A/N Thank you all so much. Rick Grimes? Let's see what that's all about!

The Appeal

Daryl let's the deer slide from his shoulders as he draws his pistol and points it at the intruder, "How the fuck didya find me? And how the fuck didya get up the mountain?"

Rick holds his hands in front of him, palms out, indicating he means no harm, "Not long after you helped clear the prison and then brought the women to live there, I was pretty sure I'd figured out who you were and where you might be making camp. I wasn't going to act on that knowledge though," he shrugs and admits, "But things are very different now."

"Oh yeah, how's that?"

"I need your help Daryl. I think you and me can help each other. So, I decided to test my theory and find out if you were who I think you are, and if you were living up here. As for how I got here, shit, there were a few times I didn't think I'd make it. I had no idea how much it snows up here on the mountain. I wasn't prepared. The pickup I'm driving has 4-wheel drive and I thought that would make the drive a piece of cake. Boy did I think wrong. I didn't get a third of the way up this damn mountain when I had to get out and start walkin'. I guess I could have turned around and just walked right back down, but I'd already made a commitment to myself that I was going to find you."

Daryl snorts, "Yeah, if it was easy ta get up here, I wouldn't be livin' here. Ya got anyone with ya?" Rick's been a good guy, they worked together to the clear the prison and the sheriff willingly took in the women from Negan's camp, but that was then. Daryl's not taking chances with his family. As he asks questions, he's scoping out his surroundings, looking for trouble, and the whole time he's keeping his gun leveled on Rick Grimes.

"No, I came alone Daryl. I'm hoping to work out a deal with you. Maybe more than one."

"Is that right? Well then ya might as well go on back home cuz there ain't any deals I need ta make. I'm good."

"You might change your mind when I tell you what could be headed your way. For now, would you take that gun offa me and let's get inside somewhere, or even build a fire right here? Shit, it's cold on this mountain. I've been walking for two days straight and there hasn't been a minute of it I wasn't freezing my ass off."

Daryl snickers at that, "You're lucky ya didn't come sooner. It's warmed up a lot in just the past week. Ya shoulda seen it and felt it in February. You'd woulda froze ta death for sure." Daryl's starting to feel a little better about the situation and lighten up some. Rick appears to be telling the truth, and there's no sign of anyone else nearby. He pulls a small box of wood matches from his pocket, tosses them to Rick and says, "You light a fire if ya like. I'ma go get my other deer and my dog, then I'm headed back up the mountain."

Rick's face falls, "You mean we're not there yet?"

Daryl smiles and shrugs, "Nah, not yet, but you were gettin' real close." He shrugs again, "You're lucky ya didn't make it. We got a lotta traps, and the people there waitin' for me are just itchin' ta shoot anyone who gets too close."

"Great."

"Yep. Anyway, ya warm yourself. I'ma go get my deer."

Before Rick can respond the mountain man is gone, running south and east like there's an emergency. It's only a few minutes later that he returns with yet another deer laying across his shoulders. There also happens to be a pretty fierce looking dog at his side. The dog eyes Rick suspiciously while emitting a low growl from somewhere deep in his gullet. The animal looks like he could do some real damage with very little effort, but then Daryl simply tells the dog, "It's all right Jack. He's a friend, at least I think he is. If it turns out he ain't, maybe I'll let ya kill him."

Rick's chin drops as he mutters, "Well that's comforting."

"We don't take chances up here."

"I see. You're probably right not to."

Daryl nods his head, reaches out his hand and says, "Speakin' of that, gimme your weapons."

Rick balks at the idea but Daryl insists, "It's either that, or you can walk your ass back down this mountain right now. Otherwise, hand em over and if the family agrees you're all right, you can have em back."

Rick complies, he's in no mood to argue with Daryl Dixon, at least not about this.

Daryl has the three deer laying in the homemade trailer, Jack in front of him and Rick behind him, and it's way too much weight for the ATV's compact size and small engine. The thing feels like it's barely moving but Daryl tells himself it'll be okay. They're not going far.

Merle's chopping wood, one of the many never-ending jobs on the mountain, when he hears the ATV approaching and begins walking toward the entrance to the big indoor kitchen. He knows that's where Daryl will come to hang any meat he may have harvested, and Merle's certain there will be meat. Little brother doesn't miss. He stands out front waiting, but when he sees there's some other person sitting behind his brother, Merle's gun automatically goes up and it's trained on the passenger.

Daryl pulls up to within ten feet of where his brother stands and cuts the engine. Merle's eyes and his gun are still leveled on the passenger. Daryl speaks, "You can lower the gun brother. This here is Rick Grimes, he's a friend. At least I think he's a friend. If not, I'll kill him myself."

"Fair enough."

Rick can't help but note, "You people have quite the welcoming committee."

Merle snorts, "This is nuthin', wait'll the bear shows up."

The three men are hanging the deer when Beth and Frankie, each with a rifle in hand, enter the kitchen area. Daryl looks over, smiles at his wife and says, "Hey lady, remember I told ya about that sheriff guy at the prison, this is him, Rick Grimes."

In her time on the mountain, and all the time she's spent with these brothers, Beth has grown almost as suspicious as the other Dixon's. She doesn't greet the visitor, instead she asks her husband, "How'd he get here? More importantly, what's he doing here?"

Daryl shrugs, "He wants ta make a deal with us. I ain't sure what it is cuz we ain't talked about it yet. I thought we oughta all get that information together. I also wanted ta get home ta you, and I got this meat ta hang."

"Well you certainly made a haul Daryl, gosh thank you for bringing us all this fresh food. It's going to be so nice." She walks toward her husband, giving wide berth to the stranger, and when she gets to Daryl he leans and kisses her. Jack moans and she rubs his head, "Don't be jealous Jack. I'm happy to see you too, and I'll make sure there's a fresh venison dinner in your future."

Frankie hasn't said a word but she speaks up now, "I have an idea. Since you say this man is your friend, and we have all this wonderful fresh meat, why don't we put one of the deer on the spit, like we did at Christmas."

Daryl nods, and Merle smiles ear to ear, "I'll get it skinned right now."

They've held off on their questions, there will be time for that while the food is cooking and they move indoors. Once they're all inside, while the meat turns on the spit, it's Rick who begins the conversation, "I see you folks have a greenhouse. That's a great idea. I don't think you could grow much at this elevation otherwise. Shit, the growing season probably isn't more than 60 days."

Daryl agrees, "That's what we think too. Our aim is ta be as self-sufficient as we can be, but enough about us, what's your deal Rick Grimes? And how the fuck didya even find us?"

Rick finally feels like he's thawing out, and he's not nearly as threatened by the small group as he was at first. He takes a sip of water from his cup, followed by a deep breath, and then proceeds to tell his story, "Well Daryl, I found out everything I needed to know to figure out who you were in the time we were together at the prison. You saved my family, then you helped us clean up quite the mess in the prison, and you should know, I've never stopped being grateful for all of that. So, I knew your name, just the same as you knew my name. You also told me about a brother you had who was a guest of the Georgia State Prison System, Merle Dixon."

"There was another thing that happened, a big clue. I don't want to speak out of turn, and I don't want you to think I was snooping. But when you helped get that huge generator running, remember? We were down in the utility room and it was hotter than hell. You thought I'd gone back upstairs and you took your shirt off. I'm a cop, it's in my blood, and when I saw those scars on your back I knew you'd been beaten. Many times. I could also tell they were old scars, and there was no point in saying anything. I just kept what I saw to myself and quietly walked up the stairs."

The talk of scars and beatings has Daryl's blue eyes practically piercing the sheriff's skin, and Merle is visibly antsy. Daryl tries acting like Rick's words didn't hit him hard. He shrugs a shoulder and mutters, "Yeah, so?"

"Honestly, like I said, I didn't give it too much thought then. It was after you came the second time, the time you brought the women…"

Frankie interrupts the story to ask, "How are they? Are the women all right?"

"Yes, Ma'am, they're fine."

"Oh thank God, and I'm not Ma'am by the way. My name is Frankie. I'm Merle's wife."

Beth introduces herself as well, "I'm Beth Dixon, Daryl's wife."

"Very nice to meet you both."

Daryl wants to hear more, "Go on."

Rick continues with his tale, "So, by then my group was getting settled in real good at the prison, and after dinner one night me and Lori, my wife, were just sitting around and talking. The subject came up and we were both disappointed you didn't decide to stay at the prison. We talked about how we could use your fighting abilities to defend ourselves and to go on supply runs, but we knew you had even more to give than that. You obviously have mechanical skills, and look at what you did today. One man, three deer."

"Anyway, as we talked about all that, it came to my mind. Dixon. I'd heard about the Dixon family. I had to reach way back in my memory to when I was a kid. I was only about six or seven when I first heard talk of the family, but the story I heard stuck with me all these years because it was so horrible. I was in my bed that night, supposed to be asleep, but I was wide awake and listening to my parents in the other room. My dad was telling my mom the story." Rick's a little nervous, folks get pissed when you speak ill of their family, but shit, there's no choice. He wants their help and they want answers.

"At that time my dad was the King County Sheriff, and he told my Mom a story about a fire that had occurred that day in a rough area of town. The place was barely in the city limits and filled with broken down bungalows. A woman died in the fire." He looks to both Daryl and Merle and says, "I don't want to offend you, but my dad referred to the woman's husband as an evil man. He spoke the man's name and I never forgot it, Will Dixon."

Daryl's looking down and chewing his lip, but Merle barks, "Your daddy was right. Will Dixon was evil through and through."

Rick doesn't comment on that, he just goes on with his story, "Anyway, he told how this man was notorious for his drunkenness and pill popping, and his abuse of his wife and sons. He said there were two boys, one quite a bit older than the other."

"As my folks talked my dad told more about the Dixon family. That they were well-known for their fighting skills and their illegal activities. At the time, I had no idea what moonshine or moonshining was, but my dad told my mom, 'They say he runs a moonshine business up on Rosewood Mountain. Word is, there's a cabin and some outbuildings, ramshackle I hear. No officers go up there and bother him for a couple of reasons. It's a long, slow and dangerous drive, and it's said that Will Dixon will shoot anyone who comes on his property. Dead. No questions asked.'" Rick sighs, "I guess busting a guy for making and selling moonshine was never worth that kind of risk."

Daryl agrees, "Yep, that's what the old man counted on, my grandad too."

Rick doesn't know quite how to respond, so he simply continues his story, "Yeah, well, like I told you, I put two and two together. You'd been right there at the prison with us. It was going to make a good place to live, there were single women," he glances at Beth and apologizes, "Sorry ma'am, I didn't know he was married. You'd have plenty of space to call your own, but you had no interest in staying. In fact, it seemed like you couldn't wait to get the hell out of there. That told me you had a place already, and then it all came together that night when I was talking to my wife. The Dixon's had a moonshine business at the top of Rosewood Mountain where no one in their right mind would even attempt going, and your name is Daryl Dixon. You had a scarred body and an older brother. So yeah. It made sense."

Daryl's defensive, like he gave something away, "Shit, I shoulda gave a different name."

Rick has a small smile when he promises, "I'm not here to try and take anything from your family, but I'm worried. I'm worried about the prison and I'm worried about this place. There's trouble and I'm afraid that trouble knows about you and about us."

Merle's gruffness is front and center, "Ya ain't makin' sense, say what ya mean."

Frankie tries to calm him, "Merle…:

"No Frankie, don't Merle me, not now. I wanna know what the fuck. I ain't havin' you and junior in danger." Then he takes a breath and takes her hand, "Sorry Darlin'."

Daryl holds up a palm, "A'ight, a'ight. Rick, what the fuck are ya talkin' about?"

"I don't know if you'll remember, but when you were at the prison and I introduced you to our group there was a blonde woman named Andrea."

Daryl remembers her, but he's reluctant to admit that in front of Beth. He's not sure why and he's probably being stupid, why would she care? He doesn't know, but he answers, "Nah, I didn't pay any attention."

"Well I guess it doesn't matter whether you do or not. Anyway, she didn't seem to want to mix with the other women much, mostly she wanted to do all the stuff the men were doing, like go on supply runs. That was fine and all until one day when she was out with Bob and Tyrese. She told them she wanted to check some storage building, she was sure she'd find some good supplies. They never saw her again. They claimed to have searched everywhere. No sign."

Beth's hand is covering her mouth, "Oh no, how sad."

Rick disagrees, "No, not really. Not when ya know the story. She showed back up about two months later. It turns out she'd been living the life of luxury in a town called Woodbury. Some guy who calls himself The Governor runs the place. On the surface it looks great, just what you'd want after the end of the world. A small town, neat and safe, a school and a library, even church and a hospital."

Frankie whispers, "Wow."

Rick nods, "I know, wow. Everything we could want, right? Anyway, we knew then Andrea was with this Governor guy, like his mistress, and she was living the queen bee lifestyle. So, it was him who sent her to the prison, and it turned out she brought an offer from this guy with her. It was the first we'd heard of him and we listened. There's was nothing about the offer to make us excited about agreeing to it. What he wants is to take over the prison. He says he'll move all of his people in with us and run it and fix it up just like Woodbury. He promises to take real good care of us and that we'll all be so much better off."

Merle lets out a, "Pfft."

Rick agrees, "That's exactly what I thought, but I had no desire to go to war, so I said, 'Well that's interesting, but I'd like to at least meet him and have a look at what he's done with Woodbury before I just sign over leadership.' All I really wanted to do was check the place out."

Daryl agrees, "Good thinking."

"Yep, I was stalling. They let me right in the front door to meet the Governor and it was all real cordial. In the meantime, I had a couple guys sneaking in the backdoor to see what might really be going on," he glances toward Daryl, "Our numbers have grown since you were at the prison." Then he's back to the story, "It was picture perfect on the surface, but the underbelly is downright unsavory."

Daryl asks, "Oh yeah, how's that?"

Rick tells everything he knows, "For starters, there was the governor's dead daughter who he was keeping alive like a walker dress up doll. It turns out that at the hospital they're conducting all kinds of experiments on the living and the dead to try and find a way to cure her. There's also a torture room that's practically medieval, and there are a lot of people who are nearly starved to death. I guess you have to work your way up to living in a decent place and getting enough food. Young boys are forced into military servitude, and the young women are forced into…excuse me ladies...into doing favors for the governor and his top hands."

Beth gasps, "Oh my God," and Daryl instinctively wraps a protective arm around her waist.

Merle says, "Yeah, okay, that all sounds shitty and fucked up and every other kind of bad, but what does it have ta do with us?"

"Apparently Andrea heard my conversation with Lori that night when we were talking about Daryl, and she told lover boy about this place. I'm sorry to tell you, but I'm afraid when they're done with the prison they plan on coming for you, and they don't fight fair. One of their favorite weapons is using hoards of the dead."

"Oh fuck me," Merle's getting more angry by the minute, "So do you got a fuckin' plan Rick Grimes?"

"Yeah, we kill the bastard right where he is. We could use the help of a couple of good fighters. Dixon's are kind of legendary, and I've seen Daryl put down a pretty good-sized herd by himself. Shit, he didn't even break a sweat. So, the plan is we're going to attack them at their camp, they won't even get a chance to set foot near the prison."

Daryl's been chewing on his lip and now he responds, "Let us talk about it among ourselves tonight. We'll let ya know in the morning."

Over a hearty dinner of roast deer, roast potatoes and the last of the green beans, the talk is friendly. They save the serious talk for after dinner. That's when Rick draws them a map of everything he and his men know about Woodbury, the Governor and the layout of the place. Then, to show good faith, he also shows and tells them everything about the prison, offering, "Once we have a battle plan, you can come down to the prison, we have plenty of room for everyone, and we'll take this guy before he can try to take us."

They make Rick a bed in the big inside kitchen area. Then the family has their meeting at Daryl and Beth's cabin. Afterward Merle's as restless as a cat, pacing outside for at least a half hour before finally going to bed. He's already in the mood to fight.

Once alone in their cabin, Daryl and Beth perform their bedtime routine and act as though nothing unusual is going on, until they crawl in bed. That's when Beth curls her body into his and fighting tears she asks him, "Why Daryl? Why can't we ever have any peace?"

"Fuck lady, I don't know. It don't seem right. Here we are way the hell away from the world and we still can't get away from it."

She asks, "Well what do you really think, in your heart? Do you feel like we should go down the mountain and fight a battle with this governor creep?"

He draws in a deep breath while he searches for his words, "Well I sure as fuck don't want to, but if we're gonna hafta fight him, I think Rick's right. We storm his place. You and Frankie will be safe at the prison while we're putting this governor asshole and his group down."

"No Daryl. I'm not going anywhere. This is my home and I'm staying right here."

His body tenses and he says, "C'mon lady, it'll be safer down there."

"That's what you think, but Daryl, I don't believe it. I don't think there's anywhere on earth safer for me and our baby than this place right here."

"Our baby?"

00

A/N Hmm Please leave a comment! The chapter photo is on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please have a look. I'll be back with a new chapter of The Man on The Mountain next week, I hope you'll be here too. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee