and James's younger sister. Her name's Isabelle Doyle. She was taken from us…do you know where she is?" Will asked suspiciously. Daryl smiled a bit. For once, by chance, they actually found people they were looking for.

"Yeah. I found her with one of my friends. She was hiding in a closet that was in an abandoned house near the Whisperer border and gotten hurt. She's been lookin' for all of ya," he explained honestly. Will's face became emotional.

"You mind us coming with you? We'll earn our keep, I swear...we just want to see Isabelle," Will promised, the rest nodding in agreement.

Daryl glanced at Beth who nodded encouragingly. He grabbed the backpack that was stocked up with supplies from the hospital, including medical supplies, and turns to them.

"Ya can come with us. Let's get out of here," he said quietly. They nodded and followed him before they left the building through the back.

~%~

Isabelle had been on watch in the tower when she saw a group of around twenty walkers coming towards Alexandria. She quickly grabbed her radio and called Lydia.

"Lydia, get Michonne and Carol. There's a herd of twenty walkers coming this way," she said quickly, her voice hoarse.

She was still very iffy on speaking in general. Although these people seemed nice, there were a few she actually trusted, like Daryl or Beth or Lydia. For now, she only used it when she needed to. The more she used it though, the less croaky she became.

Her mind still told her that now that she speaking, that evil man was going to hunt her down, but she had to force those thoughts out of her head.

"I'm on it. I'll get Aaron and Laura too," Lydia said quickly. Isabelle thanked her and unsheathed her knife. She climbed down the ladder and took out the three nearest walkers. As she went to stab the next one, more started to appear from the side.

Shit, where were all these walkers coming from? Was someone luring them here?

~%~

Carol had snuck out of Alexandria, determined to search for the Whisperer. She knew it had been them that had attacked her. The old woman gripped her knife tightly, as she saw two Whisperers, quiet as always, luring walkers towards Alexandria, Hilltop and Oceanside.

She snuck up behind one of them and slit his throat, before knocking out the other. She gagged her before taking away her weapons, and then tied her to a horse, riding back to Alexandria.

No matter what, she was determined to stop these bastards.

~%~

By the time the others got back from the hospital, they arrived just in time to see that they were fighting walkers – and a shit ton of them. Daryl gets to shooting, and the others start to join in.

"Need help?!" James called out quickly, causing everyone to turn around at seeing him coming off the horse. Isabelle's face suddenly brightened at seeing her two brothers and friends rushing over to help, smiling bigger than she ever had.

When the last walker was taken out and blood was shed, Isabelle ran over to her brothers and hugged them tightly, tears streaming down her face. Daryl wiped the blood from his cheeks and watched quietly as Isabelle pulled back, her hands cupping her older brother's face.

"How?" she whispers.

"We ran into your friends here; they brought us back," Will states, nodding at Daryl. Isabelle smiles at Daryl and signs 'thank you,' to him. He manages a quietly sign back, but couldn't deny that it felt good to see her so happy.

Suddenly, he saw Carol entering the community with someone being dragged by her horse. She dismounted, letting Lydia take the horse to cool down and rest, and then drags someone up that was tied and bound.

"I found out who was sending the walkers to us, Daryl!" she said darkly and pulled the burlap sack off the person's head. Everyone stared in shock and anger at seeing the female Whisperer. Will ripped the mask off her face.

"That's one of those freaks who attacked our group and took Isabelle away," Will said angrily. Alfred and Gage looked at him and James wearily.

"Who the hell are you people?" he asked wearily. The man knew Daryl had said that Isabelle had two older brothers, who'd been in the army.

"They're Isabelle's family. She got taken away from them when the Whisperers attacked their camp a year ago," Daryl said warningly and moved closer towards them. "Since ya two nearly fuckin' killed Isabelle and Lydia, neither of ya are gettin' any rations. Besides, ya two can live in that cell block for a few more days," Daryl said harshly, seeing them pale.

"This is bullshit. They're the reason that Addy, Margo, and Rodney are dead, and we're the ones being punished?! They're fucking Whisperers. You can't tell us what to do!" Alfred raged angrily.

Will then walked calmly towards him and punched Alfred right in the face. Hard. Most of the group jumped in shock but did nothing to stop him.

The man yelled in pain, clutching his bleeding, broken nose. When Gage pulled out his shotgun, Tammy and James aimed their weapons at him.

"Don't! Just don't. Unless you wanna get even more beaten up," James advised warningly. The man glared as Daryl showed them to the council meeting room.

"You can't just show up here and suddenly start beating the shit out of us!" the man snaps as they walk away, but Daryl shakes his head.

"Don't listen to them. They're fuckin' useless." He turns to Will. "Sides, ya got my permission to punch 'em any day."

I'm excited to bring in her family, like so much haha

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