Yay, next chapter is here, I hope you guys like it, especially after the semi-cliffhanger I left you with. A few different stuff happens in this chapter, so I hope it drags you in and doesn't let go until you've ranted at me over a review;) Thanks for all the favourites and follows, as well as to Kaylamrr and Guest for reviewing!

Guest: Thank you so much, I'm honestly ecstatic to hear that, as I always regard action/combat scenes as my weakness, as I can vividly imagine it, but when I try to put it into words... well, not so much hahaha. But thanks, I appreciate the compliment and review!

Enjoy!

Chapter 15

"Ah need some help here!"

Daryl ran to an open gurney, barely aware of Denise rushing to him or Michonne standing in the other doorway, Judith cradled in her arms. He gently laid Anna down on the gurney, standing back and anxiously biting the skin around his thumb.

"What happened? She bitten?" Denise asked as she checked Anna's pupils and heartbeat, her movements calm but efficient.

"Ah don't know, she jus' suddenly collapsed." Denise continued checking her, and Daryl was starting to worry that she would find a bitemark, when she peeled away the collar of Anna's shirt and gasped. Daryl stepped forward and his worry skyrocketed when he saw the messy bullet wound on her shoulder.

'When did she get shot?!" Denise cried out, grabbing scissors and cutting the shirt off Anna's body. Daryl didn't even register that she was now lying in just her bra in front of him, he was too worried. He wanted to yell and shout, scream that he just got back and had no idea what happened to her, but Michonne's voice cut through his worry.

"Ron. She was standing in front of Carl when Ron shot him. I hadn't realised the bullet got her too, she just went on like nothing. I thought it missed her and went straight to Carl."

Daryl whirled around at Michonne's words. Carl's been shot? Seeing his panicked gaze, Michonne was quick to assure him Carl was fine now, just unconscious but that Denise was confident he would be fine.

"Well, that explains a lot actually. Carl should have had more damage than he had; if she hadn't slowed the bullet down, he most definitely would have lost his eye, maybe more. As it is now, he's just going to have some wicked scarring from the bullet fragments across the side of his head and the vision in his one eye will always be weaker than the other eye. He's going to have to get used to that, it will be disorientating the first few months, but it's better than losing it completely. Anna's wound is actually not that life-threatening, the problem is that she didn't come to me immediately and now she's in risk of bleeding out." Daryl grunted, trust the woman to not think of herself and almost kill herself.

"Shit." Looking up at the sound of Denise cursing, he was up and next to her in a heartbeat.

"Wha' wrong? Wha' issit?" Daryl's accent thickened as his worry for the woman rocketed up, he didn't want to know what would make Denis curse in an already bad situation.

Denise rubbed her face, before she grabbed rubbing alcohol and some wipes, her movements frantic.

"She's covered in walker blood and it's soaked through to her skin. There is a chance that it seeped into her wound. Look at this, walker blood is mixed in with her own around the bullet wound. I'm going to have to cut the wound open further in order to make sure I can clean it properly, flush out anything that might have made it in there. I could be worried for nothing, but I'd rather not risk it."

Daryl's heartbeat was pounding in his ears as he realised what Denise was saying. If walker blood had gotten into her bloodstream, it'd be the same as her being bitten. He had just found her, after all those months of searching for her and then giving up on her and in the short time he had known her, with all the secrets she had shared with him, he had found a friend in her and he wasn't willing to lose that before he got to explore that friendship.

Growling, he paced back and forth, his eyes glued to her unnaturally still body as Denise cut into her, flushing her wound with alcohol and repeating the process on her back. He could actually see some of the alcohol Denise poured on the front of her wound seep out the exit wound at the back and he hoped that meant it was cleaning any shit that got in there. Luckily, he wasn't seeing a fever yet, but that could change at any moment.

Minutes passed and after Denise had done all she could do for Anna, including hooking her up to an IV and a bag of donated blood, she bandaged her shoulder, wrapping it securely, before rolling her gurney into a private room, away from the hustle and bustle. She came back to stitch up Daryl then, but he didn't even feel it, his mind zoning out as he kept imagining the worst case scenario.

"Where's Anna?!"

He looked up to see Aaron jog into the infirmary, his face worried and his eyes filled with panic. Michonne directed him towards the room Anna was in and he could just barely see him sitting down in a chair next to her, holding her hand. Eric came in soon after and went to stand behind Aaron, a supporting hand on his shoulder, which Aaron grasped and held onto tightly.

He knew the two of them were very close and he was kind of jealous that Aaron could express his concern and care so readily, but he soon shook away those thoughts. There was still a lot of clean-up to do and sitting by her bedside won't change anything.

WD

Rick became aware of a commotion around him. After he had felt Carl's hand grasp his, he had just sat by him, drowning in the relief and love he felt for his son. It had to have been a few hours he sat there at least and he was now realising that there was some commotion in the next room over. Leaning over, he kissed Carl's forehead, his son still sleeping and then made his way next door.

What he saw stopped him in his tracks and he felt his heart sink.

Daryl was pacing like a caged animal, his expression a mixture of anger and heartbreak, while Denise was working feverishly on a woman lying on the bed.

Anna, to be precise.

Rick's mind raced, trying to figure out what was going on. Anna was pale and sweat dripped off her, she almost looked like someone that has been bitten, but that couldn't be, as Denise wouldn't be this frantic if it was something as clear cut as that, if it was something everyone knew was fatal

"Wha…?" Daryl glanced at him, before his eyes turned back to the figure on the bed, but he answered nonetheless.

"She took the bullet for Carl. It hit her before it did him. Didn't have it looked after, started to bleed out. Denise thought some walker blood might have gotten into the open wound." Rick felt his throat close up, his heart breaking all over. If she was sweating like that, having that strong of a fever…

"It isn't for sure that it's a walker infection causing this fever. She's been shot and then fought for hours afterwards, she could just be fighting off a regular infection. We'll know for sure after a day, so let's not get our hopes down just yet."

Rick nodded, swallowing heavily as he tried to calm his heart. He had to believe it was a regular infection and that she would recover. He still had to thank her for what she did, not just saving the community and distracting the walkers, but also, he now realised, for probably saving Carl's life. She was one of them now and he didn't want to say goodbye to family so soon after welcoming her.

He also knew that Carl would be heartbroken, that his son had come to love Anna and regard her as some crazy, but cool aunt that he had never really experienced before. Abraham had just been laughing with her the other day and he had seen the quiet solitude she had shared with Daryl on occasion. She was bringing a change to his family, slowly and gradually, but he could already see the difference in his kids.

Looking at Daryl, he could see the same worry in his brother's eyes and he placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping it firmly as he nodded, looking Daryl in the eyes. The man nodded back and Rick turned to leave, going back to Carl's room. Taking his hand, he sat praying, not only for his son, but for the woman fighting to live next door.

WD

Daryl sat on the chair beside Anna's bed. Aaron had been here almost the entire day, as if guarding her bedside, which would be an accurate description given that she was still fighting off a raging fever; and Daryl had finally come in and sent the man home to Eric, telling him that he would stay with her.

So here he sat, chewing the skin around his thumb and trying to pretend he wasn't worried. It wasn't that he was trying to deny that he cared for her, as he had changed a lot from the man back in Atlanta who didn't care about no one but his brother, but it was easier to pretend she was just taking a nap than to know she could die and turn any minute.

Though they had been busy the week after her arrival, everyone working to prepare for the run, he had found quiet moments to spend with her, finding that he enjoyed her humor and upbeat personality, despite knowing she had had a hard time in the outside world. They hadn't always talked, sometimes she had just kept him company as he cleaned his crossbow, humming some random song or cleaning her weapons. Other times they talked about subjects he can't even recall now and sometimes, though it happened less, they had serious discussions.

He recalled one such time, where he realised just how strong this woman actually was.

"So you've really been out there on your own since the beginning? No one to watch your back?"

"Yep, I thought it would be safer that way, for me and for others." Daryl looked at her oddly, hearing the darker tone to her voice. He wasn't one to pry usually, but he found himself curious why she would say that.

"Wha' ya mean, for others as well? You'd be safer with no one ta watch ya back, ta rotate watch with?" She flashed him a quick smile, though there was no humour in her eyes.

"People mean more supplies needed, more attention from the dead and unfriendlies, more people to protect and more chances of getting hurt when they inevitably die." Daryl didn't agree with her, but he also noticed how she avoided his first question.

He was surprised to realise that he trusted her and wanted to let it go, to not force her to talk, but in the end he couldn't risk Carl or Judith's life if she was dangerous and he could have done something about it. Besides, no matter how comfortable he was in her presence, the fact is that he had only known her for a few days really.

"What did you mean, safer for others?" She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she gazed into the night sky, her mind seeming far away. He almost thought she wasn't going to answer, when her voice reached his ears, soft as if carried on the wind from afar.

"I'm dangerous to other people. Yes, I am Daryl." She said with more conviction when she heard him scoff.

"Everyone's dangerous to someone these days darlin'."

"Not the way I am. Daryl…" She sighed, running a hand over her face, before it dropped to her lap and she straightened her shoulders. Her eyes avoided his as she stared straight ahead and her voice was monotone.

"Remember I told you about the couple I was with in the beginning, my first and only group?" He nodded, remembering her saying they had died and that's why she decided to avoid groups. He had always assumed she had gotten so close to them, that their deaths caused her so much pain, that she wanted to avoid that by avoiding becoming close to anyone else. Now, he wasn't so sure.

"Well, it wasn't so much that they died that had torn me up, it was the manner in which they died. Daryl…" She breathed in deeply, seeming to try and build up the courage to speak and he patiently waited, letting her get it out in her own time.

"One day, a herd overran our camp. There had to be at least twenty of them dead fuckers and this couple didn't really know how to fight. I mean, I had started teaching them and they knew the basics, but they were weak and afraid; they froze up when more than three walkers came close. You can imagine their reaction with more than two dozen swarming the camp. I… I lost it. I killed all of them, the entire herd lay slaughtered at my feet, their disgusting blood dripping from my face and clothes. And this couple… They saw for the first time how dangerous I could be, the darkness hiding in me, they saw me zoning out. That night, while I was sleeping, I woke up because I heard something near me and when I looked up, the man was pointing his gun at me. I knew they were afraid of me, terrified actually and they had seen how uncontrollable I am, how I can turn on them in a heartbeat. They were just trying to I… I-I killed them, both of them. I can't even remember doing it, I just remember coming to and being covered in their blood, their murdered bodies on the ground before me…"

Daryl looked at her quietly and he could see the shame, the horror on her face. He could also feel the heartbreak she had felt when she realised what she did.

"Daryl, I brutally killed them, just because they were rightfully afraid and just trying to survive. And the worst is, I didn't even feel that bad about their deaths! Sure, I felt shame and disgust, but more at myself for being capable of doing something like that than the fact that they were dead, that I stole their lives from them. I'm a monster, I kill the weak so that they can't weaken me…"

Her breath shuddered as Daryl quietly studied her, seeing no tears in her eyes but knowing she was silently crying out. After a moment, he turned his gaze to the stars, before he spoke, still not looking at her.

"You're not a monster. You saved them people's lives from the walkers, risking your own in the process and they repay you by a gun to ya face? Naw, you did what you had to do. Their deaths is no ones fault but their own."

"But Daryl-"

"No Anna. Tell me something, did you ever kill someone in cold blood like that before them, that you can remember?" He saw her hesitantly shake her head from the corner of his eye, her expression confused.

"And ya didn't join their group with the intention of killing them or stealing their shit?" She shook her head again. Daryl sighed, before he turned to look at her, capturing her gaze with his.

"Anna, they forced ya hand. Ya don't just go around killing people because ya like it or something; ya kill people who are a threat ta ya or your survival. They were gonna kill you, ya body just protected you from that. I'm glad for it. Anything that had enabled you to get this far, I'm glad for. You're a survivor and a damn good one. And, as far as I'm concerned, you're family. Rick will see that soon, hell, Carl and Judith already see that."

Daryl ignored the tremble of her lip and the glossy sheen to her eyes, knowing she was like him and didn't like people seeing her vulnerability. He turned back to the stars, the matter resolved in his mind and it seemed, in hers too, as she didn't say anything further. He knew her insecurities wouldn't just fade overnight, hell, his sure never had, but he sure as hell wasn't going to sit here and watch her self-destruct.

He had already almost seen it happen to Rick, his sworn brother and he didn't want to see it happen to another person. Everyone these days struggled with thoughts of being a monster, hell, Carol had almost left the group because of such thoughts. But somehow, someway, he got the feeling that his words had soothed some hurt in the woman next to him and he couldn't help but feel a bit satisfied by that.

A comfortable silence settled between them and Daryl could feel the heat coming off her body next to him as they both enjoyed the cool night air and for the first time in a very long time, he felt utterly comfortable.

And when she shifted closer, lying her head slightly on his shoulder, he let her even though it made him slightly uncomfortable, because he knew she needed the reassurance.

WD

She was floating, her body weightless in a dark void. Or at least, that's what she felt like, even though she couldn't feel her body and couldn't seem to locate her eyes, mouth, ears, nose or limbs. She knew this was odd, as she was used to fading out in the whiteness, but the darkness was unfamiliar territory.

A steady, burning pain came from where she knew her shoulder should be and she squirmed in discomfort. It felt like someone was poking her with a pen, but since it was more uncomfortable than painful, she ignored it. She wanted to find out where she was, but since she seems to have misplaced her eyes, she could do nothing but float.

After a while, the burning sensation slowly started to climb, becoming more intense and she had to grit her non-existent teeth as the poking pen turned into a jabbing fire poker. She wanted to rip out what was causing the pain, but before she could find a way to do so, the pain upped again and now she was writhing, as her bones felt brittle like glass and seemed like someone was grinding it into her shoulder, burning her alive as they did it. Through the flashes of invisible flames and grinding glass, she could see burned out images, though they didn't make much sense.

There was a woman, running through the mud and rain with a group of men, all of them with their hair cut short and wearing army fatigues. They looked determined even as another person screamed on them, yelling insults and orders. The scene changed before she could make more sense of it. It was the same woman, alone in a room now, before a elder man who stood straight and confident walked in. He threw a file down in front of her, speaking though she couldn't make out his words. The scene changed again, to the woman limping through a corridor, chaos surrounding her, yet it all seemed to pass her by, her expression dazed, yet her body moved with determination.

It was only when this woman got outside and away from the chaos, killing a walker and taking its gear, that she realised that woman was her.

And Anamika came crashing back into consciousness.

WD

Sooo? What did you guys think? This is an important chapter, a lot of what finally makes her a concrete part of team family happens in this chapter. We get a glimpse into her and Daryl's relationship, though fear not, the next few chapter are Daryl/Anna-centric and we see the first difference her presence caused in the canon timeline. Let me know what you guys thought! I would love to discuss why I changed Carl's injury with you *wink wink*