AN: next chapter :) let me know what you think...trigger warnings

I do not own or profit from The Walking Dead

Chapter 20.

Three hours later Daryl sat sipping stale coffee in a police station as they looked at mug shots trying to find " Mr, Blake ."

"No man I said he was white," Daryl said frustrated to Rick. "There has to be a better way than this." He said frustrated.

"Tyreese is looking through the Greene case file, see if the name Blake pops up. Maybe he will have better luck." Rick sighed rubbing his eyes.

"I got it!" Tyreese said running into the room holding a file.

"Received anonymous tip concerning possible vehicle of assailant and house." Tyreese said reading off the previous detectives notes.

"That was me." Daryl muttered.

Tyreese put his finger and up and started reading. "The description of the house matched that of a Marion Blake, who had recently passed away. Her son Phil was staying at the house. Phil Blake was recently widowed his wife (Ellen) and child (Penny) having been killed in a car accident. He had moved to be closer to his mother before she died."

"Fuck " Daryl hissed

"And get this he'd been working as a substitute teacher. I just called he taught Lizzie's class the week before she went missing." Tyreese said. "but they found nothing when they searched the house."

"There's a hidden door to a seperate basement. In the walk in pantry of the kitchen, there's a door. Used to lead to a basement kitchen." Daryl said suddenly. "He hides it but it's there. You need to get him quickly. He will kill them if he is given the chance."

"Let's go"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Daryl watched with a smile as Lizzie and Mika were reunited with their grandparents. It was bittersweet knowing their lives would be changed forever, but at least they were alive.

It was night time and the old Blake house was lit up with cop lights as Phillip Blake was lead out in handcuffs. Daryl would almost pity the man, he'd lost his wife and child and it had set him on a bad path. But then he remember the little Greene girl's face. Her dead face that had haunted his nightmares, and Lizzie and Mika, and their parents. The asshole would get what he deserved.

Rick walked towards him with a grin. "Thanks man." He said patting him on the back. "If you see anything again...call me. No more anonymous tips ok?" Rick said with a grin. "Hell don't wait for that, call me and we'll go out for beer." He said with a grin.

Daryl huffed at the thought. His life was becoming, normal. Rick was someone he knew he could trust. Instinctively. It might be nice, to have that it, he had never had any before now; friends.

"Yeah man, I would ..." He stopped suddenly as he sank to his knees. He felt like he was floating, watching a stranger who was walking up to his workshop. Watching him as he watched at the window, scowling at Carol, as she played with Ruby by the window. The wheather had turned, Carol hadn't even seemed surprised when the power when out. She didn't realize the power had been cut by the strangers knife.

He watched as the stranger broke into the loft. Softly, we has very queit. What the hell, Daryl glanced at the clock in the dinning room as the stranger passed by. He was drawn to follow the stranger. He could suddenly see Carol sleeping in bed. Ruby curled up beside her.

The dog woke first. Her ears picked up, her natural instincts flaring to life as she bared her teeth, flinging herself growling at the intruder.

Carol woke in an instant. Running from the bed, turning back to worry about the dog, who was defending her life. Daryl could feel her panic. She knew she couldn't help Ruby without a weapon. She ran to the kitchen letting out a scream of anguish as she heard the sound of a gun and Ruby's howl of pain and then a the thump of the dogs body dropping to the floor.

"No" she wailed to herself as she heard footsteps headed towards her. Only worried about the dog and Daryl, before she opened the door and fled into the night barefoot in nothing but a nightgown in the rain, with only a kitchen knife.