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The next day, Daryl went out on a trip early in the morning to go to Hilltop to really speak with Maggie for the first time. He knew that she was dealing with the thefts that had happened there, but he still wanted to see her to make sure she was doing alright after all these years.

Except for this time, Isabelle had decided to come with him again. He had insisted on her staying, saying it wasn't safe for her to be coming out. She had fought back at him and said that if she didn't get training through him, one way or another she would get out and try and learn herself.

So his fear got over his stubbornness, and he let her come along.

Along the way, she and he talked about little things. And as they did walk, he realized that there was very little he really did know about her. He knew her story of the world now, but not of her likes or dislikes. Who she was as a person. Everything like that.

And what was weird was that he actually wanted to know. He wanted to know more about her and see who she was. Usually, he couldn't give two shits about a person and who they were, as long as they were on his side. But with her, he really wanted to know.

"So, uh," he starts out randomly, glancing around the area as the horse trotted. "Where are ya all from? What did ya do before this?"

Isabelle smiles gently and sighs, thinking back to happier memories. "Well, we were a family living in the Bronx." At his raised brow, she chuckles. "Yes, even though we look put together, we all grew up in probably one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country…my mom and dad…they weren't moneymakers and they weren't perfect, but they tried their hardest. For a long time, we stayed there. It was home. My brothers went off to join the army and me? Well, I tried to stay at home, go to college…and I did at a price."

Daryl's brow furrows. "What ya talkin' 'bout?"

Isabelle blushes, and out of everything she could blush about, that was the one thing he wasn't expecting to see: her blush about her past. She turns to him and bites her lip, before sighing. "I'll tell you…but promise me you won't tell anyone else?"

Whatever it was, it clearly was something that had changed her life. So, Daryl quietly shook his head. "Swear."

She nods and sighs, glancing around, before looking back down at the horse. "So, um…I was really good in high school, right? I had a high GPA and got decent SAT scores. I applied to go to NYU, and due to where I lived, I got in. They wanted more diverse people from all of the boroughs, so they brought me in. But, uh…I wasn't really rich enough to go. At that point, my parent's were both gone…they died in a car crash not too long before my high school graduation."

"'m sorry," Daryl states quietly. Isabelle shakes her head.

"It's alright…it's been long enough and they're both partying it up with Elvis or something," she chuckles before looking back at him. "I wanted to go to NYU to find ways I could help people. My family was in the army, and that's the best way you could help the country, but I wanted my own way. So…I decided to major in Pre-Med, with the idea of becoming a doctor in the future." Daryl smiles a bit, and she tilts her head. "What?"

"Nothin', I can just see it. Ya'd be good as a doctor."

"Well…thanks." She smiles and sighs, before shaking her head. "Except I wasn't really smart enough to get a full scholarship…they held those for, like, the really smart ones and the foreign exchange students. So I needed to find a way to make money – a lot of it – in a short amount of time to pay back the money I had on my name."

Daryl's brow furrows. "Did ya sell drugs or some shit?"

"What?! No," she instantly states. "No, I never did that…didn't stem into 'Breaking Bad' territory. But I, uh…did some side work that did pay well."

Daryl didn't say anything. He couldn't really think of what she was referring to. "If it was somethin' bad, I ain't gonna judge ya for it." Isabelle bites her lip and doesn't speak before she mumbles something under her breath. His brow furrows. "What was that?" She mumbles louder. "Belle, I-"

"I was a stripper!" she snaps, clearly annoyed.

His brow raises, and his mouth drops. "Oh. Wow."

"Fuck, now you're judging me," she mutters, shaking her head.

"No, stop," he states, moving up to her as she rides her horse quicker. "Belle, I ain't judgin' ya for anythin'. My brother himself was a drug dealer. I dealt with stupid shit my whole life. I ain't one to talk." He shakes his head and chuckles. "Just, uh…the idea of you as a stripper ain't one I would have thought of."

She raises an eyebrow. "Why? You don't think I'm pretty enough?"

"Fuck, didn't say that. Yer gorgeous." He suddenly realizes what he said and felt his cheeks go red. Isabelle blushes too but laughs. "I mean, I-fuckin' puttin' my foot in my mouth. Belle, I didn't say ya didn't have the look. I just didn't think ya had…I don't know, the confidence or whatever. I've seen strippers that just…ya know."

Isabelle snorts and nods her head. "I know…but that was a long time ago. Back then, I was confident. Now? A scarred and cut mess? Kinda hard to be."

Daryl glances at her and nudges her shoulder with his hand. "It ain't. Yer still just a gorgeous now as ya were back then."

She blushes even harder. "You haven't even seen me back then."

"Don't have to to know. Scars or not, every damn guy stares at ya all the time." 'Me included,' his mind states to him, but he shakes that away. "Doesn't take a rocket scientist to see it."

Isabelle smiles and glances ahead. "Didn't know you were a romancer, Daryl."

"I ain't. Just speaking the truth."

She smiles and looks back at him. "So, you had a brother?"

Daryl sighs. "Yeah…Merle. The guy was an asshole, but he was my asshole. We were in it together for a long time…had a shit stain for a dad and a mom who got sick…didn't have much growin' up, but we had each other for a bit. He got killed a long time ago by someone who went against our group."

"I'm sorry," she states.

"Like ya said, don't be. Was a long time ago."

She tilts her head and looks at the road again. "So, what happened with your group? You seem to know them for a long time."

Daryl looks over at her, thinking about his past. Her blue eyes search him as if looking for the answers to who he was now. So instead, he speaks them to her and tells her about everything. From the moment he met Rick, to the farm, to the prison, to him losing his brother, nearly losing Beth, them finding Alexandria, and how Negan almost ruined their lives.

He talked about the torture he went through, how losing Glenn felt like his fault, how they all came together, in the end, to try and build a better world for themselves. And how now, they're more of a community than they've ever been. How losing Rick has nearly destroyed them, and how they built themselves back up.

By the time he was done talking, they had arrived at Hilltop, and she had listened to everything. They got off their horses once the gates were opened for them, and Isabelle turned to him. "I gotta say…your group is like family. I'm happy you found a new one after everything you went through."

Daryl manages a quiet smile – he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Yeah…I am, too."

"Been a shit show," she admits. He snorts.

"Yeah, that too."

At that moment, Maggie comes out. She smiles at Daryl and runs over, hugging him tightly. Hershel Jr. peaks his head out and comes over. Maggie pulls back and smiles at him.

"It's great to see you again, Daryl…still need a haircut." Daryl scoffs and smiles at Hershel Jr. "Hershel, this is Daryl, an old friend of Mommy's." Hershel waves, and Daryl waves back. The kid was probably eight, not too much younger than Judith. He had Glenn's features.

"Good to see ya, kid. Remember when ya were this small," he states, his hands shrinking to the size of a baby. "Grow up a lot since then."

Maggie chuckles a bit. "Yes, he has." She turns to Daryl. "Magna and Kelly were off this morning…they were being ignored by the rest of their group. Left in an angry mood, sad too. They might be aggravated when they get to Alexandria."

Daryl shrugs. "It ain't nothin'. Probably gonna stay here a bit with Isabelle, help out with the crops. Heard it's been harder."

"Has been. We could use all the help we can get with this war happening here..." She turns to Isabelle. "I don't think we've formally met, and since you're going to be helping us the next couple of days, might as well. I'm Maggie."

Isabelle extends a hand, smiling. "I'm Isabelle," she states, her voice soft. "I've heard a lot of stories about you from Beth."

Maggie's face softened at the mention of Beth. She had missed her baby sister but was so proud of the woman that she had become during the last seven years. She was excited to see her again.

"It's nice to meet you, Isabelle. I've heard a lot of good stories about you from the radio as well," Maggie said kindly. They walked towards the main house and started talking to Earl and Alden about which parts of the gates needed to be reinforced once they met them at the doors.

"The east and south walls took the worst breaches. If we reinforce them, then Whisperers will have a harder time trying to break them down," Alden explained seriously. "It's going to take a good amount of time, though." Maggie nodded in understanding.

"The Whisperers rely on melee weapons, but they have at least three guns. Alpha has a shotgun. Sometimes, they use bows and arrows, but rarely. If the walls are secure enough, you might be okay. Their main weapon is the herd," Isabelle said warningly.

Everyone nodded and got to work, quickly making preparations for any attacks for those people who slithered in the dark.

They needed to make sure that no matter what, they were prepared.

~%~

The crops were harvested before winter arrived, and now they at least had some food to last them a little while longer before the real cold set in again. Daryl along with Maggie helped reinforce the walls day by day with more wood and bolts. Isabelle helped out as much as she could with her arm, with Daryl teaching her more about how to build up the security.

Connie and Yumiko helped them out as well, and Luke was at Oceanside. Magna and Kelly were being given the silent treatment by a good amount of people for stealing the food.

Not even Beth or Tammy were speaking to them much. Yumiko didn't ask about Magna, but Magna did when Daryl and Isabelle returned to Alexandria a few days later.

"Is she with someone else?" Magna had asked. Daryl had frowned at her in disapproval. They had more important things to worry about than Magna thinking that Yumiko was already moving on from her.

"She ain't seeing anyone, Magna. She, Maggie and Connie are selecting a new council seeing as Jesus and Tara have been gone; they need a real leader," he said. "Ya gotta think of bigger picture shit."

Magna looked away as everyone in the community went on their way. Daryl glanced around to see more and more people helping with the walls at Alexandria too. No matter what, they would make it through this.

Somehow.

~%~

Isabelle had relearned how to shoot a gun again over the next couple of days. Daryl had woken her up early and took her out, using target practice. She had to admit, after all this time of not using this type of weapon, she was surprised at how quickly she picked it up. But at the time, picking something up quickly was the best way to survive.

She even admitted that the Whisperers had made her forget how to use it, to adapt to their way of life, which is why she couldn't remember. Daryl couldn't imagine being told to forget how to use a weapon. He hoped he never had to experience it.

At this point during the day, she was now keeping an eye on Coco for Sidiqq again. He was trying to make sure she still was taken care of while he helped with the patients.

She felt sad about everything that had happened recently. Tammy sat down next to her on the porch. Since Coco was still on milk, one of the other women was using a breast pump to give milk to her so Rosita could rest.

The little girl was a fighter. She was snuggled up in her bassinet looking content and fast asleep. Dog was sniffing at her, along with one of the community cats.

It had been quiet, so far. Daryl and Carol had come back eventually with another Whisperer that was handcuffed and gagged. They'd been stealthily taking out the Whisperers that were sending large hoards of walkers to Alexandria, Hilltop and Oceanside.

"I wish the fight would happen already…this tension is unbearable and people are getting agitated," Tammy whispered tiredly. Isabelle nodded in agreement.

She just hoped that none of them got killed in the process. She knew it was wishful thinking, but she wanted to have faith.

~%~

It felt like everyone was waiting for a bomb to go off. Negan could see Alpha and Beta becoming more alert at the news that more of the Whisperers that had been sent to lead groups of walkers to Alexandria, Hilltop and Oceanside had been captured.

But what really got Alpha pissed off was when Gamma didn't come back. A part of him was hoping that Daryl, Carol or Michonne had killed the sadistic bitch.

Or she'd been eaten alive by walkers.

The bridge that the Whisperers usually crossed was blocked by a large number of fallen trees after a storm, so instead, they headed in a different direction.

He watched with genuine interest as they walked into an abandoned town that was devoid of everything. Not even feral dogs or cats were around. One of the Whisperers suddenly tripped over barbed wire and blew himself and ten other fellow Whisperers up, the nail bomb tearing their bodies apart. Everyone yelled or fell back, staring in shock and going in different directions throughout the area.

The whole damn town had to be booby-trapped.

He kept his expression neutral, but damn was he impressed by their strategies. They were already making a dent in the Whisperers numbers.

These people weren't fucking around.

~%~

Daryl kept his hand steadily on the trigger as he saw Alpha and the Whisperers walking near the last trap they had set up. At least five boxes filled up with Molotov cocktails that would take out a few of the group's numbers were waiting, perched above them.

He pulled back and fired at the target, keeping low. He heard cries, shouts, and screams of pain echoing from the street. Fire danced in the air as he saw two Whisperers running around trying to put themselves out, catching sight of Beta as they did.

He was very tempted to shoot him but restrained himself. Instead of initiating anything, he began making his way back to the Alexandria community. It was starting to rain, but some of the Whisperers were still on fire. The last thing he wanted was to be seen by them in this compromising situation.

As he ran back, he came across another town with an old bookstore. Off the top of his head, he could remember that Isabelle had told Daryl that she loved reading books, especially 'Harry Potter.'

Quietly, he went inside the abandoned store and walked all the way to the back section where a very faded sign of 'Harry Potter' stood. He glances over and grabs a bunch of them putting them in his bag. He hoped that despite this bullshit she was going through, maybe these books would help.

On his way out, he got some other books as well, on farming, self-sustained water, food, and books on medicine and how to build weapons. At least some of this would be helpful – might as well make the best use out of it.

Once the book store was cleared out, he got back on the bike, and drove back to Alexandria, leaving the bullshit behind him.

~%~

When Daryl got back into the gate, Isabelle and Tammy let him in, but they were wearing masks over their mouths and noses. Before he could ask what was going on, he could see them guiding people to the infirmary. It took him only a moment to realize that people were very sick, and it might be contagious.

He made a move to go help, but Will quietly drew him away with a shake of his head. He could see Lydia and Gracie being guided to the infirmary. Both of them were coughing.

"What the hell is going on, Will?" he asked quietly, trying to keep the panic out of his voice, but failing miserably.

"One of the gardeners, Lila…she came down with this bug. We think it might be the same thing Rosita has," Will admits quietly to him. "Michonne and the council said there would be a quarantine for sick people," Will explained seriously.

Daryl looked worriedly at where Lydia was being screened, and her temperature was being taken.

"Is everythin' alright?" he asks the young girl. She shrugs her shoulders and sighs, coughing a little.

"I feel okay…but I'm not healthy. I don't feel like I'm ready to do anything right now," she admits, looking up at him.

Daryl places a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. The last thing he wanted was for Lydia of all people to die because of a fucking sickness. Even she was too stubborn for that. But that didn't mean he wasn't worried as all hell.

Suddenly, there was a drop from behind him. Daryl spins around to see Isabelle, lying on the ground, unconscious. He instantly runs over but Dante stops him and picks her up himself.

"What's wrong with her?!" he yells as he carries her away. Beth comes over and rests her hands against his chest, trying to calm him down.

"Daryl, breathe," she says to him softly.

"How the fuck am I supposed to breathe when-"

"She probably got exposed to the virus another way, Daryl. These things happen." She looks up at him and sees the worried look in his eyes. Quietly, she takes his hands in hers and tries to give him the best look she can. "Daryl, she fainted. That happens all the time. We're going to run some tests on her and see how she reacts. You need to take a deep breath and just let this go and let us work."

Daryl swallows, trying to find the right words to say, before begrudgingly nodding his head. "Fine…just take care of her."

"Don't worry, we will." Beth squeezes his hand and races back into the infirmary. Daryl himself sat against his bike, running a hand through his messy hair.

He just couldn't seem to catch a break.

Backstory, meetings and drama, oh my!

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