AN- Read and Review let me know what you guys think, the more reviews the more inspired I get to write.

Daryl spent his time next to the boy fearing that any second his condition would change and the child would be lost. He still couldn't figure out why this child meant so much to him, why this child made him worry himself sick. He hadn't eaten much since the boy had gotten hurt, he hadn't left his side.

"You should eat." Duffy's voice broke through his thoughts, "Here." He handed Daryl a bowl of stew.

"Not hungry." He grumbled.

"Not going to do you any good sitting here and not eating." Duffy sighed

Daryl shrugged his shoulders and placed the bowl on a table next to him.

"So everyone here tells me they knew your brother." Duffy said, "By the sounds of it I'm assuming it wasn't Conner."

"No." Daryl shook his head, "They are talking about Merle."

"Whose he?"

"A guy that took me in when I was hurt. I never really asked why he did, but I had been shot." Daryl pointed to a spot near his heart. "I wasn't in good shape from earlier that day I had his my head pretty hard. When Connor left believing me dead Merle found me." He looked at his hands, "By the time I woke up I didn't remember who I was and for some reason Merle lied to me, said we was brothers told me stories about our life." He shrugged his shoulders, "Part of me still remembered havin' a brother and the loyalty to one. As time went on I began to remember, but I never asked Merle why he did what he did, hell don't even know if Merle knows that I know he lied to me."

"What happened to Merle?" Duffy asked.

"I left this place with him a short time ago." Daryl told him, "But the more time I spent with him I realized I couldn't be the man I pretended to be before I met these people." Daryl looked up at Duffy, "What you said before, that these people make me better its true they make me act more like Murphy and less like Daryl. I couldn't pretend with Merle anymore I couldn't be the cold-hearted brother he created back before all this happened I could forget my old self. Back then when I wasn't fully sure who I was it was easy to just be the man Merle wanted. Even when the dead started walking I couldn't be sure if my dreams of being Murphy were real or not. Once Merle was gone and all I had were these people I just knew without a doubt that Daryl never actually excised that in fact I really was and forever would be Murphy. Once I realized that I couldn't continue traveling with Merle so I came back here."

"Yet you still go by Daryl here, you still let them think you to be this back woods man who doesn't care for anyone, doesn't have faith." Duffy told him.

"Yeah well never said I was willing to be Murphy anymore I was a fool back then, to believe in faith." Daryl frowned.

"Yet you still have it." Duffy told him.

"Faith ain't done shit for us." Daryl grumbled looking over at the boy who was still sleeping.

"You had faith for this boy, you knew your blood would help him, you knew he would survive." Duffy hoped that he could convince Daryl to come out; he just wanted to see his old friend again. It seemed he saw Murphy's face everyday, but he feared his old friend was dead feared the man died with his brother.

"I don't know why that happened." Daryl whispered, "I could have killed him with my blood."

"The look in your eyes." Duffy told him, "You knew without a doubt that your blood would save him."

Daryl shrugged his shoulders.

"In that moment watching you convinced you could save this boy everything I saw last night reminded me of the old you." Duffy looked at Daryl then to the boy and back to Daryl.

"Last night I was stupid and reckless that could have killed him." He shook his head, "I was wrong."

"You were right, for the first time in years you trusted something you haven't." Duffy almost whispered.

"What my gut?" Daryl asked.

"No, you trusted your faith something I know you have long pushed away." The detective stood up to leave, "Fight it if you must, but deep down you will always be Murphy what you and your brother had went far more then simply wanting it or not. You two had a strong faith in each other and in god. You knew what was right and what was wrong there was no black and white for you guys. You were a hero back then and you are right now for these people and especially this boy. The saints of Boston." He smiled, "Its still in you." Then he turned and left without letting Daryl say anything in return.

Daryl sighed and looked at the boy his hands resting on the bed. How much of what Duffy said was true? How much of him was Daryl and how much was Murphy. He thought of Merle out there god knows where and a part of him worried for the man, but another half hated him. The part that hated the white trash hick knew the man was bad, knew the man hurt those, knew that if Conner was around that they wouldn't put up with Merle. So why did he put up with Merle for so long? He had allowed the idea of being Daryl consume him so much he had really started to believe in Daryl Dixon so strong to believe he really cared for Merle and Merle for him. Yet he was reminded of the man he once was by these people and it kept the idea back in his mind he would never have a place with Merle once more. While he wasn't sure he could ever be Murphy once more he knew he couldn't go back to being the man he had allowed himself to be, allowed Merle to mold him to be a man far from whom he had used to be.

He thought of a time when he could be proud of having a brother and not ashamed. He thought of how much Connor would fit in with these people, he thought of how much Connor would be able to help Rick lead this group. He knew he was no good not anymore. He could help Rick kill some walkers; he could help make everyone feel safe but not in a way a leader could. Daryl was simply good with a bow he could shoot anything that came after them. Connor had the presence that made people want to follow him; he had the attitude to lead everyone around him without any doubt within himself. Daryl doubted himself with every breath. He was confused at who he used to be and who he had become.

"You seem to have gotten close with Rick's brother in law." Hershel said as he walked into the room

Daryl shrugged his shoulders not offering a response wondering how much the old man had heard.

"I heard him talking about faith." Hershel walked up to the boy and began checking his dressings "Didn't think you had any."

"Don't." Daryl muttered.

"You did for this boy." Hershel turned to look at Daryl.

"It was nothing." Daryl sighed, "Just gave blood."

"The look in your eye you knew without a doubt you could help him." Hershel sat down at him.

"I was a fool to play god." Daryl shook his head.

"No." Hershel told him, "Faith is all we have, if we give up on it then we are nothing."

"Faith is shit." Daryl told the old man clenching his fist, "Faith didn't save my brother, faith didn't save my family faith didn't save Har-" Daryl stopped himself, "I'm going out for a supply run." He growled as he turned and left the cell.

With every day it got a little easier to move forward with her life. The only thing that kept her going was Connor now, at times she wanted to give back into her weakness of giving up. She thought about it time to time, letting herself drift from this world would be easy and this time she wouldn't fail. But she couldn't leave him; she couldn't let him be alone in this awful world. Liam had Murphy to watch over him until she was able to reunite with them once more. She stood at the kitchen window waiting for Connor to return. Every time he left the safety of the walls she couldn't rest easy until she saw him again. She felt her heart jump when she saw him walking down the sidewalk. The sun was just beginning to set so the afternoon dusk made it hard to notice him. She frowned when she noticed he was carrying something, what was he carrying?

She went to the front door to meet him opening it as he reached the front step.

"Harper" Connor seemed surprise to see her opening the door for him. He glanced down at the bundle he was carrying.

"What do you have?" She asked, but as the words left her mouth she heard a soft cry. A baby. "Where did you find a baby?"

"A girl had her." Connor told Harper as he handed the baby to the woman. "A girl from the prison and the Governor wanted to question the girl."

"So you took her baby?"

"An integration room is not place for a baby." Connor told her, "I wanted to make sure the governor didn't get the child, I don't trust what he would do."

"How did you get them?"

"I such into the prison, cut through some of the wire and she was out for a walk so I grabbed her." Connor told Harper.

"You just took a girl and child? What are they going to do to the girl?" Harper asked.

"I don't know." Connor looked away, he didn't like how Harper was looking at him.

"She supports those people." Connor told her, "She kept telling us we'd be sorry when Daryl and Rick came." He frowned, "Daryl is the man with the cross bow, the one that killed Liam."

"How old is this girl?" Harper asked.

"It doesn't matter." Connor looked away trying to ignore the moral compass he knew that Harper was trying to be.

"How old?"

"Sixteen maybe." He sighed.

"Connor!" Harper almost yelled at him, "Why didn't you take an adult that knew what they are doing?"

"She's just as guilty." Connor told Harper, "She killed one of ours after we took her."

"Defending her child!" Harper shook her head, "How could you take a girl and child? Connor that isn't you."

"She's one of them!" Connor almost yelled.

"She's a child!"

"This new world people grow up a lot sooner than they used to." Connor walked past Harper, "I brought the baby here to keep her safe."

"And you condemned that girl to what ever the Governor deems is right." Harper sounded defeated.

"When she gives the information we need." Connor tried to sound convincing, "He will let her go."

"No he won't."

"Perhaps if she repents and joins us, than she can lead a better life." He told her as he paused in the doorway.

"What does your heart tell you?" She asked.

Connor didn't respond the baby began to cry so he took it as a moment to slip from the room as Harper's attention drifted to the baby.

He walked into the bathroom and pulled his shirt off over his head. He leaned over the sink splashing cold water on his face. Placing his hands on the edge of the sink he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

How had he come to this? A man that would take a teenage girl and her child against her will and hand her off to a monster? He tried to convince himself that he had done the right thing; he tried to convince himself that Murphy would agree with him in this moment. After all he had brought the baby here to Harper to keep it safe.

Still something didn't sit right with him whenever he thought of the girl. She seemed so simple, so afraid. How had she ended up with those men in the prison? How had she gotten wrapped up with men like them? Perhaps she was being held against her will and just feared being away from them because she knew they could keep her safe. He thought about talking to her in the morning to try and get her to change her alliance. He would give her pardon and let her know it was safe here, that he would keep her safe she would never have to go back to those men. Harper would be happy to know what was going planning on helping the girl. He left the bathroom and went to the bedroom quickly glancing at Harper on his way through the living room. She had her back to him and was humming to the baby swaying side to side just like when Liam was a baby. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and looked at the baby over her shoulder.

"I'll talk to the girl in the morning." He told her, "I'll let her know she's safe and that she doesn't have to worry about those men anymore."

"Good." Harper smiled at him then looked down at the baby. "She's probably scared those men at the prison probably weren't good to her, don't let her think this place is the same."

"I won't." Connor told her, "First thing in the morning I'll go talk to her."

"I'm not here to hurt you." Connor sighed as he sat across the table from the blonde girl.

"What'd you do with Judith?" she asked.

"My wife has her, she is fine." Connor told her, "Just listen."

"Why'd you take us then?" She asked glaring at him, "If you weren't going to hurt us?"

"Why would we hurt you?" he asked, "You're just a little girl."

"I'm not little." She told him, "Seen more then someone my age should have."

"We aren't like the men you are used to." Connor sighed.

"I know that." She glared.

"We aren't going to hurt you." He told her again.

"You took me from my family." The girl told him, "And Judith from hers."

"She isn't your baby?" Connor frowned.

"No." the blonde wrinkled her nose, "I just take care of her, her mother died."

"There's more woman in the prison?" he asked.

"We took the prison when Lori, Judith's mom was close to having her. Rick, Judith's dad knew we needed a safe place." The girl looked down, "We were supposed to be safe in those walls and you cut a hole in the walls they could all be dead if they don't know its there."

"The one with the cross bow." Connor glared at the girl, "I hope he is the first to go."

"Daryl?" she frowned.

"Don't care his name.," he told her, but the name sounded familiar he thought he remembered Liam mentioning it.

"He killed my son." Connor said through his teeth.

"What?" the girl shook her head, "Daryl has only ever killed walkers, and trust me once they turn they aren't who they once were."

"I know that, Liam was no walker he was a little boy alive and well." He slammed his fist down on the table.

She jumped, but continued shaking her head, "Daryl loved that little boy, he saved him. Daryl found that boy in the woods he would have died without Daryl. He took Liam back to the prison even though Rick didn't want anyone else." She took a deep breath, "I never saw Daryl so open, so loving and I think it scared him because he brought Liam here. He brought him back."

"The first time." Connor glared at the girl, how could she defend a murder? "Yesterday he killed my son, he shot him."

"Daryl would never do that." She told him again, "He's a good man even if he doesn't believe it himself."

"He killed my boy and burned his body so I couldn't even bring him home and allow his more the bury him." He almost yelled at her.

"No." Beth said. Her mind went back to the day before when she had been taken to the prison. She remembered Daryl rushing back into the prison with one of the cars, but she hadn't taken much notice. Judith had been too fussy for her to pay much mind to anyone else. "He's a good man." She said again.

"You have two choices, either you realize you are here with us and not those prisoners or two I let the Governor come in here next and he will do what he wants." He didn't like trying to scare the girl. He didn't want to see her walking free now that she defended his sons murder, but he also didn't want the governor to get her hands on the girl.

"Or three they come for me. Those people aren't prisoners they are my family and we protect our own." She glared at him, "You should have learned that last time you had our people. Maggie and Glen."

"Your people came in here and shot up an innocent town."

"Innocent?" She almost yelled, "The Governor made my sister take off her top! He made Glen believe he raped her!"

"He didn't rape her." Connor didn't know how to defend the man.

"Daryl and the others came here to get our people back." She told him, "And they will come for me and especially for Judith."

"They will come and we." He stopped, "I will kill him when I see him."

Tears sprang to the girls eyes, "You won't." he could see the fear in her eyes, "He's a great shot he'll get you first."

"I already shot him once."

"And he shot you. He said the one that shot him, he got a shot in too." She told him.

"He killed my son."

"No he didn't" she told him

"You weren't there." He told her.

"Where you?" She asked, "Did you see him shoot your son? Burn your son?"

"No." he shook his head, "But I know it was him his arrows were all around."

The girl frowned, "Daryl never leaves his arrows."

"He did this time."

"No it takes to long to make new one." She remembered Daryl informing her why he always had the old, bloody used arrows. "Too hard to find supplies so he reused as many as he could."

"I'm not here to talk about that man with you." Connor told her ignoring a sinking feeling he felt in his stomach a part of him wanted to believe the girl. A part of him wanted to doubt the Governor.

"Then why are you here? I'm not turning on my family for this place." She sounded as if Woodberry was an awful place to live.

"To try and convince you that you can have a life here, you don't have to fear anything, Woodberry is safe none of the dead can get you here." He sighed, "I can keep you safe and the baby. If you don't decide to stay here with us the Governor will come in here and he will do everything he did to your sister."

"I'm not afraid." She lied.

"Yes you are, if you decide to stay here you can live with my wife and I, you can take care of the baby." He took his hand and placed it on hers, "I won't hear the end of it from Harper if I don't make every effort possible to keep you away from him."

"So you all know he's a bad man yet you stand by him?" She asked.

"He will hurt you." Connor told her.

Beth looked down then back up at him as a thought hit her. She could only pretend to be with them until the group found her. She would pretend to be part of this awful town if it kept her and Judith safe, but the moment Daryl and Rick came for her she would be gone. "Fine." She muttered, "I'll join you if it gets me to Judith."

Connor gave a sigh of relief "Good Harper will be happy, and I'm sure the baby will be too." He smiled at her, "I'm Connor by the way, Connor MacManus."

"Beth." She told him. "My name is Beth." She frowned as he extended his hand to shake hers. There was a tattoo in another langue very similar to one she had seen before. Who had it? She went through the images in her mind of everyone she had seen recently. Daryl. She thought suddenly he had a very similar tattoo, but his had a different word. "What does that mean?" she asked.

"What this?" he asked looking at his hand, "VERITAS. It means truth in Latin."

"I've see it before, well someone with it, but I think his was a different word." She told him.

"Who?"

She didn't want to bring Daryl back up so she shrugged it off, "I don't remember."

"Well." He said sighing, "What do you say about getting you to that baby of yours."

"She's not mine." Beth told him.

"Still I'm sure she will be happy to see you." He told her, "Come on."

She nodded her head as she began to count the hours until her family came to find her and bring her from her new found prison of this man's house.

"Hey bud." Daryl said as Liam looked up at him, "How ya feelin'?"

"My side hurts." The little boy said weakly.

"Yeah it's gunna hurt for a while." He leaned down and placed his hand on Liam's shoulder, "So take it easy until you don't feel pain anymore."

The boy nodded tears in his eyes, "Who?"

Daryl sighed, "A bad man, don't worry you're safe now."

"I want my ma." The boy's tears started to fall down his face

"I know, but not until you're better." He didn't know how to tell the boy this time he wouldn't give him back. The boy's parents weren't good enough to keep an eye on the boy.

"I was trying to help my Da." Liam told Daryl, "I wanted to help when Ma wasn't watching I snuck away to follow Da."

"It's alright."

"Ma is going to get sick again." He told Daryl, "She will get sad again and take to much medicine."

"Don't worry 'bout that." He told the kid. "Just worry 'bout feelin' better."

The boy nodded his head tears still in his eyes, "I want my Ma." He said again.

"I know." Daryl muttered.

"And my Da." The boy continued.

"I know." He responded again. "I know." He didn't know what else to tell the boy. A hurt child only wanted those he knew comforting him. As much as Daryl felt drawn to this boy he had to remember the child didn't belong to him. He had a family even if they weren't good parents to the boy.

"Daryl!" Carl came rushing into the cell gasping for breath, "Dad sent me he needs your help."

"I ain't goin' no where, not with Liam like this." Daryl didn't even look up at the other boy.

"But you have to!" Carl yelled, "Some guy cut a hole in the fence! They took Beth and Judith. Walkers are getting in we need your help."

Daryl looked up, "You stay in this cell and you defend Liam got it?"

"But I want to help" Carl told him, "I'm going with you."

"No." Daryl growled causing Carl to stop, "You stay here and watch the boy you need to keep him safe."

Carl nodded his head he wasn't used to Daryl getting mad. He stood next to the boy and held his gun, "I'll shoot any walkers who try and get in."

"Good." Daryl muttered as he hurried out of the cell grabbing his cross bow.

Beth was surprised at how well she slept on the couch. It had been a long time since she had sat on a real one let alone slept on one. She held Judith not wanting to make much noise; the baby was still asleep which was good. Beth wasn't sure how the two others in the house felt about the baby waking them.

"Good morning." The woman's voice almost made her jump. Beth didn't respond she just looked at the woman frowning as she held the baby closer to her body. "Want something to eat?"

Beth didn't say anything, but her stomach gave her away letting out a growl. She wasn't sure when the last time was that she ate.

"How about some eggs?" Harper asked, but didn't wait for a response as she walked into the Kitchen. She began cooking while she hummed to herself. Beth couldn't help herself but stand up and wonder to the kitchen. As much as she didn't like the man that brought her to this house she couldn't help but like his wife.

"It's been a long time since I've been in a real kitchen." Beth said as she sat down at the table Judith still asleep in her arms.

"I thought the same thing when we got here." Harper smiled over at her and glanced down at the baby. "She's a sound sleeper."

"She has to be." Beth smiled, "In a world like this."

"I got some baby food yesterday." She told Beth, "and some formula for her when she gets hungry."

"How?"

"We have all kinds of supplies here, I just got and get some as needed there are rations but I got enough for a week." Harper told her.

"Sounds so much easier." Beth looked down at Judith, "When she was first born Daryl and Maggie had to leave all day to try and find her food. When they got back she drank almost all the formula they had gotten. That night Daryl went back out and found more for her."

"Sounds like those you were with really took care of each other." Harper told her as she placed a plate of eggs in front of her. Harpers sat down across the table and glanced down at her hands then back up at Beth sadness in her eyes. "Do you remember a little boy?" she asked, "A little boy that was there for a short time?"

"Yes." Beth told her, "Liam Daryl found him lost in the woods."

"Why did you take him in?" Harper asked, "Your people I mean."

"Rick didn't want to." Beth told her, "Rick lost his wife when Judith was born I think he's scared about being in charge and more people just worry him even a boy." She paused, "But Daryl for the first time went against him, said something about the boy's eyes."

"His eyes?" Harper asked.

"Yeah said they reminded him of someone, someone he used to know. Said they had a light in them that brought hope." Beth shrugged her shoulders, "I never saw Daryl care for someone as much as he did that boy. I mean he tried for weeks to find Sophia when she went missing and I think when we found her as a walker it crushed him, but even then it wasn't the same."

"Daryl." Harper said softly, "Liam spoke of him."

"I never saw Daryl really speak of hope that much, it took him drinking a lot to even tell me why he felt like he had to protect him." Beth felt sad as she thought of Liam she couldn't believe the little boy was dead. "I know everyone here thinks Daryl killed him, but Daryl loved him. He would have never hurt him unless." She stopped, "Unless he was bitten."

"You have so much faith he cared for my boy." Harper said softly, "Why?"

"Because." Beth smiled, "That boy made Daryl talk about hope and a future and he was different when Liam was around he was better."

"What was he like before?" she asked. Harper wanted to know more about this man, she wanted to know why someone would take care of her son only to kill him later. Maybe this girl was right; maybe Liam was bitten first because she couldn't even watch her own son. Maybe this Daryl just put the boy out of an awful existence.

"He wasn't very nice." Beth remembered, "But he began to change he wasn't used to being around people only Merle, but I don't think he was ever really like Merle."

"I hope not." Harper frowned, "I didn't like him."

"He just changed and he's one of the main reasons we are still alive." Beth told her as Judith began to stir. "I should go change her."

"There are some dippers in the bathroom." Harper told her as Beth walked out of the room.

After she finished changing Judith she couldn't help but take her time going back to the kitchen. She had forgotten what it was like being in a real house with real pictures. She could see old pictures from before everything had changed and some new ones. It was a wonder these people even had cameras. She stopped at a table that was full of pictures. She could see Liam growing up in the pictures she smiled seeing the happy little family. She moved too close to the pictures and didn't notice as Judith reached for one knocking it to the ground. Beth jumped as it crashed to the ground. She quickly bent down and picked it up a photo of Harper, Connor, and Liam the family. As she stood up another photo fell out from behind the frame. Beth picked it up and frowned. In the picture stood Harper smiling a huge smile and her eyes seemed so much happier. Confusion hit her as she took note of the man standing behind her holding her around the waist grinning over her shoulder. The man in the photo was Daryl.

AN- Sorry it took so long what do you guys think?