DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of The Walking Dead. This is for entertainment purposes only.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I love reading them! You guys are awesome. Please, keep 'em coming! I love to hear what you're thinking.

Misery.

Daryl approached the front door and hesitated for a moment, glancing back and forth from the door to the doorbell. He shrugged and decided to just knock. It was Elena's house. And this was the day he was going to meet her daughter.

The door opened but a few seconds later as Elena beamed back at him. "Hey, you. Come on in."

Daryl took a step inside and shut the door behind him. This was the third time he had been at her house within the past two or so months. And each time he had been there, he noticed it smelled wonderful. He couldn't quite place what exactly it smelled like—some kind of cinnamon spice? He figured it must have been a girl thing, candles and such.

Daryl smiled back. He felt nervous and he had to tell himself not to chew on his thumb out of habit. Elena must have noticed because she only grinned that much more and leaned in and kissed him on the lips. It certainly took him by surprise if nothing else.

She led the way down the short hall into the kitchen where a girl sat at the table with papers sprawled out in front of her. The girl looked back at the sound of their footsteps before Elena spoke.

"Leah, this is Daryl. Daryl, Leah."

"Hi," Leah's voice was quiet.

"Hi, Leah. I've heard a lot about you," Daryl smiled. "I gotta say, it's nice to finally meet ya." He immediately noticed that she was a splitting image of her mom. She had long golden brown hair with bangs that seemed to showcase her hazel eyes. And even though she was sitting, Daryl could tell she looked to be pretty tall for her age.

"Yeah?" Leah smiled back at that. "Mom's talked about you quite a bit too."

Daryl couldn't resist glancing over at Elena and catching a slight blush on her cheeks. But he figured he'd give her a break as he took a few steps closer to Leah and looked down at what she was working on. "Homework?"

"Mhmm," Leah hummed. "'History homework'." She quoted her fingers in the air.

"Well, that ain't so bad…" Daryl recalled his school days, the bits and pieces he could actually remember. He kind of enjoyed history. "But homework on a Friday? What kind of teacher you have?" He joked.

"Right?" Leah made a face. "I hate homework."

"But it looks like ya got the right idea. Work on it now and get it over with. Then you're set for the weekend," Daryl explained.

"Very true…" Leah tapped her pencil against her chin as if she were in deep thought. Then she looked up at Daryl with a smirk, "I like you. You seem nice."

"Nah, really? You're just sayin' that," Daryl waved his hand dismissively at her as she giggled. He walked back over to Elena and caught the way she was now looking at him. Her eyes told him he must be doing something right. They had that sparkle to them.

"Leah's usually pretty shy. Glad someone could break through the walls." Elena ruffled Daryl's hair.

Usually, Daryl wouldn't let someone get away with doing that. But because it was Elena he let it slide. He had never felt this way before with a girl. Well… woman. He had never let someone get this close to him. There was something about her—her gentleness, her caring persona, her innocence, her laugh, her smile, the way her hair fell from behind her ear and hung in her face. It all seemed odd and maybe even slightly childish but he really liked her.

Leah hopped up from her chair and pushed it in. She turned to face them, glancing back and forth between them. Leah looked as though she were observing something, picking it apart in her mind. Then her words explained it all.

"Do you love him?" Leah raised an eyebrow.

"Leah—" Elena gasped. Needless to say, she was shocked.

Daryl took the initiative, "Love is a strong word. Kind of like 'hate'. They go hand in hand 'cause you can't have one without the other." He smiled at Leah, "Your mom can't know that this early on. It takes a while for something like that to develop." And if he wasn't mistaken, he caught a glimpse of a smile on Elena's face.

"Kind of like what Daryl just said. It's only been a couple months." Elena looked over at Daryl. "We'll just have to see."

But it was later that night just before Daryl was about to head home when Leah threw yet another curve ball. Elena was in the kitchen while Daryl still sat on the couch with Leah. They had just finished watching Finding Nemo (a movie Leah claimed was one of her favorites) and Leah was staring him down again.

"This is the happiest I've seen my mom in a long time," Leah whispered to Daryl. "Don't mess this up or I'll mess you up. Got it?"

It took a moment for Daryl to realize where he was and what had happened when he came to. He was slumped against the passenger door of his old '73 Ford F-250. He sat up straight and rubbed his jaw where Merle had punched him earlier. It was still a bit sore but that was the least of his concerns. As he glanced straight ahead out the windshield, he noticed two things: 1) It was still night and 2) He was in a different town.

Daryl reached under the seat, his fingers brushed against leather. He always left it in his truck and he was glad he did. Once he had the knife in his hands, he attached the sheath to his belt and jumped out of the truck. There was no one in sight—No Merle, no Elena, no Leah… Everything seemed very still. It gave Daryl a bit of an eerie feeling as he tried to grasp his surroundings. He noticed Merle must have traveled on his Triumph when he showed up because it was now in the back of his truck. How Merle managed to get it there was beyond Daryl, but he really couldn't care less.

There were a few footsteps approaching from behind him as he quickly turned, knife at the ready. He sighed when he realized he was staring back at Merle.

"Looky there, yer awake. 'Bout time, Darlina," Merle grinned.

"What the hell happened!—You knocked me out! And—" Daryl stopped and lowered the knife. "…Elena?"

Merle shook his head, "Sorry, baby brother. Wasn't nothin' I could do. Had ta knock ya out jus' ta get ya to come with me. Wasn't gonna let ya die back there."

Daryl immediately dropped the knife and clenched his fists. He knew this would happen. He knew Merle would do this. He left Elena there to die. He didn't even think about trying to save her or anything. He didn't even bother to try to go by Skyler's. No, all Merle cared about was Merle. He knocked him out and drug him along because he didn't want to be alone.

"You son of a bitch!—" Daryl lunged at his brother, fist flying. He couldn't contain his anger. Not about this. Merle was wrong. Merle was so very wrong.

Daryl landed a punch to Merle's face before they ended up in a small brawl. Merle threw him to the ground and he wasn't about to give up as they continued to wrestle. But after a few good hits, and receiving some in return, Daryl was pinned. Merle had him straddled with his wrists pinned to his chest, applying enough pressure with the weight of his body to where Daryl couldn't pull his hands free, his breath feeling as though it were caught in his throat.

"You gonna chill the fuck out now or what?" Merle stared down at him.

Daryl gritted his teeth and glared back at him. He tried to pull his arms out once again but Merle pushed down with even more force, making it slightly difficult to breathe. "Fuck you!"

Merle chucked as he let up and got back to his feet. He wiped his arm under his nose and came back with blood, grinning. "Not too bad, Darlina. Kind of like the old days. 'Cept yer still a pussy."

Daryl rolled his eyes as he rolled over off of his back and got to his feet. He bit his tongue and tried to ignore Merle. He knew it wouldn't do him any good to have another outburst. It wouldn't change anything and he'd just be back on the ground within seconds. It was humiliating enough that he could never take Merle on and actually come out on top.

"So what happened?" Daryl tried for a conversation, curious to hear it from his brother's prospective. He walked back over to his knife and picked it up, sliding it back into the sheath.

"The world went to shit. People eatin' people," Merle replied.

"No shit. I mean what happened to you? Lily?" Daryl leaned his back against his truck and folded his arms in front of his chest.

Merle shrugged, "Ain't much to tell. One of them things bit her and she turned into one of 'em. S'how I knew yer girl was screwed." When Daryl locked his glare on him, he muttered under his breath, "Sorry, bro…"

Merle had been with Lily for probably close to four years. Daryl never knew whether it could really be considered a relationship or not though. All they ever did was sleep and get high together. Merle wasn't emotionally attached to the woman by no means. Merle wasn't the relationship type. Though Daryl didn't think he was either and he found Elena…

Daryl rubbed his face and sighed, "What the hell are we even doin'?"

"Yer guess is as good as mine. Survivin'. Keepin' the fuck away from them drooling cannibals."

"That doesn't explain a damn thing…" Daryl muttered.

There was a rustle in the leaves just over by the tree line of the woods that suddenly grabbed Daryl's attention. It must have grabbed Merle's too because his eyes were searching as well. Daryl took a few steps forward, prepared to use his knife with his hand on the handle. They couldn't see anything that far out in the dark.

A figure finally emerged through the trees and shadows, revealing a tall man with black hair. He put his hands in the air to show that he was unarmed as he kept walking closer.

"Heard voices while I was over this way. Thought I'd come check it out," the man spoke.

"Yeah, well ain't neither of us said anything 'bout wantin' company," Merle retorted.

"Alright, that's fine. I get it, man. I do. But as I was saying, I heard you two talking." The man was now but a few feet away from them. Daryl's eyes caught the gun he had holstered at his side. "The name's Shane. Got a camp set up by the quarry just here through this trees 'bout half a mile back."

"Is that an invitation?" Merle raised an eyebrow. "We throwin' a fiesta for the end of the world?"

"I just thought I'd come over and offer. If you're gonna stand there and be a prick about it—"

"Shane, right?" Daryl cut him off. "Is it just you or are there others?"

"There are others. We've all come together since the shit hit the fan." Shane shifted his weight onto his right foot, slightly leaned back with his hands on his hips taking the two brothers in. "If you're interested, there's a trail you can drive down to get back there. So far we've just been sticking with numbers. Figure the more of us there are, the better. We're better protected that way."

"Y'all packing heat or you just carry that for shits and grins?" Daryl nodded his head at the gun on his waist. He must have amused Shane because he let out a small laugh accompanied by a grin.

"We got a couple guns, if that's what you're asking. Not going to shoot either of you. Unless you give me a reason to," Shane raised an eyebrow, questioning.

"Well, ya can just go fuck yourself." Merle took a step forward but Daryl threw his arm out and slapped his hand on his chest to push him back.

"We're interested," Daryl spoke over Merle's grumbles. "You said there's a path we can drive down?"

"That offer's only gonna stand if you can manage to keep him from lashing out. I don't need my people having to fear for their lives over a damn redneck."

Daryl narrowed his eyes at that comment, "It's under control."

Shane explained how to reach the path not too far from where they were, explained that it was basically a straight shot until their campsite came into focus. And just before he took off back into the woods, he stopped.

"You know, I didn't catch your names."

"Daryl. This here's Merle," Daryl jabbed his thumb in Merle's direction.

Shane nodded and took off after that.

"I can't believe ya want ta go mixin' with these ignorant ass people. You got something up yer sleeve I don't know about?" Merle started to head for the driver's side.

"No, and you ain't driving. My truck, my rules." Daryl beat him to the driver's side, pulling the door open.

Merle just shook his head, "Whatever, baby brother…"

But as the truck rumbled to life with a turn of the ignition, Daryl gave it some thought. Maybe he did have something up his sleeve. As soon as Shane had mentioned there being others, it sounded like these people didn't know each other prior to everything that happened. These people must have crossed each others' paths searching for help. Daryl couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, he could see some familiar faces—particularly Leah, Skyler, Matt, and Hannah. Surely Matt could have kept them safe.

Just as Shane had said, it was a straight shot there. Once they were on the path the little campsite seemed to pop up out of nowhere. It was a clever place really because it wasn't noticeable from the main road.

As Daryl parked the truck and killed the engine, he could see quite a handful of people crowded around a low burning campfire. He couldn't make out distinct facial structures or anything of the sort from this distance. He glanced over at Merle as he gave him a shrug in return.

"Was yer call..." Merle muttered, getting out of the truck and slamming the door.

Daryl sighed. Maybe it wasn't too great of a call bringing Merle along but he had no choice. He'd just have to try and keep him quiet before he could stir up trouble. As angry as he still was with him, he wished he could have just ditched his ass. But he was his brother; he couldn't do that. The one good thing about this place was that it would be more than just him and Merle. He wouldn't have to be trapped with Merle with others around. It could be like a breath of fresh air… Assuming these people didn't drive him crazy.

Daryl jumped out of the truck and shut the door behind him, taking his time to walk over and join the group. He would at least explain their story if nothing else, seeing as Merle was staking out a place not too far from the truck to set up camp.

"Who are you?" one of the women asked as he neared them. He noticed she had long brunette hair with a young boy hugged to her side.

"Shane sent us. Name's Daryl. And my brother, Merle…" Daryl kept it short.

"We wondered what was taking so long. He's usually back by now." An older man spoke now, an old fisherman's hat perched on top of his gray head. He had two younger blonde women beside him who were staring intently back at Daryl. Possibly daughters of his? Or granddaughters.

"Sit down and take a load off. We're all about to hit the bed here shortly." Now it was a black female speaking to him. She smiled up at him from where she was seated next to what looked to be a family of four; a husband and wife with two kids.

Daryl only nodded. He didn't see any familiar faces and truth be told, he wasn't really in the mood for chatting. The only thing he really wanted to do was pass out so he could try to forget the events of the day.

"I'm jus' gonna join my brother. We'll keep outta yer way," Daryl muttered before walking back towards Merle. He noticed Merle was sitting with his back against a tree, looking none too thrilled or impressed.

"They welcome ya with open arms? Passin' out hugs an' shit?" Merle scoffed.

"Wasn't in no mood to talk to 'em. Kind of the same for you," Daryl shot back at him.

It was a few minutes later when Shane had returned, emerging from the woods once again. Shane immediately noticed that he and Merle made it, glancing over it their direction before he joined the group around the fire. Daryl watched as he walked up behind the brunette and squeezed her shoulders in a comforting gesture. Great, everyone has a fucking family with kids.

"Hey, Daryl," Shane called out to him unexpectedly. He made his way over towards the brothers. "We got a spare tent if you need it. Found 'em when we went through some places on the way here."

"If yer offerin', we'll take it," Merle spoke up, getting back to his feet.

Shane nodded, "Yeah. Just come on over here and I'll help ya get it set up."

Merle stalked off with Shane, running his mouth about something or another that got a fake laugh from Shane every now and then. Daryl just stayed back. He figured he'd let Merle carry on for now and for all he was concerned, Merle could pitch the tent.

Daryl opened the passenger side door to his truck and hopped up in the cab. He left the door open to allow a bit of a breeze to blow through while he reached down and grabbed the bag he had thrown in there earlier. And it wasn't until he started to dig through it that the harsh reality of it all really hit him. Elena's stuff was mixed in with his, a few pieces of clothing at the most. Merle had purposely knocked him unconscious so he didn't have to comply. But had he just left her there? Had Merle really just left her there to die?...

Daryl sorted through everything that was in the bag, tossing Elena's stuff to the side. He stopped when he heard a small clink of something falling and hitting against his crossbow at his feet. He bent over and searched through the dark until he felt his hands run along something smooth. He could immediately tell that it was a necklace before he brought it closer to his face to examine it.

It was one of Elena's favorite necklaces that she never went anywhere without. She must have thrown it in when Daryl wasn't looking. It was a small silver heart with little encrusted diamonds on it and it had small gold wings with a golden halo. If he remembered correctly, it was the necklace her mother had given her before she died. Elena had told him that it was her sign to never give up hope, like a heart of an angel with the wings and halo. And she had never given up hope. After everything that happened to her, she had stayed strong for her and Leah.

Merle's voice broke Daryl from his thought and memories as he quickly jumped back out of the cab and shut the door. He pocketed the necklace and figured he would help Merle after all. It took a little while to get the tent up, Merle being a bit more cooperative than usual. And by the time they got it set up properly, Daryl noticed that the others must have gone to sleep in their own tents, the fire still smoldering.

"You can have the tent. Imma just sleep in my truck." Daryl bit at the inside of his mouth, hoping Merle could just leave it at that.

"Fine by me. I'm goin' ta bed," Merle grumbled. And without another word, Merle did just that. He crawled into the tent and zipped it back up.

Daryl had some business that he wanted to take care of without Merle's knowledge, and with everyone asleep it gave him the perfect opportunity. He waited a little while to ensure Merle was in fact out cold before he headed back to his truck and sifted through everything again. The bag was empty now as its contents were strewn across the cab and he stuffed all of Elena's belongings into it. He took one last glance around the camp to make dead sure no one was up and moving before he walked over to what was left of the fire, bag in hand.

Daryl kicked at the fire a bit with his boot to stir it up, getting a small ember in response. When he was satisfied that it wasn't going to go out, he grabbed the first thing from the bag and tossed it in. He watched as the flames engulfed the shirt in no time as he tossed in another. He kept at it until there was nothing left—though there wasn't much in the first place. He sat there and just watched it all burn. There was no sense in keeping any of it. And it would be a cold day in Hell if he just gave them to someone else to wear. Remembering the necklace, he pulled it from his pocket. He looked it over again, running his thumb over the small gold wings. He had to keep hope now. Hope that maybe Leah was still alive out there.

Once everything had burned beyond recognition, hardly anything left, Daryl kicked a little bit of dirt onto it. The fire would eventually die out and no one had to know. As he got back to his feet, he threw the empty bag over his shoulder and pocketed the necklace once more. He wasn't so sure he'd actually get any sleep but it was worth a shot. And he headed back to his truck with plenty of questions on his mind.

These last three have been pretty long, my apologies! They'll most likely be shorter from here out!