Nervously tapping my foot on the floor, I sat on the table in the doctor's office. This is the longest few minutes of my life. I was so nervous and anxious that I couldn't even think straight. If it says one thing, nothing changes. But if it says the other thing, everything changes.

Dr. Peterson finally picked up the cup and pulled the stick out to look at it. I held my breath. He looked up at me before saying, "it's negative."

I closed my eyes and breathed out in relief. "Oh thank God." I said out loud. I didn't mean to but a laugh escaped. I guess it was my nerves.

"Mhm." Dr. Peterson said. "You got lucky. If pregnancy is unwanted, then perhaps next time you'll be more careful." He gave me a serious look. It sounded more of a command than a suggestion.

"Yeah." I nodded. "You're right." I hesitated. "Can…I go now?"

"Yup. You're good to go." He turned away.

"Thanks." I got up and left quickly happy to be out of there. Once I was in the hallway, I sighed in relief again. I'm so glad I'm not pregnant.

I've been irresponsible lately and drinking a lot and having a lot of sex with different guys. I just didn't care about anything anymore and decided to just party.

"Hey, Abby." Crystal said to me and smiled. I smiled and waved back.

"Hi, Abby." Said Drew.

"Hey, Ab." TJ said.

I said hello to all of them. The Sanctuary wasn't like Alexandria or the other communities, everyone would mostly keep to themselves. That changed when I came here though. I'm super friendly so my energy rubbed off and I brought everyone closer together after being here for so long. Now they're all tight-knit.

Back in my room, I laid on my bed holding and petting Whitney. I had a lot of friends here but it was still nice to have someone to come home to even though it's an animal. Whitney was good company. I drank the last of the wine in my glass, then refilled it and took another sip.

Suddenly, there was a knock at my door. I sighed while getting up. I put Whitney back in her tank, then answered the door. It was Negan. He didn't look happy.

"May I speak with you, young lady?" He asked and stepped into the room without permission.

"Sure." I said then closed the door. I thought it was weird that he called me young lady when he normally calls me baby girl. Also, he always calls me down to the conference room when he wants to talk. He never comes to my room. I wonder what's up? "Something wrong?"

"Yeah." He turned to me with wide-eyes. "There is." He paused. I gave him a questioning look waiting for him to continue. "You're what's wrong." He said. Now I was even more confused. "I saw you leaving Dr. Peterson's office and decided to pay him a visit. I made him tell me."

"Oh." I said. "So you know about my pregnancy scare?" I laughed a little.

"Yeah, I do." He gave me a scolding look. "You need to be more careful. I promised your dad that I'd look after you. What do you think he'd say if I sent you home pregnant?"

I gave him a weird look. "I'm twenty-two. It doesn't matter what he's got to say about it."

"No, it does." Negan snapped. "That attitude is another thing." He said. "You were doing really good here for a while," he nodded, "but the drinking is getting out of hand." He pointed at my bottle of wine.

I gave him a look. "I didn't know…it was noticeable."

"Well, it is. And it needs to stop." He gave me a serious look.

I looked down feeling embarrassed that we were having this conversation. "Okay." I nodded. "I get it. No more drinking." I knew I was only lying to myself though. I started tidying up a little.

"That's not it." Negan said. "There's something else." He paused. "…It's time."

"Time for what?" I said while putting some dishes in the sink.

"You've been here for two and a half years now." He pointed out.

"It's really been that long?" I said with a laugh. "I didn't even realize."

"Well…I'm sending you home." He said.

My eyes widened and I dropped a glass in the sink. "What?" I turned to him.

"It's time, baby girl."

"But…I don't wanna leave." I said. "I like it here."

He gave me a side smile. "And I like you being here. But we both know you don't need to be here anymore." He stated. "When I first brought you here, you were fuckin' broken. You were so skinny because you weren't taking care of yourself."

"Yeah, I was depressed." I said like it was obvious.

"I know you were, but you're better now." He nodded. "A lot better. You don't need to be here anymore." He tilted his head a little. "Besides, don't you think daddy misses you?" He grinned.

I crossed my arms and gave him an annoyed look. "I'm not okay with this."

"And that's fine." He said. "But it's for your own good." He started for the door. "So…take the rest of the day to pack your shit and then get a good night's sleep. You'll be leaving in the morning." He smiled. "I'm gonna go let your old man know. I bet he's gonna be so happy to hear the good news." With that, he left.

I uncrossed my arms and let them fall to my sides. Looking around at the room that I made my own, I sighed. Guess I better get packing.

I stood at the gates of Alexandria after not being here for almost three whole years. The gates opened and I stepped inside. The place looked smaller than I remembered.

"Abby?" Rosita said. "Holy shit." She looked me over. "For a moment, I didn't even recognize you."

I let out a laugh. I didn't think I changed that much, my body definitely looked better and more fit and my hair was a little different but that was about it. I had my hair really short, and I would straighten it some days. I always kept it curly so I wanted a little change. "I'm not that different." I said.

She scoffed. "So…you're back now?"

I shrugged. "I guess." That might not have been the best thing to say because she gave me a look. I ignored it and decided to head to the house where I used to live. People stared at me as I went there.

Setting my bags down on the porch, I raised my fist and knocked on the door. Imagine knocking on your own front door. I'm actually a little surprised that my dad didn't come greet me at the gate. Maybe he's busy.

Just then, the door opened and there stood my dad. He looked visibly older. If I had been here, I might not notice it but being away for two years I could definitely see a difference. "Abby." He said happily and hugged me. "I've miss you so much."

I let out a laugh. "I missed you too." He kissed my forehead, then pulled me inside.

Michonne came into view. "Nice to have you back, Abby." We hugged too. I just nodded. There was something strange about the way they were acting. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it was almost as if they weren't exactly thrilled about me being back here.

"Abby!" I heard and looked down. Judith was running to me. She looked so different! She wasn't a baby anymore, she was a kid already.

"Hey, girlie!" I smiled and picked her up holding her to me. My dad and Michonne smiled at us. "Look at you! You're all grown up." She giggled as I set her down. I looked at all of them. "So…what's been…going on?" I asked with a laugh.

My dad didn't say anything and Michonne kind of shrugged. "We were just about to have lunch. Come join us."

"Sure." I said. "I'm starving."

"You look a lot better than before." My dad said.

"Oh." I looked down at myself. "Thanks. I feel a lot better too." I nodded.

The four of us sat at the table and ate. It was kind of awkward and no one really had anything to say even though I'd been gone for so long. Judith seemed to do most of the talking.

"I'm so glad you're back, Abby!" My little sister said excitedly. I looked at her with wide-eyes and smiled. "You do my bedtime stories better!"

"You remember that?" I asked with a laugh.

"She asked about you a lot." My dad said.

I gave him a look and felt a little guilty. "Well…I'm back now."

"Were they good to you there?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Everything was fine." There was a pause after that. I finished eating, then took my plate to the sink.

Just then, heavy footsteps started coming up the stairs. My eyes widened. I haven't seen him since…

Daryl emerged. He didn't even notice me standing there in the kitchen. "Hey." He said wiping his hands on his pants. "Do y'all need anythang? I was gonna stop by the pantry and get some shit."

"We need dish soap." Michonne said.

Daryl just nodded. I observed him. He looked older but not the way my dad looked. Daryl looked good. He seemed to get better with age. I just stared at him.

"Did you see her?" My dad said to him.

"Who?" Daryl turned and looked, he finally saw me. He stopped and his eyes widened. "Abby?" He said. "Is that you?"

I cleared my throat and swallowed. "Hi, Daryl." I decided to be mature. I still didn't know how I felt about him though.

"You look so different, I didn't even…" He trailed off. I almost rolled my eyes. Why does everyone keep saying that? How different could I look in just two years? "You just get back?"

"Yeah." I nodded. Then everything went silent.

"Daddy?" Judith said. "Can Abby take me for a walk?"

My dad smiled. "If Abby wants to go for a walk?"

Daryl and I were still staring at each other, I finally looked away. "Actually, I'm a little tired." I said. "I think I'll go lay down for a little." I headed for the door where I left my bags. "Just let me get my things."

"Abby, hold up." My dad stopped me. "We gave Judith your room." I turned and looked at him. "And her room is currently being used as storage."

I hesitated as I glanced at the door and then back at him. "Where am I supposed to sleep?"

He and Michonne shared a look, then hesitated. "You know, Abby...when you chose to stay at The Sanctuary it really hurt me."

"Us." Michonne said. "It hurt us."

I hesitated not fully understanding. "Okay, so…you don't want me here?" I shook my head.

"I didn't say that." He said.

I scoffed. "You don't have to say it. It's all over your face." I pointed out. "I saw it as soon as I walked in here."

"Well…that's what happens when you chose the enemy over your own family." My dad said harshly. I stared at him in disbelief that he was treating me this way, then walked out onto the porch.

Narrator's POV

Rick Grimes sighed and looked down after his daughter went outside. He didn't feel good about what he said, but it was the truth. He was hurt by her decision to stay at The Sanctuary. "Was I too hard on her?" He asked no one in particular.

"I don't know why yer bein' hard on 'er at all." Daryl said angrily, then followed Abby out onto the porch.

Abby's POV

I leaned over the porch railing and sighed. I haven't even been here for an hour and there's already problems. The door opened and I heard heavy footsteps. I became a little nervous because we haven't been alone together in so long.

"Hey." Daryl said.

"Hey." I kept my head down and didn't look at him.

"Yer dad…he ain't mad at ya." He said. "He just…he'll get over 'imself."

"Yeah." I said kind of annoyed. He doesn't have to tell me that, I know my own dad. It doesn't matter that I've been gone for two years. "I know."

There was a pause. "I was thankin'," Daryl started, "you could take my room downstairs."

I turned my head slightly but still didn't look at him. "Then where are you gonna sleep?"

"I'll sleep on the couch." He suggested.

I thought about it. I would love to take Daryl's space but…I don't want to kick him out of his room. "No, that's okay." I looked down. "I don't want to push you out of your room. I'll sleep on the couch." I sighed.

I saw him glance at me, but I didn't look at him. "Were they good to you? At The Sanctuary?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Obviously." I said like he was stupid. I wouldn't have stayed for so long if they weren't.

"Really? No one did nothin' to ya?"

"No one did anything to me." I stated. "In fact, I made a tons of friends." I scoffed. "Not like here where I guess everyone hates me now."

"They don't hate you." He said.

"It sure feels that way."

There was another pause. "Hey, remember…remember that night with everyone when you told that Butterfinger story? And then kicked Glenn's hat in the fire?"

I thought about it and let out a laugh. "Yeah. That was pretty funny."

"Yeah." He laughed. "You always told good stories." He looked at me. "That one about the weird kid at yer school was funny too." He put his hand on my back, I tensed up. He started to rub my back a little, then moved to my arm.

"Daryl, stop." I pulled away and finally looked at him. He looked a little surprised. "I didn't forget about what you did. What you took from me." I stated. "Me being away for years doesn't change anything."

"I-I know. I just…I thought maybe…" He trailed off.

"You thought what?" I said with raised eyebrows. "That I would come back here and everything would go back to normal?" I shook my head. "That's never gonna happen. So you can get that outta your head." With that, I walked inside. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't have a room anymore. I stopped and sighed.

A little later, I was sitting on the couch holding Whitney. Daryl was on the other side of the room but we weren't talking. My dad, Michonne and Judith walked in from outside. "Is that a snake?" Michonne asked me.

"Yup." I said. "She's my pet. Her name's Whitney." I smiled. "Wanna hold her." I held her out.

"No." Michonne said quickly and moved away. I laughed a little.

"Why'd you name it Whitney?" My dad asked.

"First of all, it's she not it." I corrected him. "And I named her Whitney because I found her on Whitney Street." I informed them.

My dad let out laugh. "Alright. Stupid name for a snake."

"I like it." Daryl said. "The idea, I mean." I glanced at him but didn't say anything.

"Cool!" Judith yelled. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure, but don't be too loud." I warned her. "You'll scare her." My sister held out her hands, and I let Whitney go to her.

"Wow." Judith studied her.

"Don't get too close." Michonne warned Judith.

"She's going up my arm!" Judith yelled. I immediately took my snake from her before something happened.

"I don't think I like the idea of having a snake for a pet." Michonne said.

"Me either." Said my dad.

I ignored them. I'm not getting rid of my snake. I already lost so much.

Narrator's POV

Daryl Dixon walked out onto the porch the next morning, the man was always an early riser. He just lit his cigarette, then absentmindedly turned towards the door. The hunter did a double take as he saw a sleeping Abby on the couch on the porch. He felt bad as he looked at her. He wondered why she slept on the porch.

"Abby." Daryl shook the girl's shoulder. She stirred in her sleep.

Abby's POV

"Mm." I complained as I was being woke up. "What?"

"Why don't you go lay down on the couch inside?" It was Daryl.

"I'm fine right here." I said. I rolled over and pulled the blanket up over my face. Daryl sighed but he left me alone.

Later that day, I set some of my stuff up outside and that's where I slept for the next few days...until my dad had to bother me.

"Hey, this isn't some crackhouse." My dad said to me. "With blankets and junk on the porch."

"That isn't very nice." I said. "Daryl's right there." I pointed at him eating a bowl of something. He put down his spoon and looked at me. I had to laugh.

"Abigail, you can't be living on the porch." My dad said.

"Where else am I supposed to go?" I said more serious. "I don't have a room anymore."

"Well you're not sleeping out on the porch anymore so you better figure something out." He said.

I sighed angrily and got up to bring my stuff in. Daryl started helping me. "Abby, just take my room. Please." He practically begged.

"I'm not taking your room and making you sleep on the couch." I said quickly and shook my head.

"I'll be fine." He said. There was a pause. "What if we take turns?"

I thought about it. "Fine." I agreed just to get him off my back.

I set up my stuff downstairs and settled in. I didn't want to take Daryl's room but I have to admit, it feels nice to have my own space again. I unpacked Leon's shirt and looked it over, hugging it to me then setting it aside on the bed.

I wanted to get out the next day because I was sick of these people breathing down my neck so I went to the spot by the river where Leon and I used to meet. It's been a long time since I've been here. It didn't look the same. Grass had grown over the land and the water was mostly dried up by the shore. It was just a muddy mess.

My mouth pressed into a thin line as I looked it over. I wouldn't even be able to fish here anymore.

I sat back against the tree and pulled my knees to my chest. So much has happened in the passed two years that it could almost make my head spin. I'm glad to be home with my family but…I was happier at The Sanctuary. Sometimes I wish I was still there. At least I had friends there. My dad doesn't even like me anymore.

Tears came to my eyes and blurred my vision. I wiped them away with my arm, but they came right back. I sniffled and gave in and just let myself cry.

Narrator's POV

Daryl Dixon stood back behind a tree and watched Abby. He was worried about the girl so he followed her. She came to the spot where she used to meet that guy. Now she's sitting there crying. It made the man feel bad. Even after all this time, she still wasn't over what happened.

The hunter's mouth pressed into a thin line, he decided to leave and give the girl her space. However, he stepped on something when he turned. She looked his way.

Abby's POV

I heard a noise and turned in the direction it came from. I was surprised to see a person. I got scared but then realized it was just Daryl. It was as if my tears sucked back up into my eyes, anger taking over. What is he doing here?

I angrily wiped at my tears, then got up. I started walking back towards home, walking right passed him without a second glance.

Thank you all for the reviews, favs and follows! :D It means everything to me! So, what do you think will happen now that Abby is back home? Let me know! Thanks! :)