#I'm just here for Carol and Daryl and Michonne's family | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mydarllinglover · 10 months

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Alone || False Negotiations

"Well, it's not infected so far." Hershel said, checking over Natalia's arm.

"Yippee."

"Are the pain killers helping?"

"Sorta." Natalia shrugged with her other shoulder.

"You'll recover a lot quicker if you're eating, resting, and not waving a gun around." Hershel told the woman.

"I think I'm healing quite nicely, thanks."

He flicked her forearm only slightly, causing the woman to hiss and flinch.

"Yes, I take it that you're doing well."

"That was mean, Hershel."

"Get something to eat, you need strength so you can heal, we need you for this so called war we've signed ourselves up for."

"You know there's no other way, right?"

"Yes, I do, but I don't like it."

"We didn't sign ourselves up for anything, they pointed guns in our faces and are forcing us to pull the trigger."

Michonne and Andrea were missing when Natalia walked back out of the cell blocks, her arm rebandaged and back in the sling, that she hated.

"You need me to whip you up anything?" Carol asked her.

"Oh, no thank you, it's okay." She smiled kindly at the other woman.

She looked over the ingredients, they didn't have much left.

Natalia picked up a granola bar, using her teeth to rip it open, after checking it over.

"Natalia." Merle walked over, overpronouncing her name. "Can I call you Tallie?"

"No, you may not." She told him.

"Wanted to thank you." He ignored her comment. "For sticking up fer lil ol' Merle."

"Please don't, I didn't say anything for your benefit. I don't like you, either."

"Got the hots for my little brother?" He looked over his shoulder at Daryl who was fixing his crossbow, but had chosen the wrong time to check what they were doing, again.

"No." Natalia said, her expression was bored, and that's how she felt about the conversation. "He's a better man than you, by that I mean he's not a self centred, insufferable, attention seeking asshole. Other than that, he's a survivalist, something to admire." She then walked towards the door to leave.

"You wound me, sweetheart!" Merle called after her.

"Don't tempt me."

She looked over at the field of walkers, once she was outside, something had to be done, it was only getting more busy.

Taking out a knife, Natalia let out a sigh, stepping forward.

"Put it away."

"Is it just a family trait to bother everyone?"

"I ain't bothering ya. I don't need Hershel breathing down my neck to look out for yer dumbass."

"Says the king." Natalia chuckled.

"What'd Merle say to ya?" Daryl asked.

"Shit."

"Jus' ignore him, he's a prick."

"You didn't think I was doing that before?" She looked at him. "How come you decided to come back?"

"Cause." He shrugged.

"Really." She told him.

"Cause it's my home, my people are here."

"Thanks for helping me, yesterday, and for looking after him, when I was..." She let her sentence trail.

"Don't have ta thank me."

"But I am, so deal with it."

The group had given Andrea a car so that she could get back to Woodbury, which Natalia was glad of, she felt uneasy having the blonde here, like she was being spied on.

"Can you spare it?" Andrea asked Rick.

"Yeah." He nodded.

She looked around at all the people, weapons in their hands.

"Well, take care." She said, getting into the car.

"Andrea." Rick said, stepping towards the car. He handed the woman a swiss army knife and a gun. "Be careful."

"You, too."

She started the car and drove towards the gate, waiting so that Merle could open it.

"Go!" He shouted at her, pulling the metal on wheels across.

Andrea had managed to set up a meeting between Rick and The Governor three days after her visit.

Since Natalia's arm was healing nicely and she was actually able to use it, though it hurt like a bitch still, Rick had asked her to come along, as well as Daryl and Hershel.

Natalia sat in the back, Rick drove and Hershel was in passenger, Daryl rode his bike.

Once they arrived, Rick had told Hershel and Natalia to stay in the car so they could scope it out, apparently him and Daryl could handle it without them.

Hershel moved to sit in the front seat, so that he could drive to the meeting place.

Natalia checked her weapons, she had knifes stuffed in the sheaves she had made around her belt, a black handgun in the waist band of her jeans, a Swiss army knife in her pocket and shoved into her boot. She also had one of the guns that Rick, Michonne and Carl had got from the run they did yesterday.

"This whole thing is bullshit." Natalia muttered.

"Maybe, but we should hear him out." Hershel told her.

Eventually Hershel started the car, driving towards the shed.

Daryl walked towards the car.

"He's already in there. Sat down with Rick."

"He came by himself?" Natalia asked, getting out the vehicle.

"I don't see any cars." Hershel said.

"It don't feel right. Keep it running."

Soon enough, a car showed up.

"Heads up." Daryl said, both him and Natalia raising their weapons at the vehicle.

Three people were in the car, Andrea, a man with glasses and mousey brown hair, who looked like he couldn't fight his way out of a plastic bag, and a Hispanic man, who was slightly smirking at them.

"What the hell? Whys your boy already in there?" Daryl asked them.

"He's here?" Andrea asked.

"Yup.”

She looked over at the Hispanic man before sighing loudly and marching towards the shed, pulling the door open and heading in.

Natalia and Daryl both kept their weapons raised on the two men.

The man with glasses was writing in a notebook as the other man stared at the two, leaning against the car.

Daryl eventually lowered his gun, pacing back and forth.

"Maybe I should go in there." Hershel said.

"The Governor thought it best If he and Rick spoke privately." The man with glasses said.

"Who asked you?" Natalia told him.

"Better question, who the hell are you?" Daryl asked.

"Milton Mamet."

"Great. He bought his butler." Daryl commented, Natalia looked away as she snorted.

"I'm his advisor" Milton replied.

"What kind of advice?"

"Clearly bad." Natalia replied to Daryl.

"Planning. Biters. Uh, you know. I'm sorry. I don't feel like I have to explain myself to the henchmen."

"You better watch your mouth, sunshine."

"Look, if you and I are gonna be out here pointing guns at each other all day, do me a favour, shut your mouth." The hispanic said.

Daryl stepped towards him.

"Tell Alfred over here, to shut his." Natalia told the other man.

"We don't need this. If all goes south in there, we'll be at each others throats soon enough." Hershel told the two men.

Daryl stepped away.

"How come blondie gets to sit in there." Natalia asked, looking over at the door.

No one got the chance to reply when Andrea walked out.

"Aw, your kumbaya speech not work?" She asked the other woman, fake pouting.

"Go to hell." She muttered, walking away to sit down.

"I'll be sure to ask Philip how it is, I'm sure he knows the place pretty well."

The Hispanic man walked towards the door, closing it.

A little more time had passed.

Milton stepped towards the group, leaving the other mans side.

"There's no reason not to use this time we have together to explore the issues ourselves." He said.

"Oh! I can!" Natalia put her hand in the air excitedly.

Daryl slapped her hand down.

"Boss said to sit tight and shut up." The man told Milton.

"Don't you mean The Governor?" Daryl asked.

"Its a good thing they're sitting down, especially after what happened." Milton said. "They're gonna work it out. Nobody wants another battle."

"I wouldn't exactly call it a battle."

"I would call it a battle, and I did. I recorded it." He held up his little brown notebook.

"What, so people in the future know how much of a piece of shit you and your people were?" Natalia asked him.

"Something like that. It'll be a part of our history."

"That makes sense." Hershel agreed.

"I've got dozens of interviews " the man stepped toward Hershel.

A snarl of a walker and metal clanging interrupted them.

Natalia grabbed a knife from her belt as they headed towards it.

There were three walkers.

"After you." Daryl told the other man, gesturing for him to go forward.

"No way. You first." He replied.

Natalia rolled her eyes, stepping forward.

So had Andrea.

The blonde took out the first one, pushing him against the metal building and plunging a knife into its skull.

Natalia tripped the female walker up, sending it hurtling to the ground so that she could plunge her knife through the third walkers eye, pulling her knife out, blood shot out, a little splattering on her face, she let it fall as she trailed back, the female walker reached for her as she bent down, dropping the knife into her head.

"Pussy." The man told Daryl.

Whilst on the ground, Natalia looked to see what the woman had, finding a lipgloss on her.

"Seriously, you're raiding them?" Andrea asked, sounding unimpressed.

"What? I love this colour, besides, she's not gonna be using it anymore." Natalia shrugged, pocketing the lipgloss.

Four more walkers appeared.

The man swung his metal bat before smashing it in the head of a walker, crushing its head into the metal building. He looked back to check the others were watching, grinning.

Daryl shot the female walker down with his crossbow.

The man hit another with his bat.

Andrea walked away, but Natalia stayed to watch the show, folding her arms across her chest.

He got ready to do it again, but Daryl beat him to it with his crossbow, the arrow flying through her head and into the neck of the other one, Daryl reached for his knife, aiming it as the man walked up to the last one, once again he was beat by Daryl throwing the knife and it landing right into the walkers head.

Natalia stuck her hand out with a grin, Daryl lowfived her, the man didn't look impressed.

Daryl walked forwards to rifle through the walkers pockets, pulling out a pack of cigarettes.

"Look what he's got." He said, holding them up. He put one in his mouth before offering them out.

Natalia took one, but the man leaned back.

She hadn't had one for about nearly four years, since she found out she was pregnant.

"Nah, I prefer Menthols." he said.

"Douchebag." Daryl muttered, pocketing them.

He lit his cigarette then leaned over to light Natalia's as she inhaled the smoke.

"You army or something?" He asked.

"Nah, I just, just hate these things. Yeah. After what they did. To my wife, kids."

"Preach." Natalia looked away, blowing out smoke.

"Sucks." Daryl said.

"Thanks." The man muttered. "This is a joke, right? They ain't gonna work anything out. Sure, they'll do their little dance and tomorrow, next day, they'll give the word."

"I know." Daryl said, Natalia nodded.

"Hey." He gestured to Daryl's pocket, Daryl pulled the pack out, handing it to the man.

"You gotta little ..." Daryl looked over to Natalia, licking his thumb and pressing it to her cheek, wiping off the blood.

"You did not just do that." She said, stepping back, letting out a laugh and using her sleeve to wipe her cheek.

"What?" He asked.

"You guys get together before or after?" The man asked, making them both look at him.

She looked at the man with confusion.

"This conversation is over." She sighed, shaking her head as she threw the butt of her cigarette, walking away from the pair.

"We ain't." She could hear Daryl tell the man, turning to go back as well.

It was a little while longer before Rick and The Governor came out the shed.

Everyone moved to get back in the cars, Daryl on his bike, then they drove their separate ways.

When they got back to the prison, Maggie, Carol and Glenn were outside to meet them.

"Let's get inside." Rick told the small group, so that he could discuss the meeting.

Everyone stood inside the cell block, waiting for Rick to tell them what happened.

He reached in a cell, grabbing a gun.

"So, I met this Governor." He started. "Sat with him for quite a while."

"Just the two of you?" Merle asked.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Should have gone when we had the chance, bro." He said to Glenn, moving past everyone to stand behind Glenn.

"He wants the prison. He wants us gone. Dead. He wants us dead. For what we did to Woodbury. We're going to war." He told the group, before walking out the building.

"Come on, Sully." Natalia mutters to her dog, who was sat by her feet, they headed up the stairs, and towards their cell, Daryl was behind her, heading to his, which was next door, now.

She entered hers, not wanting to start a conversation with the man, but she didn't lock the door, instead layed on the bottom bunk with Sully, petting his fur, in thought as he napped.

It was two days later.

Rick had called a meeting with her, Hershel and Daryl.

"It's the only way." Rick said, after explaining that the Governor was willing to leave them alone in exchange for Michonne. "No one else knows."

"You gonna tell 'em?" Daryl asked.

"Not till after. We have to do it today. It has to be quiet." Natalia bit her tongue, shaking her head as they talked. She thought it was sick.

"Got a plan?" Daryl asked.

"We tell her we need to talk. Away from the others."

Daryl looked at the two, Hershel had his head down, and he could see the pissed off, disapproving look on Natalia's face.

"Just ain't us, man." Daryl told the man.

"No. No it isn't." Hershel agreed, walking away.

"It's disgusting, Rick. You have no idea what he's gonna do to her, look what he did to Maggie and he didn't even have a vendetta against her."

"Look, I know, but if we do this, we avoid a fight. No one else dies."

Daryl nodded.

"Alright."

She poked her cheek with her tongue, looking away.

"We need someone else." Rick said.

"I'll talk to him." Daryl said, seeming to understand what Rick meant.

"I'll do it."

"I'll go with ya."

"No. Just me." Rick then left, heading back inside.

"She helped us." Natalia said. "If it weren't for her, Judith would of died, Glenn and Maggie, I could've. When I was stood out in that field, getting shot at, I was so confused and in shock, I didn't move, she pulled me away, hid behind the bus, temporarily bandaged me up. Now we're sending her off to her death like she's cattle. It won't even matter. He's not gonna stop with her."

"You don't know that." He disagreed, shaking his head, looking at the field.

"I do. You do, too."

"He'll change his mind. Come on, we gotta get ready for war."

Maggie, Beth, Carol, Hershel and Carl stood along the runs, banging pots and pans and shouting to the walkers as Glenn and Daryl layed slabs of wood with coiled barbed wire nailed to them, on to the grass, bashing them in, so that if Woodbury decided to drive up again, they'd have a hard time reaching the courtyard fences with popped tires.

Natalia and Michonne were also in the field, picking off any walkers that got too close to them or the truck.

"Come on. Let's go!" Daryl called, stood at the back of the truck with his crossbow, Glenn sat opposite him.

Natalia got in the drivers seat, Michonne in the passenger, they trusted her to drive now.

Rick opened the gate for them, so that Natalia could drive straight through.

"They drive up to the gate again, maybe some blown tires will stop them." Glenn told Rick as they all hopped out the truck.

"That's a good idea."

"Thank Michonne." Natalia said.

"It was her idea." Daryl added.

"We don't have to win." Michonne said, not picking up on the heavy stares the three were sharing. "We just have to make their getting at us more trouble than its worth."

"That's smart, Mich, you really are an asset to our group." Natalia patting the woman's shoulder.

The others came up and joined them.

"Hey." Maggie smiled at all of them.

"Let's go." Rick nodded for everyone to go back inside.

Natalia was in the courtyard with Sully, Daryl was also in there, pacing, when Rick stormed towards them.

"It's off. We'll take our chances." He told them.

"Called it." Natalia said.

"Not saying it was the wrong call, but this is definitely the right one." Daryl added. "What's wrong?"

"I can't find Merle or Michonne. They've gone."

"What? Already?" Natalia demanded.

"Come on." Daryl nodded, heading towards the generator room, the other two following.

"He was in here. Said he was looking for drugs. Said a lot of things actually." Daryl said, the three spread out, looking around the room.

"Like what?" Rick asked.

"Said that you were gonna change your mind." Daryl picked up a white bag. "Yeah, he took her here. They mixed it up."

"Damn it!" Rick cursed.

"I'm going. Maybe I can stop them before they get there." Natalia offered.

"I will too." Rick said.

"You can't track for shit." Daryl stopped the man and woman in their tracks.

"Then we all will."

"No, just me." Daryl said. "I said I'd go, I'll go. Plus, when they come back here. You need to be ready. Your family too." He walked out the door.

"Go with-"

"Watch Sully for me." She cut Rick off, following after Daryl.

"Thought I said I'd go by myself." Daryl told her as they reached the gate.

"I told you I didn't like it. She's my friend." Natalia told him, fast walking ahead.

They had been walking through the woods before spotting Michonne, in a street. She'd just beheaded a walker.

"Hey!" Daryl called out to her. "Where's my brother? You kill him?"

Natalia looked at him, unimpressed, Merle was an asshole, but she wouldn't have done that, even if he did kidnap her, she didn't know if Merle would let her either, he was fighter, just as much as the trio discussing him.

Michonne shook her head.

"He let me go."

"Are you okay?" Natalia asked her.

"Fine."

"Don't let anyone come after me." Daryl said, seeming to know what his brothers intentions were, before jogging off.

She was torn between staying with Michonne and following Daryl, but she knew Rick sent her with him for a reason, they were both aware Daryl could handle himself, and yet he told her to go, even though she would've anyway.

"Be safe, alright, I'm glad he caved, I voted no, by the way." Natalia smiled at the woman, before sprinting after the redneck.

They had made it to the meeting place, an black car was parked on the grass, the drivers side was opened.

Walkers hadn't noticed them, as they were too busy eating.

Daryl and Natalia quietly walked past them, looking around the place.

Walkers, as well as what looked like to be the Governors men, were dead on the ground.

Daryl shot one walker, with long curly hair, down.

"Oh my god!" Natalia gasped, her hands coming up to cover her face, the handle of her knife was still in her hand.

Daryl walked back and forth, watching as his older brother was taring apart and eating one of the men.

He had seemed to realise they were there, staring at the two new targets as he got to his feet.

Daryl teared up as his only blood left was dead, and now one of the walking dead.

Walker Merle tripped over his latest meal as he moved towards his brother.

Natalia stood back, but was ready to jump in if Daryl needed it, she knew it was important to deal with your own.

"No!" Daryl shouted as he pushed Merle away, but he came back and so he did it again.

Until eventually, Daryl plunged his knife into Merles chest, pushing him to the ground, before stabbing him in the forehead, over and over again, until his head was nothing but a bloody, mushy pile.

"Daryl." Natalia bent down as he fell back, continuing to sob.

She hugged him, she didn't know if he wanted it, but she didn't know what else to do, letting him cry and grieve, she wished how someone could've been there to do that for her, so she thought it was only right to do it for him.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." She muttered repeatedly.

It was silent on the way back, neither of them wanted to talk, neither of them had anything to say.

Once back at the prison, the group had decided that they were going to stay and fight.

Hershel was going to wait in the woods with Beth, Carl and Sully, and Judith, whilst the others would take down the Governor.

She kept her space from Daryl, letting Carol be the one to comfort and talk to him as they prepared for the enemies arrival.

Natalia was hiding in the tombs, she had caused distractions that she knew would lead walkers towards where she could guess the Governor would take his group to, she held onto flashbang cans, waiting for the right moment.

From inside, she heard when they had arrived, shooting at everything insight and blowing up guard towers, it was going to be hella work to put the place back together again, after this.

Natalia made subtle noises to egg them on to come her way.

As soon as she heard the quiet footsteps and hushes of the enemies down the hall, she pulled the tab throwing the cans into the group and ran back to let the chaos unfold.

Members of the group began shooting around, the Governor shouted for everybody to get down, snarls of walkers sounded as they followed the noise and the alarms above rang out, flashing red in the darkness.

She had done her job of pushing them out of the prison, it was up to the others of getting rid of them for good.

Once it was final, she met up with the others outside the prison.

"We did it. We drove them out." Rick told the group.

"We should go after them." Michonne said.

"Yeah, they'll just keep coming back." Natalia backed the woman up.

"We should finish it, for good." Daryl joined in.

"It is finished." Maggie disagreed. "Didn't you see them hightail it out of here?"

"They could regroup."

"We can't take the chance. He's not gonna stop." Glenn spoke up.

"They're right." Carol sighed. "We can't keep living like this."

"So we take the fight back to Woodbury? We barely made it back last time."

"We can't afford loose ends either." Natalia told her.

"Yeah." Rick nodded, "Lets check on the others."

They got back to the cellblock.

Judith cooed as Beth carried her in, the others behind her.

Sully ran straight towards Natalia, jumping at her.

She excitedly petted the dog, smiling at him as she made sure he was okay.

"Thanks, Carl." She nodded at the kid.

"No problem." He said, as he hugged his father. "Dad, I'm coming to Woodbury."

"Carl." Rick sighed, standing back up.

"Dad, I did my job out there." Carl argued. "Just like all of you. Took out one of the Governors soldiers."

"One of his soldiers?" Hershel asked. "A kid running away? He stumbled across us."

"No, he drew on us."

"I'm sorry you had to do that." Rick told his son.

"Its what I was there for. I'm going with you."

Natalia walked outside to prepare to leave for Woodbury, helping to get one of the cars ready as Rick and Hershel talked.

Rick, Daryl, her , Glenn, Maggie and Michonne were going to go.

The others would move back into the prison.

Rick was talking to Carl when they finished, which had ended up in Carl walking away.

They were stood around the car when Rick walked over.

"Rick, we're staying." Glenn said, stood with Maggie. "We don't know where the Governor is. If he comes back, we'll hold him off."

"Just the four of us?" Daryl asked. "Alright." He nodded.

Natalia got in the back, Michonne got in the passenger, whilst Rick talked to Maggie and Glenn.

"You ready?" Natalia asked Michonne.

"Hell yes." The woman answered, as they highfived.

"Is it too early to say you might be my new best friend?" Natalia teased.

"Not in the end of the world times." Michonne grinned back.

Once Rick got in the car, they drove off, Daryl leading the way on his motorbike.

They were driving down a road, soon coming to a stop.

One of the trucks that Woodbury came in, was stranded in the middle of the way.

Dead bodies, some being eaten by walkers, covered the road.

Natalia took out a knife, whilst Michonne unsheathed her sword, both dealing with the walkers, Daryl even shooting some down with his crossbow.

Rick took out one that was eating a boy who sat in the drivers seat of another truck.

A woman with dark curly hair banged on the glass window of the big truck, making Daryl, who was stood in front of it, jump out of the way.

Rick raised his gun at her, heading towards the vehicle as Daryl opened the door.

It was night by the time they got to Woodbury.

The now five snuck around cars, their weapons raised in case of an attack, as they moved towards the gates.

The people on watch shot at them, causing them to shoot back, until hiding behind a car.

"Tyreese!" Karen, the woman, shouted, standing up with her hands in the air. "It's me. Don't-"

"Get down!" Rick shouted, yanking the woman to the ground.

"Karen!" Tyreese shouted back. "Karen, are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" She stood back up again, and out from behind the car so that they could see her.

"Where's the Governor?"

"He fired on everyone. He killed them all."

"Why are you with them?" Tyreese asked.

"They saved me!"

"We're coming out!" Rick decided, he looked to the other three, who all shook their heads. "We're coming out." He repeated.

Rick and Daryl were the first to stand up, Rick had his hands in the air, in surrender, whilst Daryl aimed his crossbow at them.

Michonne and Natalia copied, before they all raised their hands up and walked towards the gates, which were then opened by Tyreese, him and Sasha walking out.

"What are you doing here?" He asked Rick.

"We were coming to finish this until we saw what the Governor did." Rick explained.

"He -- He killed them?"

"Yeah." Rick whispered.

"Karen told us Andrea hopped the wall, going for the prison. She never made it. She might be here."

Tyreese let them in, Rick led them to the old warehouse buildings.

"This is where they had Glenn and Maggie." Rick said.

"The Governor held people here?" Tyreese asked.

"He did more than hold them." Daryl told him

"Whatever he told you, I can guarantee it was all bullshit." Natalia put it bluntly.

They arrived at one door, blood was pooling out of it.

Michonne and Natalia grabbed their weapons out of their sheaths, Daryl aimed his gun.

"Will you open it?" Michonne asked Rick.

Rick reached out for the lock, raising his gun with his other hand.

"One... two..." He pulled the door open, being met with the dead and beaten body of Milton Mamet.

"Andrea!" Michonne hissed, seeing the blonde woman leaned against the wall, running in for her.

"I tried to stop them." Andrea said, as the other three entered the room, taking a look at the woman, who looked weak and also covered in blood.

"You're burning up." Michonne whispered, holding her.

Andrea sighed, moving her shirt to reveal bites along her collarbone.

Natalia bowed her head and took a step back.

"Judith, Carl, the rest of them ." She asked.

"Us." Rick told her. "The rest of us.

"Are they alive?" Andrea asked.

"Yeah, they're alive."

She smiled, looking up at Michonne.

"Its good you found them." Michonne nodded as she cried for her friend. "No one can make it alone now."

"I never could." Daryl agreed.

Natalia didn't speak up about her personal experiences, she could handle herself on her own, and she preferred it on her own, until she met the group, she lost count of how many times they had saved her ass, or how much she came to care about them, she had only just begun to start seeing them as family, and she'd do anything for her family.

"I just didn't want anyone to die." Andrea told them. "I can do it myself." She decided her fate.

"No." Michonne told her.

"I have to. While I still can." She looked to Rick. "Please? I know how the safety works."

Natalia guessed it was some inside joke between the pair.

Rick passed over his colt python.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere." Michonne told Andrea.

She looked around the group.

"I tried." Andrea whispered.

"Yeah." Rick responded. "You did. You did."

They eventually left the room, leaving Michonne and Andrea to have some privacy.

Then the gunshot sounded.

Natalia kinda wished she knew the woman before Woodbury, then she had an idea of why she meant so much to the group, she could tell Andrea was a good person who had made bad choices, too bad Natalia was the type to hold grudges.

Rick had offered to take the remaining people of Woodbury back to the prison, uniting them, just like Andrea had died for.

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon smut #the walking dead daryl #twd daryl #carl grimes #carol peletier #daryl fanfiction #glenn rhee #michonne #rick grimes #merle dixon #the governor #beth greene

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lola-andheruniverse · 2 years

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It's our last SDCC and I'm sad and angry because I love this fucking show so much and I'm going to miss it but at the same time good riddance because yeah we overstayed our welcome

so here's 2 lists in no particular order of

10 THINGS THE WALKING DEAD GOT RIGHT

1) Shane and his descent into madness; 2) Rick as a benevolent and kind leader that also goes batshit crazy and ruthless when needed; 3) Michonne and Carl's friendship; 4) Carol's character development; 5) Carol and Daryl and their incredibly beautiful and meaningful bond; 6) the whole concept of Team Family; 7) pretty much the whole existence of Glenn, Eugene, Lydia and Jerry; 8) siblings love; 9) Aaron having a second chance of having a family with Gracie; 10) villains with very different mindsets, goals and iconic aesthetics.

10 THINGS THE WALKING DEAD GOT WRONG

1) the mistreating of female characters in general; 2) the Rick/Lori/Shane love triangle, putting all the blame on Lori's shoulders; 3) Andrea's whole arc; 4) the non-ending pain parade Carol and Daryl have to unnecessarily endure, which got in the way of they becoming a couple; 5) killing off legacy characters (Carl, Beth, Noah, Henry, Enid); 6) introducing a load of new characters each season just to kill them before the audience can even connect so their arcs are pretty much useless; 7) killing Bob, Tyresee and Noah, three black man, one after the other and on an increasing traumatic manner; 8) Glenn's wasted potential as a character, his death and Negan's redemption arc altogether; 9) Maggie's character development; 10) yes, I'll repeat myself here, Carol and Daryl not being a couple.

and no I won't explain my reasoning

my beloved characters and show deserved better

#the walking dead #twd #sdcc 2022 #caryl

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a-hackneyed-premise · 7 months

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3, 8, 9, 26

Hey, I'm so sorry, this may have been sitting here a while and I'm not sure which ask game it relates to now. I remember opening it, thinking, oh, I'll do that when I'm home, and then forgetting My apologies for basically being useless :/

I'll answer them for the last one I posted, but if yoou sent this, and you remember sending it, and I'm answering the wrong questions (if you even remember what they were!) then please let me know <3

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

Oooh, that's a tough one. I'm really proud of A Softer Place to Fall for being one of the few canon compliant (at the time of writing) Caryl fics I've ever written.

And likewise, a Jonathan x Arabella canon compliant ficlet I'm incredibly proud of is The Death of Prescriptions - unusual in that it's G rated, which I hardly ever do, but it is super cute. And Jonathan Strange is such a goddamn pleasure of a character to write.

For AUs, it'll probably be Just Adrift of Monsters. That's the AU world I think about the most, and think about returning to the most. I have ideas for both a sequel and a one-shot in that universe. (Kind of painful that it got so few views and even less attention, but I'm still proud of it)

8. What project(s) are you currently working on?

I have about 20 unfinished WIPs in my documents folder, but the ones I'm working on most are part three to my Hunger Games AU, and a Borderlands AU that will be both a Caryl and a Richonne story.

Writing Rick and Michonne don't come naturally to me, so it's going to be a long time coming that one. It's also going to be pretty slow burn for both couples, and an inordinate amount of action, so I'm hoping to maybe get it up online some time before I turn 50 (only half joking!)

9. Do you write every day? If you wrote today, share a sentence of what you’ve written!

"They were met with a gruesome tableau of death and devastation. The once-pristine ground was now marred by the lifeless bodies of Hyperion soldiers and engineers, and scattered among the fallen were the shattered remnants of more Loaders, their mechanical frames now reduced to twisted metal and sparking wires.

Daryl's eyes darted frantically to the guard tower that Carol had held earlier. It stood sentinel-like against the night sky, an ominous presence that filled him with dread, as he realized the spotlight that she was supposed to keep moving was now eerily stationary."

26. Is there something you’ve written that you would never want your family to see?

I've answered this previously to say basically everything I've ever written ever, but if you want something a bit more specific, this piece of porn with absolutely zero plot

Thanks for asking, and again, I'm sorry for taking so long to answer <3

#ask meme #answered asks #fanfic meme #caryl #js&mn

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ophelia-jones · 1 year

Text

"I said, leave me be!" Daryl yelled, pushing Sidiq away and storming down the stairs of the infirmary. He'd spent three long days being poked, prodded, and told to rest.

'Like hell', he thought. This was no time to sit on his ass. Negan could be building a fucking army, and there was no guarantee he was sitting at Haven waiting for them. If he brought the fight to Alexandria they needed to be ready.

"Daryl, Daryl, hey! What are you doing, you should be…" Rick ran up alongside his best friend when he saw him storming down the street toward home.

"Don't tell me to rest God Damnit!" Daryl roared. "We don't have time for that bullshit!" even as he said this, his ribs shifted in his chest and sent a wave of pain throughout the right side of his body. It took his breath away for a moment and he had to stop, wrapping one arm around his chest and bracing the broken rib.

"We need you to be at your strongest when the day comes, Daryl. I know what you're thinking. I'm thinking about it too! And so is Michonne, Rosita, Tara, Carol, Maggie… We're all working on this," Rick assured him.

"C'mon, Daryl, let me walk you home," Carol offered as she walked up with Ezekial at her side.

"What're you doing here?" Daryl growled at her. It wasn't that he wasn't glad to see her, of course he was. But she didn't belong here anymore, she had gone off and built herself a new family in the kingdom. Just like every God damn woman he'd ever cared about. Not one of them stuck around.

"We're having a council meeting with the coalition. Trying to decide what to do about the news of Negan's resurrection," she told him, attempting to sound playful but her worry was clear.

"We kill him, is what we do. There, meeting over." Daryl grumbled.

"It's not that simple and you know it." Rick sighed and ran a hand over his hair thoughtfully. "Why don't you come with us to the church for the meeting? Some questions still need answering, anyway. If you're up for it."

"I'm up for it," Daryl mumbled, turning and heading toward the church. Once everyone was there, Daryl was asked to relay his story from the time the first bullet was fired to when he began his journey home.

"Something's not right," Rick said, his eyes growing distant as he tried to make sense of everything that had happened.

"What is so hard to see, Rick? Negan sent her to spy on us, then ambushed us on the way back!" Daryl declared angrily. If it was up to him they'd already be on the way to Haven with every weapon in their arsenal.

"Etta was in plain sight the entire time we were there, up until the point she asked Verity about the opportunity to establish trade. They didn't know we were coming, so how could they have made these plans?" Rick pointed out. "if they wanted to kill us or to guarantee we never caught on to Negan's presence they could easily have killed us then and there."

"Also, there were at least two points at which they could - for their purposes should - have killed you. Why didn't they? You weren't even halfway to Haven, they could easily assume we wouldn't know it was connected," Michonne added.

"The first time, he probably wanted to do it his damned self, then after he humiliated me, he locked me - tied up - in a building with walkers. He thought he did kill me!"

"But then Etta came in, why would he let her in? Why lock her in? How did she get in if the doors were locked?" Carol pointed out. Daryl threw his hand at them and began to pace up and down the center aisle.

"Why does any of this matter? What matters is, Negan's alive and we know where he is!"

"I don't think that was the ambush you think it was, but he knows we know where he is. He'll be ready and waiting." Rick told Daryl, great concern on his face.

"Rick's right, beyond that, we have no idea how many saviors have joined him again or the particulars of the building. We can't just storm the place and hope we get it right this time." Michonne added.

Daryl was irritated, anyone could see that. Maggie was, too. Rosita sat quietly thinking about it for a while before suggesting a first step.

"So send a group of scouts out. Let Daryl show us where Haven is and we watch the place. Get an idea of their comings and goings, how many there are."

Rick pursed his lips but remained quiet, glancing at Michonne to see what she thought.

"Let's take a vote, see what the consensus is and who wants to go if we decide to go ahead with this."

***

Verity had not spoken to Negan in days. After moving the women to the second floor, she stayed with Emily, Olivia, and Stanley to help them all feel safer.

Shondra had taken full responsibility for Vida, who now called her mama. It would never replace the son she had lost but the love of a child is always a miraculous gift. Amari and Harper had their apartment and Jessie set herself up alone in one. That was it. That was all that was left of a once thriving community.

Verity felt like a failure.

After the children were sleeping, she slipped out of the apartment and went to the rooftop to think.

"I was starting to think you'd left the building completely," Negan said from behind her as she stood gazing out into the night.

"Can't say it hasn't crossed my mind."

"Ver, I miss you," he told her, stepping up behind her and wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her close. Her tension did not go unnoticed but he refused to let her go. He wasn't losing this woman without a fight.

"I miss you, Negan. The man who cried after Justin and Lana died. The man who dressed my wounds." she told him tiredly. "I don't like the one who showed up the day the saviors came."

Her words stung. Verity and Haven had been his second chance, but maybe it had all been an illusion. He rested his cheek against the top of her head.

"I don't like him anymore either." he told her. "but I need him. I need the saviors to keep you safe, to keep all my girls and kids safe. People will be coming for me, and I can't let them hurt you because of what I've done."

Verity was quiet for a long time. She had been over and over the situation in her head.

"We could leave. Take our family, what's left of it, and go west," she suggested.

"You got a covered wagon hidden somewhere?" Negan teased.

"I'm serious!" Verity argued, turning to face him. "Why can't we do it?" Negan smiled sadly and stroked her hair.

"Because they'll come for me wherever I am. I should have just let them kill Dixon, then there might have been a chance." he said, his eyes distant. "but I couldn't. I couldn't stand in front of Etta and kill him after she begged for his life. Do you know how many times I've heard people beg for their lives or others' lives? But I looked at that woman and I couldn't do it."

"Do you think these men will help protect you? They're not good men, Negan. These aren't the people who you wanted to protect, these are the men who enjoyed your cruelty." Verity pointed out.

"And they are exactly what it will take to survive. I wanted to believe life could be peaceful, but what we had here wasn't real. It was a respite for a while, but it's not sustainable," Negan argued. Their voices were raised again and they stepped back from one another. Verity lowered her eyes and shook her head. The hollow feeling inside her grew until she couldn't feel anything at all.

His intentions may be in the right place, but the road to hell was paved with good intentions. There was no reaching him. It was over.

***

Negan was storming around the third floor the next morning. The saviors were already on guard - so when the call came up that he was needed at the gate the tension was so thick they could barely breathe.

"This fucking better be important," he told the man at the gate as he climbed up to look over the field between Haven and the forest.

"The men from the supply run are back," Dwight said, watching Negan carefully as he saw the scene awaiting him.

The five men who had been gone for the past week were, indeed, back. They were shuffling around the field, tripping on their intestines, their bellies had been sliced from groin to sternum.

They had also been scalped.

"What the shit?" Negan stared in shock.

"Looks like your girl survived," Dwight said, "which means Dixon did as well, I'd bet."

"Maybe not. She's fucking lost her shit," Negan said, his stomach dropping. He was less concerned with the deaths of the saviors as he was concerned with Etta's state. This was not the work of a healthy individual. He knew because it reminded him of himself after losing Lucille.

"If she killed all five of them herself, then she's a threat to all of us," Dwight said, and Negan couldn't disagree.

***

Verity had used the secret exit the teenagers had once used to sneak out, the one they hadn't thought she knew about. She needed to find Etta, now that she knew she was likely nearby. It was as clear a message as she could have sent. It was the only reason she could imagine anyone would have for mutilating the walkers that way. Of course, if she was mistaken, she was walking out to meet someone with bigger problems. She was grateful Negan had retrieved her .44 with the UTV. Something about the weight of it on her hip gave her a sense of security.

As she drew near the old highway, Verity had the unsettling feeling of being watched. She slowed and crouched, scanning the area carefully, but she saw no sign of anyone - alive or dead. She stood and began to move again, though where exactly she was going she did not know.

Suddenly, she felt the air move behind her and a knife against her throat. She put her hands up slowly, her mind working out every possible move that might buy her a chance at survival.

"No one ever thinks to look up," a voice whispered in her ear. All the adrenaline which had been pumping through Verity's body made her shake even as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Etta," she turned to see the woman once she had removed the knife from Verity's throat and was shocked at her appearance.

"Is that… Etta, is that supposed to be war paint? Or have you been rolling in the dirt?" she laughed out loud at her friend and embraced her.

Etta laughed, too.

"I was taking a page out of Negan's book. Scare the shit out of the enemy, catch them off guard. I figured if anybody watched the movies and shows that built the Native American stereotypes it was these guys. So, war paint and scalpings it was."

"I'm so glad to see you," Verity sighed as she held her friend's embrace far longer than usual.

"So, you've seen it, haven't you? Negan's Mr. Hyde." Etta said once they broke the embrace.

"Yeah," Verity confirmed. "I can't stand it. I can't stand the Saviors, and I can't stand what's becoming of what was supposed to be our home."

"I know. I don't like what he turned me into, either. A liar, a killer. Those men would have killed me if I hadn't killed them, I hope you know that." Etta told her mentor. Verity nodded.

"I know. I need a way to either get our people out or to get rid of the saviors, and soon." Verity informed Etta.

"What about Negan?" Etta dared to ask. She knew Verity to be loyal to a fault, and could not imagine her giving Negan up or letting him be killed.

"I have some ideas. It's just a half-baked plan right now, I'll fill you in when I have the bugs worked out." She replied, and Etta knew the pain in her friend's eyes. She knew it because it was the pain she had felt when Daryl had walked away from her.

"Well, I might have an idea or two," Etta informed Verity. "But first things first; I'm going to need that crossbow.

#negan smith #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon #negan fanfiction #original female character

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theteasetwrites · 2 years

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The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning

Chapter 70: To Forgive

❧ Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Female Reader ❧ Era: Season 10 ❧ Pronouns: she/her ❧ Warnings: violence, scary situations, mild swearing ❧ Word Count: 6.4k

❧ In This Chapter: Daryl and Robin return home from their excursion to Oceanside, but all is not well at the gates of Alexandria, where herds of walkers are threatening the peace. While Daryl goes out with Michonne and the others to meet with Alpha, you join Aaron in helping out at home, though Negan's presence causes some friction.

❧ A/N: Some Reader/Negan interactions! And of course I had to put in some cute Dixon family moments, because that's what we're really all here for. Also, I'm not saying one way or the other, but I think Negan might have genuine little crush on Reader? A little conflict coming our way?? A little jealous/protective Daryl on the horizon for a saucy subplot??? Who knows????

You heard Dog’s barking before anything else, and that alerted you to their arrival.

Robin’s voice came through from the front porch as you shucked corn with Lydia in the kitchen.

“I can’t wait to show Mommy,” she said, and the sound of the front door opening, that sound that always filled your heart and soul with relief and immediate warmth, soon followed.

“Show me what?” you asked, coming through the archway into the small foyer, where Daryl and Robin were taking off their muddied, sandy boots.

Your eyes immediately drifted to the spear in Robin’s hands, a long wooden stick with a sharp iron point on the end.

“Oh,” you huffed, and looked over at Daryl, who had that “I can explain” look on his face. “A spear?”

“One of the ladies from Oceanside gave it to me,” she said, holding it out to you. “She said it’d be better for killing walkers because I won’t have to get so close to them.”

Daryl shrugged. “Couldn’t talk ‘er out of it.”

“Well, it’s true,” you said, warming up to the idea. “How’d it go?”

“I did five walker heads,” she said. “And Judith and RJ and me made sandcastles, and Dog and me played in the water. I saw Aunt Carol again.”

Your eyes widened at that. Carol had left shortly after the winter storm to go on a fishing trip with some of the Oceanside residents. She must’ve just gotten back.

“Is she here?” you asked, looking up at Daryl.

“Yeah,” he said. “Stayin’ at Michonne’s.”

“I’m gonna show Lydia my spear,” Robin announced, and trotted off into the kitchen where you heard Lydia praise her new “toy.”

“Be careful with that thing!” you yelled after her. You turned back to Daryl, who was removing Dog’s utility vest. “Another thing to worry about. She’s going to poke her eye out or something.”

He scoffed and kissed your cheek. “Nah, gave ‘er the ‘it’s not a toy’ spiel. ‘Sides, it’s a good start. Kid’s still askin’ me about learnin’ crossbow.”

“You should teach her, when her arms are long enough. How cute would that be?”

He chuckled as he absentmindedly played with your hair. “Sure, real cute.”

That evening after dinner, you enjoyed your favorite pastime: sitting on the porch swing with Daryl.

Robin played in the street with RJ, who was only a month younger. The two six-year-olds were close, though it was hard for any kid not to be close with just about every other kid in Alexandria, given how close-knit the community was.

Still, RJ, Judith, and Gracie were always Robin’s closest friends.

“So she liked the beach?” you asked, petting Dog as he laid by your feet.

Daryl grunted and unwrapped his arm from around you to reach into his shirt pocket.

“Got some pictures,” he said with a smile, hardly able to contain himself.

He handed you the Polaroids from your camera, and you immediately let out an “aw” at the first in the stack: a rather blurry photograph of Robin, her overalls rolled up so she could run around in the shallow waves of the ocean, with Dog by her side, in frantic motion as he played in the water.

You snuggled into Daryl’s embrace again to look at them, and chuckled at the next photo—Robin with her fingers stretching out her mouth and sticking her tongue out at the camera, with Dog in the background shaking the water from his fur.

“I love these,” you said. “We can put them on the wall.”

“Mhm,” grunted Daryl. “Except this one.”

He reached towards the back of the pile to pull out a clear, more professional looking Polaroid of Robin smiling up at the camera, her face framed beautifully by her wavy pale brown hair, and her smile bright and wide, with a few of her missing baby teeth she’d recently lost on full display. She was kneeling on the beach, alongside Dog, who obediently sat beside her. He seemed to be smiling, too, with his tongue hanging out, as usual.

“This one’s goin’ in the wallet,” he said, and tucked it back into his shirt pocket for now.

Daryl always teased you for being sentimental, wanting to have pictures of everything and always wearing your wedding ring and your necklace, but in truth, he was just as sentimental as you, maybe even more.

The man always carried a handful of photographs in his wallet, which he had purely for the purpose of keeping those pictures. There was no money in that wallet, of course, but the images of his family were all he needed, anyway.

You knew he had one Glenn had taken of you on your wedding day, one of Robin in your arms the day she was born, one of you gardening with Robin, one of Dog and Robin drinking out of the garden hose, one of Robin on her first day of school, one of you in front of the library on the day its construction was finished…

Yeah, he was a little sentimental.

The next one in the pile was your favorite so far, and one that you would keep in your pack for whenever you left home—a Polaroid someone else must’ve taken of Robin and Daryl on the beach. Robin was holding something, and Daryl was kneeling down to look at it in her hands.

“Carol took that one,” he said. “Robin found a sand dollar.”

“Adorable,” you said, and flipped to the next one, the last one.

You gasped at it, smiling wide and looking between Daryl and the photograph. Now, this one was your favorite by far.

After taking the previous photo, Carol must’ve instructed Robin and Daryl to look up at the camera. Daryl had a confused look on his face, with furrowed brows and a slightly agape mouth as he held Robin’s sand dollar in his hand.

Robin, on the other hand, had another big, beautiful smile on her face. Both her and Daryl’s hair was blowing wild in the coastal wind, and overall, the photograph was adorably funny.

“Oh, baby,” you cooed teasingly. “You look a little grumpy here.”

He squinted at the photograph. “What? I’m smilin’.”

“That’s not smiling, cutie pie. You’re gawking. It’s precious, and Carol’s much better at taking pictures than you, by the way.”

“Ain’t my fault,” he said. “My fingers were too big for the buttons.”

You snorted and tucked the rest of the photos back in his shirt pocket before patting his chest. “Thank you for doing that. I wish I was there.”

He shook his head, lowering it as if in shame. “No, ya don’t.”

That worried you, so you moved closer to him and lifted his scruffy chin to look up at you. “Why? What happened?”

“There was a forest fire,” he said. “Spent all last night and this mornin’ puttin’ it out. We… We had to cross into their borders.”

That damn Alpha and her borders. You swore that they had strategically placed them around Alexandria's hunting grounds to make life much harder for your people.

“Coulda wiped out Oceanside, and our hunting grounds,” he continued. “Had no choice. And I’m sure ya heard about the mask.”

You nodded. “I—I did. But that could mean anything, or nothing.”

“Aaron’s convinced it means they’re close by,” he said.

For the ten months the Whisperers hadn’t been seen, it was presumed that maybe they’d moved somewhere else, and taken their sick stench of death with them, but suddenly it seemed to waft back out of nowhere.

“What do you think?” you asked.

“Think I ain’t takin’ any chances, and think Robin’s gonna have to start learnin’ how to use that spear.”

The next morning, Robin was intent on convincing you and Carol to take her outside the walls for training.

This time, with real, full-bodied walkers.

She was eager to learn how to use her new spear, and though you were initially against the idea, the more practical part of your brain reminded you that this was exactly what Robin needed to be learning, despite the grievances of the more motherly, protective part of your brain.

The three of you went out at first light, and Robin had a spring in her step as she walked between you and Carol out of the front gates.

“You think we’ll find some walkers nearby?” she asked you, looking up in her curious little way.

“I don’t know, sweet pea,” you said, looking between her and Carol as you walked. “We might have to go out a little further. They don’t come by the walls so much these days.”

There were sometimes stragglers, but herds or even small groups were rare. Luck was on your side there, as well as the fact that walkers had gotten much slower since the beginning of the outbreak. You had made a note of it in your records you kept in a special collection in the library. Walkers had seemingly become more and more decayed the longer they were walking around, resulting in the slowing down of their speed.

This was a good sign, since it meant that walkers were getting easier to kill, and that it was plausible for the human race to catch up, and eventually, probably not in yours or Daryl’s lifetime, but maybe in Robin’s, take back the world.

From what government records you could find in Washington D.C. regarding the outbreak from the early days, there were estimates that at least half of the world population was infected, and no doubt that number had grown since.

Today, though, there was little time to think about that. The world was overrun with walkers. Dumb, slow walkers, but walkers nonetheless.

“I’ll bet we’ll find a few out here,” said Carol. She looked up and down Robin’s spear, which she held in her hands and used as a walking stick. “You be careful with that thing.”

“I will,” she said matter-of-factly.

To your surprise, you really didn’t have to go far outside the walls. You were maybe just thirty yards away when you saw one coming out from the trees.

“Walker,” you said seriously, and instinctively stood in front of Robin to assess the number. “Just one, I think.”

The walker lumbered forward, with its skeletal, rotten body swaying slowly as it crept forward. It elicited that familiar hiss-like growl, and began chomping its teeth at the air when it saw you.

It was a particularly old-looking walker, weak and nearly all bone. Surely six-year-old Robin had the strength to kill it. At least, you hoped.

“Come here,” you gestured to her, and held her hand as you both walked towards the walker. You nodded to Carol, who held up her bow and arrow in case you needed help. Unlooping your axe from your belt, you spoke softly to Robin, who shakily held her spear. Whatever eagerness or confidence she once had as she walked through those gates seemed to dissipate before your eyes.

“I’ll be right next to you,” you said, amidst the growls and groans of the steadily approaching walker. “You just hold that spear up high and aim for the brain. I won’t let it hurt you.”

She swallowed hard and nodded silently, letting go of your hand and gripping her spear more firmly.

The walker increased its pace, and soon it was just a few feet away, stumbling over some fallen branches.

“Mommy…” she whimpered.

You held your axe at the ready, in case she couldn’t do it. “You’ve got this.”

As soon as the thing was in arm’s reach, she drove the blade of the spear right up into the walker’s neck, but it wasn’t angled quite right to reach the brain.

“Almost,” you said encouragingly. “Can you pull it out?”

She looked between you and the walker with terrified eyes, but swallowed hard and tried to maintain composure, despite the much stronger walker putting pressure on the other end of the spear.

“I, um… I think so.”

“Try pulling it out, then aim a little higher.”

She yanked at the spear with all her might, and after a few more pulls, she jerked the spear from the walker’s throat, and quickly it began to come at her.

She backed up with a few terrified whimpers, until she fell down on the grassy ground below here.

“Help!” she cried.

You quickly leaped forward and pulled the walker away from her, trying not to kill it.

“It’s all right,” you assured her with a huff. “Just try again. Aim higher. You can do this.” You weren’t sure if you were trying to convince her or yourself. “Come on, baby.”

She pushed herself up and wiped her brow before clutching at the now bloodied spear again.

This time, as she attacked the walker, she angled the spear higher, and with all the strength she could muster, the blade punctured the brain, rendering the lifeless creature even more lifeless.

“You did it!” you cheered triumphantly, wiping the blood off your hands before you went to hug her. “You’re a natural, sweet pea!”

She shook a little in your arms, and frowned when you pulled her back to look at her. “What’s wrong, Robin?”

Abject terror caused her crisp blue eyes to widen in fear, and her lips to part in her struggle to say something.

“Walkers!” cried Carol from a distance, and you turned around to see at least a dozen coming towards you.

“Go!” you exclaimed to them, sending Robin back towards Carol. “Take her back to the gates!”

“No, (Y/N)!”

“I got it!”

Sure enough, you were able to take out all the walkers in the mini-herd while Carol escorted Robin to safety, but as you lifted your head, you were met with a dozen more, and what looked to be another dozen threading through the trees, towards Alexandria.

By nightfall, waves upon waves of the herd came from the north and south, their sights set on Alexandria. Two nights worth of fighting, taken in shifts, but nevertheless exhausting.

You sent Robin home, though she asked if she could help. Lydia, too, asked to help, but you instructed her to stay home with Dog and Robin and to keep them safe in case anything happened.

Luckily, it seemed the herds were just manageable, but fatigue was settling in, and in the early hours of the third day, morale was running low. When a Whisperer neither Daryl nor Michonne recognized came up to the gates, demanding a group of unarmed delegates meet at the north border to speak with Alpha, it became abundantly clear that a meeting needed to be called.

As the newly appointed secretary of the council, you tried to take the best notes you could, writing down everything that happened and was said, but most of it was bickering, and rather heated arguing. Several individuals were up in arms about the Whisperers again, demanding justice. Particularly, you noted, Margo and Gage were vocal in the meeting, calling for whoever went to this meeting at the border to “take that lead bitch’s head off” and “put their heads on spikes.”

Michonne handled the situation well, putting together a plan to meet with Alpha at the border unarmed, as the Whisperer had said. Her reasoning was that right now, Alpha only wanted to talk, and that was easier than fighting, or God forbid, fighting off the horde.

Though the Whisperer had insisted that the herd attacking from the north and south weren’t under Whisperer control, it was hard to believe. While Daryl, Carol, Michonne, and a few others journeyed to the border, you joined Aaron’s group in working on pushing back the southern wave.

Unfortunately, Gabriel had a plan up his sleeve, which involved recruiting Negan for yours and Aaron’s group. By nightfall, Negan had started to get to the both of you, irritating you with his constant quips.

“Do you ever shut up?” Aaron asked, trying his best to ignore Negan as the three of you guarded the southernmost wall, several yards from Alexandria.

Negan shook his pointed stick of blood, and wiped his brow with the other hand. “Only when I sleep.”

You axed an incoming walker, then huffed as you sat yourself down for a moment on the wheel of the tractor. “They just keep coming,” you sighed, and looked around at the surrounding woods. “Seems like we’ve got a little break, though. Maybe it’s dying down?”

“Doubt it,” replied Aaron. “Seems they’re coming in waves. Had a few breaks already.”

“Hey, buckaroo,” interjected Negan, rather obnoxiously, “listen to your little sister. Maybe it’s dyin’ down. Maybe we can start headin’ on back home now, huh?”

“Said we got a break,” you told him. “Still have to wait until the coast is clear.”

“Aw, come on!” he said. “You two are a couple of goody-two-shoes, you know that? The herd’s slowin’ down, no harm in goin’ home to get some shut-eye.”

“Just drop it, Negan,” you said before taking a sip of water from your canteen. “We’re not going anywhere, not yet.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and soon another small chunk of the herd came through, and Negan grew tired of fighting with that stick he’d been given, and hastily grabbed the crowbar he’d tried to use earlier, which Aaron had forced him to put down.

Aaron was furious at this, breathing heavily in rage at Negan not listening to him. Though Aaron was always still his usually friendly, easy going self, the older he got, the less patience he had for people like Negan.

“Aaron,” you said, grabbing his arm and trying to calm him down before he reamed into Negan, “don’t—”

“What did I say?” he asked, interrupting your plea for leniency.

Negan scoffed as he looked between the two of you. “I had to, did you not see this—” His words were interrupted by Aaron throwing a rope at Negan’s feet, to which he chuckled. “You want me to hang myself?”

If only.

“Tie up,” answered Aaron with a nod. “We’re taking you back.”

You looked at him incredulously. “What if more come this way? We have to keep them from the walls.”

“I’m not spending another minute out here with this asshole,” Aaron said to you, giving you that serious, no-nonsense look only an older brother could give to his younger sibling.

“This is the best freaking news I’ve had all day,” said Negan cheerfully, in contrast to the rather nasty death glare Aaron was sending his way. “But I am not tyin’ up like some POW.”

“Yes, you are,” Aaron said calmly, though you could certainly tell he was steeped in rage. He hated Negan, of course. Everyone who was around during the Savior war hated him, and had been personally affected by him in some way.

For Aaron, he held him responsible for Eric’s death. Though it was some random Savior who’d nailed Eric with the bullet that would ultimately take his life, there was no way of knowing who that Savior was, so Negan was to take the blame.

Though you hated Negan, too, and there was no way you could ever forgive him for what he did and allowed to be done to Daryl, and absolutely not for what he did to Glenn and Abraham, you had to admit there might’ve been some kind of change in him—that maybe he was a better man than he once was.

He may have been obnoxious, but he helped save your little girl, and your adoptive niece. That had to count for something, as much as you didn’t want it to. Of course, you would never like Negan, but you could at least keep your rage under wraps a little easier now.

Aaron, on the other hand, didn’t have a redemption story for Negan. He just hated him.

He pulled out his knife, not taking his eyes off Negan, who looked off and sighed before raising his eyebrows and giving Aaron a rather smug look. Though you knew your brother was not easily angered, he was also terrifying on the rare occasion that he was angry.

“You know what I see?” asked Negan. “I see someone that’s pretending.”

Oh, no.

“Come on, man,” he continued. “Let’s go.” He began to walk past Aaron, who quickly pushed him to the ground.

“Aaron!” you scolded, and harshly tugged on his shoulder in an effort to get him to face you, though he wouldn’t budge. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Jesus,” groaned Negan as he began rising to his feet. “Did you just trip me? What are you, twelve? What the hell is wrong with you?”

You shook your head. “He didn’t mean it. Let’s just get back to Alexandria.”

“I’ve been puttin’ my neck on a block for you people all goddamn day.”

Aaron grimaced at that. “You don’t give a damn about us. If you gave a shit, you’d leave. That’s what everyone needs.”

A short few beats of silence settled in, and Negan lowered his head, becoming the less smug, more real version of himself. From the last five months of seeing Negan, interacting with him more frequently, you began to notice that there were two sides to the man: the obnoxious, annoying Negan who made snide comments and half-jokingly attempted to persuade you into sleeping with him, and the more quiet, introspective Negan, who made genuine attempts to explain himself and what he’d done, whether or not his explanations were morally sound.

“I did what I had to do back then,” he said.

Sometimes, you actually liked the arrogant, performative Negan better. At least that Negan could be just slightly amusing.

You could feel Aaron’s rage radiating from his skin, like an aura of flames surrounding his body as it shook with fury.

Of course you were angry by his comment, too, but more than that, you wanted to get home now, to check on Robin and Lydia, to see if Daryl and the others were back yet. That’s what you cared about, not rehashing past traumas.

“What did you say?” asked Aaron, to which Negan shook his head dismissively, as if hoping to forget it. “No, no, no. Open that up. Tell me why the love of my life had to die, why (Y/N) went through hell while you tortured and beat her husband.”

The emotions rose up in you, the ones you’d tried so hard to suppress whenever you thought about that time. It haunted you in a lot of ways, the not knowing what was happening to Daryl, wishing you could do something, and feeling helpless when you couldn’t. It was hell, truly, but you tried to keep calm. Aaron was always the calm one when you let your emotions get the better of you, so you had to do that for him.

“Aaron,” you said, touching his arm lightly. “Please.”

Negan looked over Aaron’s shoulder at you, and a glint in his eyes told you he was about to dig himself even deeper.

“Okay,” he said. “One simple fact… One truth kept my people goin’. If you don’t protect what belongs to you then sooner or later it belongs to someone else. That goes for your land, your wallet, your home, your country, everything. It is your job as a man to protect it. That’s the story of America, the story of the whole goddamn world, and ain’t nothing changing it, not you, not me, nobody.”

It was bullshit, an excuse to justify what the Saviors had done by taking what didn’t belong to them. Above all, it put the blame onto your people.

Aaron scoffed, and you just tell by the nodding of his head that he was going to lose it. At least he was calmer than you thought.

“Are you saying that… Eric’s death was my fault?”

Negan was silent, and the tension was thick enough to slice with a knife.

“Well,” said Aaron, inching closer to Negan and spiking your blood pressure as you stood behind him, trying to figure out what he was going to do, “if I failed Eric, then you failed your wife.”

Negan was stoic, but something struck a cord there.

“Careful,” he said.

“Yeah, she, uh… she died hating you.”

Aaron, you thought, this would be a good time to shut the hell up.

Alas, the family curse of saying too much was showing itself again.

“And you will never see her again,” he continued, much to your dismay. Negan chuckled slightly in response. “You wanna say something?”

“Yeah,” he replied, and looked over Aaron’s shoulder at you. “Behind you.”

Aaron turned quickly and hit one of the approaching walkers in the skull with his metal arm, but the other walker overpowered you in your failure to notice it.

“Ah!” you cried, and reached desperately at your belt to retrieve your axe. The quite literal dead weight of the walker was too heavy for you to move under, and through you pushed it away, your hands pushed all the way through its rotten chest cavity, and its mouth came dangerously close to your neck.

A sharp burning suddenly hit your eyes, and they watered and blinked rapidly, your vision blurring with each close.

“Aaron!” you cried, terrified not of the walker itself, but by the fact that you were losing your vision, and couldn’t see to fight the thing. “Help!”

He knocked the walker from you with his metal arm, and proceeded to wack its skull with the iron morning star on the end of it.

You rubbed your burning eyes desperately, as if you could bring the vision back to them just from the pressure.

“Oh, God!” you cried. “Shit, I’m blind! That walker made me blind!”

You sounded insane, but really you were more concerned with whatever was burning your retinas.

“Shit! Shit!”

“Hey, hey,” said Aaron, kneeling down beside you and taking your cheeks in his hands to look at you. You searched his face but only saw blurs, and a rough shape of his figure. “Look at me.”

“I’m trying,” you huffed. “Wh-where’s Negan?”

Aaron looked around frantically, now noticing that the prisoner was nowhere to be found.

“Shit!”

He picked you up by your arms and pulled you by your hand, leading you to the nearby abandoned house situated outside of Alexandria’s south side.

“Let’s look at your eyes,” he said, still guiding you rather sloppily towards the old house. “Worry about Negan later.”

Two more walkers followed you there, and in the darkness of the house, Aaron quickly set you down on what he could make out to be an armchair in the living room.

“Aaron!” you yelled, not knowing where he was now that you couldn’t feel him. “Don’t you leave me!”

“Walkers are coming from the other side!” he yelled back. “Just hold on. I’ll be right back.”

“No,” you said, attempting to stand up and throwing yourself at Aaron until you felt his metal arm. “You’re not leaving me, you idiot! I can’t see!”

He huffed and pulled you along through the house until he threw both of your bodies against the back door, trying to keep the two walkers out.

They had already opened it, though, and lumbered in through the cracked door, pushing you both down in their way.

“Goddamnit!” you yelled, and kicked violently at the air as you back away. You could only see the faint, blurry silhouettes of the walkers, and what you made out to be Aaron’s limp body on the ground.

“Aaron!” you yelled before throwing yourself over his body, or what you at least believed to be his body, and keeping him safe from the walkers.

Unlooping your axe from your belt, you raised it high, more or less guessing where the walkers’ heads might be once they came down on you.

All the while, you jostled Aaron’s shoulders back and forth, trying to wake him from his unconscious state.

“Aaron…” you groaned. “Shit.”

The walkers stumbled forwards, and although you managed to lodge the blade of your axe into one of their legs, it only made matters worse as it prematurely fell onto you, and came dangerously close to biting your arm.

You couldn’t see most of it happening, but you heard the walker’s last snarl as something struck it in the head from above you, and the other one soon thudded to the floor as well.

The phrase “you couldn’t believe your eyes” had never been more applicable, both because your vision was so blurred, and because you swore you saw the figure of Negan above you.

“Negan?”

He huffed and looked at you for a while, with a look somewhere between smugness and pity.

“You all right?” he finally said, though you didn’t answer, only huffed as you tried to lift Aaron’s limp body.

Negan rushed to your side to help you, hoisting you up by your waist and leading both of you over to the living room where he sat you down on the sofa with Aaron.

“Can you see?” he asked.

“Barely,” you said, though your vision was gradually clearing up, and now you could just make out the details of his face. “It’s getting better, though.”

“Hogweed,” he said, procuring his canteen from his pack.

“Wh-what?”

He handed the canteen to you as you rubbed your eyes. “Those flowers growing out of the walkers, it’s hogweed. Nasty shit. Causes rashes, blindness…”

“Is it permanent?”

“Sometimes… Wash your eyes out with that.” He gestured to the canteen in your hands. “That’ll help.”

You nodded and did as he said, pouring some water into your hands and bringing them up to your eyes.

“Aaron,” you said, still scrubbing at your burning eyes. “Can you check on Aaron?”

He took a glance at Aaron, and noticed he was breathing. “He’s fine. Just out cold. Must’ve hit his head goin’ down.” He turned back to look at you. “You good? Can you see?”

You blinked your eyes rapidly, grimacing all the while at the still lingering burning feeling around your eyes. Still, the more you blinked, the more your vision seemed to clear, and now you could make out even finer details.

“Um, yeah… Yeah, it’s better.” You immediately say yourself up to look at Aaron, who was, sure enough, out cold. “Shit,” you muttered. “We can’t go back with him like this.”

“Nah,” agreed Negan, stepping away to look through the slats of the boarded up window. “Best thing to do would be wait until dawn. He’ll be up by then, with one hell of a headache.” He turned to look at you, watching you straighten out his body on the couch, and drape him with a nearby blanket. “You should rest.”

You gave him a quick glance before looking back down at Aaron and wiping his face of the dried blood from the walkers, trying to give him some semblance of comfort.

“I’m fine. I can see now.”

“You took a pretty hard fall. Twice,” he said, coming closer to you now. “I’ll take watch.”

You scoffed and shook your head. “Yeah, that’s not happening. I’m not dozing off while you run away, or worse.”

“What do you think I’m gonna do? Kill you?”

You shrugged. “Wouldn’t be worse than what you’ve done before.”

He was taken aback, then broke out into another smile. “Man, you people just can’t let that shit go.”

You rose up from the couch and crossed over to him, incensed and just about to lose it, if it weren’t for the walkers probably not too far from where you were.

“Why should we?” you hissed at him with narrowed eyes. “What you did, what you took from us… Do you have any idea what it was like? To live everyday in fear that someone else was going to die, just because Negan felt like it? To have everything in your home taken from you? To… to not know if he’s…” You swallowed hard and trailed off before turning around and trying to compose yourself.

“I know,” he said softly, and you felt his presence come closer to you again. “I mean, I don’t know what it’s like… But I know it was hard for you.” He tried resting a hand on your shoulder, but you jolted away from him.

“Don’t touch me,” you said, tears glistening in your furious, wild eyes as you glared him down. “I was in that line,” you said more quietly now. “I was there, so was Aaron. Back when we went to the outpost, when we took out your people… I didn’t know. If I did, I would’ve never done it. I didn’t even really want to do it in the first place, but I did it because the Saviors were bad people, who took things from other people.”

You wiped your nose and held back a sniffle. “When I was in that line, and you… y-you killed Glenn, and Abraham, and I thought you might kill Daryl, or Aaron… I just wanted it all to be over. It made me wish I had died a long time ago, that we all had, then this wouldn’t be happening.”

Negan was silent still, and for once in his life, he had nothing to say.

“When you took Daryl away…” Your breath hitched, and you closed your eyes, as if to banish away whatever images came to mind. “You took my whole world… And I thought… I—I thought…”

“You thought I’d kill him.”

“I did.” You wiped your tears away and avoided looking Negan directly in the eye, ashamed to let him see you cry. “I knew that someday, one of us would die. That… that one of us would be left alone. I at least hoped that we could be together when it happened, you know? Every time I closed my eyes when he was gone, I saw that… that bat—”

Shaking your head, you willed the thought from your mind. “I thought about how awful, to die like that, alone. And all I wanted, if it had to happen…” Your voice broke, and tears fell harder than you had allowed them to in a while. “If it had to happen, I wanted to be with him. So I could tell him just how much he meant to me, how much he changed me. When you took him away, you took away any peace I ever had, knowing that it was going to be me and him. Together.”

The last of your tears subsided with a clearing of your throat as you wiped your face with the sleeve of your jean jacket.

“So that’s why I can’t let that shit go,” you said with a shrug, now able to face him again. “I can’t. Doesn’t matter what you say or do, I can never forget it. Maybe… maybe there's some kind of forgiveness in there, but you hurt him, and that I could never forgive.”

He lowered his head now, unable to look you completely in the eye after what you’d said.

Of course he remembered that night, too. It was hazy, but he remembered it. One thing that always stuck out to him was how much you had cried, before he’d even killed anybody. He remembered touching your cheek, taking the fallen tear in his hand and rubbing it between his fingers till it dissipated, and he remembered the disheveled, tattered looking man next to you, nearly snarling at him as he touched you.

Above all, he remembered how you cried for him when he dragged him away, and how you held your head in your hands and rocked back and forth in abject grief.

He remembered that he felt nothing, and something.

“I should’ve killed him,” he said calmly, to which you raised your head and flared your nostrils, losing your grip again. “Should’ve killed him, instead of that Asian kid.”

“Glenn,” you said through clenched jaws. “His name was Glenn.”

“Right,” he huffed. “You know, your hellhound got him killed. You know that, right? Could’ve just been red, but he had to stir things up. Couldn’t keep his cool. Yeah, I should’ve killed him, but I didn’t. You know why? ‘Cause of that face.” He raised his hand to gesture at you, twirling his finger around in the air. “‘Cause nothin’ so… so beautiful should go through that.”

You raised an eyebrow and scoffed. “Beautiful? Are you shitting me? You just told me you regret not killing my husband, and now you’re complimenting me? I wish we had a psychiatrist just to diagnose you with whatever personality disorder is in that sick head of yours.”

He broke out into yet another obnoxious smile, and you felt stupid for thinking for just a moment that maybe he’d changed.

“It’s all me, darlin’,” he said with a chuckle. “All Negan, all the time.”

You shook your head and sighed, then moved past Negan to sit yourself down beside the window on a nearby stool. “Sleep,” you said sternly. “I’m taking watch. I’ll wake you up when Aaron’s up, then we’ll leave at dawn.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The dawn broke not long after that, with streams of warm, yellow light shooting through the cracks in the slats of the boarded up window. You moved a little to better see it, always infatuated with the transition from night to day.

The clouds were tinted with a soft coral pink, and the ones further from the sun, higher in the sky, were illuminated to a muted purple, darker as you lifted your eyes higher to see the remnants of night still clinging to life.

Looking back straight ahead, the sun began to peak over the distant rolling hills, and the silhouettes of three walkers, waddling through the muddy meadow, broke up the image, bringing the whole world back to reality.

It was a rather cheesy thought, but you hoped that wherever Daryl was, he was looking at the same sunrise, and thinking of you, just as you were thinking of him.

Thanks for reading! Likes, comments, and reblogs of any kind are always appreciated!

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#daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon x oc #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon #the walking dead #the walking dead fanfic #the walking dead fanfiction #twd #twd fanfic #twd fanfiction #norman reedus fanfiction #norman reedus fanfic #norman reedus x reader #norman reedus #the beginning series

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twdmusicboxmystery · 2 years

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Hiiii. My mind is buzzing now with all kind of things! About Beth-Meggie- Leah AND that music box! What do we know? It is broken, while she is loking at it. But what do we see, at least two times? That we have the ballerina which is lighter in shade (Beth) while her reflection in the small mirror is darker, too dark imo(Leah). Leahs pullover this episode is similar to Beth's when they "die" only, Leah's is darker in shade. Back to the music box (part 1)

I love your hype! And this is a super interesting analysis of the music box. I never noticed that the reflection is darker or that there are times we can't see it. I just never thought of that.

But I agree. My theorists peeps and I were just talking the other day about how, especially the way Leah's arm is lying when she dies (like Beth's) it actually looks a lot like the cast Beth wore on that same arm, except that it's black where Beth's was white. So, I really think you're right about this.

And I DO believe we needed to see Leah die before Beth could return, and that we should see her very soon, now. (Hopefully as a coda in 11x17).

And there's actually a lot of precedent for this in the show. As I pointed out HERE, there was Mitch back in 4x08. He was an evil, anti-Daryl and we saw Daryl kill him right at the end of the episode. Directly after he did that, Beth ran up behind him. So, I kind of think Beth should be figuratively running up behind Daryl any second now.

Similarly, we had Andrea die in 3x16, and Beth came front and center with Daryl the very next episode in 4x01. It felt like there was a large gap there at the time, but it was only because we had to wait for the next season to come around in the normal cycle of the show. But really, it was the very next episode.

Another example of thought of is Rick. Back in S3, after Lori died, he saw hallucinations of her. But it wasn't really her. It was Rick's guilt over how they left things that made him see that. And even after he stopped doing his crazy-town-out-in-the-field thing, he continued to see her periodically throughout the season. He would look up at the bridge over the prison and see her looking down at him. Which just showed that he hadn't moved past his guilt yet. He hadn't put her to rest for himself.

Then (I'm going somewhere with this, I promise) in the finale, after Andrea died and he brought all the survivors of Woodbury back to the prison, he looked up again, and she was gone. Which meant he'd finally laid her to rest in his own mind and moved past the guilt of what happened.

And the VERY next episode, we see the first real evidence of Michonne, Rick, and Carl acting like a family. You could even argue the fact that exactly 2 episodes after Lori died, Michonne showed up and the prison and she and Rick had a little...eye contact.

I'm just saying they often show a character putting their past to rest and directly after, embarking on a new romantic relationship that ends up being healthier than the previous one.

The third time they did this with Richonne was after Jessie, which was a very unhealthy relationship for Rick. The very episode after she died, Richonne went canon. Similarly, Carol and Zeke didn't actually go canon until after Tobin died, and Carol had talked to him and gained some closure over the relationship.

So yeah, all this is just to say I agree and, from a pattern standpoint, it would just make perfect sense for Beth to show up in some way in the next episode.

Thanks Dear! Xoxo! ☔️😘

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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my-mt-heart · 3 years

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Oh Haha! IMDb is hilarious.

1. Why is Carol's name not capitalized the second time it is stated? How professional.

2. Daryl told Leah for the whole audience to hear that Daryl sees Rick as his brother just as Rick sees Daryl as his. Family cannot go romantic. And Daryl is straight.

3. Antis are so mad about the Caryl spinoff, they have to conjure up reasons that include Rick, Michonne, Connie and Leah as reasons why Carol and Daryl would take off. They cannot except that two best friends finally decided they want to spend more time with each other without going on a mission or doing something life threatening for their family/community. They actually just want to be together for their own sakes and for Daryl and Carol? That is huge, considering they both suffer from insecurity, abuse, and low self-esteem and don't think they're enough. They have truly come a long way. The furthest out of all the characters, here and gone. I don't expect antis to understand that because they think love has to come in these stereotypical boxes of what we see all over t.v.

4. Hmm maybe 11x22 WILL feature a confession, but from Daryl to Carol about his feelings for her? I am excited at the prospect!

I hear you. A lot of people do really want to believe the spinoff will be centered around finding Rick, and though I'm not opposed, it contradicts what's been stated by SG and AK and what's been hinted at in the show. It also just grossly underestimates the depth of Daryl's and Carol's relationship by making their trip sound mission-oriented instead of emotional.

All that being said, I thought the IMDb thing was funny. Nothing that needs to be taken seriously :)

#caryl #caryl positivity #caryl is endgame #twd #caryl spinoff #twd season 11

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spanishrose2002 · 2 years

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I would love a fluffy piece. Rick and Michonne have returned. Team Family have peace and everyone is gathered to tell Daryl and Carol good bye before their journey.

Hey @freefromthecocoon! Thanks! I'm just not managing to do anything with this, though, and I'm thinking you might have more success with someone who is still feeling Rick and Michonne actively. I'm just coming up blank here. I'm sorry!

#caryl #caryl fanfic #caryl fanfiction #thank you!#rose writes stuff #but sometimes she just sucks at it

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gala-on-the-greene-farm · 3 years

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okay THE THINGS YOU ADDED TO MY TAGS ON THAT POST ahhhh yes!! i literally cry and you summed it up perfectly like the fact that this human connection is so essential and he's so scared of her seeing him as a degenerate redneck but he still wants to let her in!! AHHH i'm just in love

YES, and I love that moment so I am now going to ramble because I remember the first time I saw it was the first time I’d ever really seen Daryl look nervous. Like Daryl doesn’t show anxiety in highs stakes, life and death situations. Like he says to Beth later on in Still, “I ain’t afraid of nothing.” But here, drinking moonshine with her, alone, simply interacting like young people do, he’s nervous, trying to think really hard about what to say, so as not to look stupid, simple, and like the uneducated redneck he fears himself to be. We learn then how little Daryl has done and seen in the world, by way of our regular expectations. He’s never “been on vacation,” he’s never “been outta Georgia.” Whatever we may have thought of him before, as cued up early in season 4 by Zach’s game of trying to guess who Daryl was daily, and the many positive ways he MUST have contributed to society, all of that is culled away.

And none of this is new in Still. We saw Daryl’s fears over not being accepted early on, as early as season 2, in Chupacabra, when he is haunted by visions of Merle in that Ravine, who tells him he’s “nothing but a freak” to the rest of the group, “redneck trash,” that they’re all “laughing behind [his] back.” And ofc this isn’t really Merle. It’s Daryl, saying all this to himself. We know that Daryl wants to be better. And he IS better. It’s just that his perception of what “better” is “supposed” to look like is still skewed by a pretty hefty inferiority complex, as groomed by Merle, and as groomed by his former “role” in a family and a society and a culture that did not care about him at all.

So like, even though we know Daryl by now as a brave protector and fierce provider, it is easy to forget how little that life was worth before the fall. And even though Beth is by no means wealthy, like she is a small town farmer veterinarian’s daughter, we do know that she grew up safe and loved and protected by the rules of a society that had used to hate him. To him, she WAS rich. She was everything that despised and made fun of Daryl, these mean uppity girls, “laughing behind his back.”

Back to Still: When he’s angry later and he compares Beth to a “dumb college bitch,” that inferiority complex reemerges and doubles down, because we see now not just what he fears she was raised to think of him, but also what he was raised to think of her. Privileged, feckless, frivolous, everything a game. At the country club, we see Beth enchanted by the pretty clothes and she puts on a new yellow shirt and a white cardigan, while Daryl is seen stealing money and jewelry. We know these things are worthless now, but to Daryl it is this symbolic moment in which he gets to take from that world which has previously despised and belittled him. They’re all dead, and he “wins.” Meanwhile, Beth just...likes pretty things. The first real turn is when they find the “rich bitch” walker who has been posed in an undignified manner, which Beth demands they take down. It’s not because she identifies with the woman as "rich.” It’s because she identifies with the woman as human. That’s who Beth is, and we see Daryl echo this much later on, in Them, when, after Rick makes his infamous We are the Walking Dead speech, Daryl proclaims, “We ain’t them,” meaning that he has learned it means something to be human, something real, and storms off.

Anyway, after Daryl yells at Beth and accuses her of being just some “dumb college bitch,” we have to note that she is not affected. Unlike Daryl, she isn’t insecure about who she is, or who she was. She knows exactly who she was and who she is and who she is not, too: “I’m not Michonne. I’m not Carol. I’m not Maggie.” She knows, and even though she says later that she wishes she could “just change,” she is under no delusions about what Daryl sees when he looks at her. That’s the thing about Beth, I think, that gets through to Daryl the most in these episodes. She just is who she is and she says what she feels and what she thinks, and she does what she thinks is right, and she wants to live, and she doesn’t give a shit about what he or anybody else thinks about her. She’s not trying to be something she isn’t, and he likes her anyway. I think this shows Daryl that he doesn’t have to try to be something he isn’t, or even denigrate and openly despise the person he was before. Because she will like him anyway, and she’ll be on his side, and like Beth says: “You gotta stay who you are, not who you were,” And by breaking down this barrier, she’s finally able to get Daryl to admit what’s really going on, which is that he is terrified of everything they’ve lost, and not only that, but he blames himself for it, 100%.

SO ANYWAY. Sorry for the rambling response but sometimes I just think back to Still and how good The Walking Dead used to be and I just need to go off. lol. THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING TAGS AND BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS, @darylbeth, as usual ❤️🥺

#the walking dead #bethyl #daryl dixon #beth greene #still #❤️💔#darylbeth

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thegratefulsouth · 12 days

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TBOC thoughts feelings questions reelings

This is kind of a placeholder post before I do my rewatch of DD S1, gathering things to look out for. I'm trying to find my thoughts! The things I'm missing. Little bit on Isabelle.

The most recent trailer. I know there are differing opinions over whether it is Carol or Isabelle asking Daryl to tell her a story.

All my thoughts are hinged on not really knowing what does and what does not have a deeper meaning or connection to Caryl (the boats), which is distracting, so I'm going to ignore that and just delve in.

"Tell me a story."

My thoughts go straight to Carol in Alexandria, and her reasoning that, "these people are children, and children like stories."

And Isabelle is infantile within her manipulation. She's perfectly capable of looking after herself, in the way Carol learned to. Isabelle doesn't seem to want to do that though? Not when Daryl's around. Gotta rewatch.

This is at a time when Daryl's mind is still buzzing with Carol saying, "You never have to worry about me, Daryl."

Leading into TBOC, I don't have any concerns about Caryl's feelings for each other or their loyalty. But I am prepping for an emotional journey with a Nun who recklessly lies, who could potentially feel threatened, who could not necessarily cause harm, but could maybe not intervene if it was needed. All in order to benefit herself, what she wants, despite how this might affect someone she seems to care about. That's what I see! It could be interesting. Or it could all just be a hinge. Like all the boats. I really wanted the boats to mean something.

Further referencing stories, Daryl says to Isabelle (in 1x06), "This has always been the story, ever since I washed ashore here." Cementing that his motivation to return home has never wavered.

The family thing? The promise? Home?

The promise is another hinge. Daryl knows something is up with Carol. "You sure you're ok?" She misses you, Daryl. You're not there. She needs you!

"I'll be back in about a week, I promise."

This promise is mostly used to propel Daryl's story, like he needs to return because he made a promise. (Not just because he wants to go home). There are other promises being made around this, to get to the nest, anything related to the ultimate goal of Daryl fulfilling his own promise to Carol (his happy ending).

This promise carries more weight than, "it's not like we're never gonna see each other again." It's in the same vein as, "I wish you were coming with me." In their radio call, the line cuts out, so there's no way of knowing how they might have said goodbye to each other.

So, what I think, and stay with me, is that everytime Daryl talks about the promise he made, he's just basically saying that he loves Carol. No, this is going to make my rewatch so fun, let me have this! I can't remember so much of this show I swear.

I mentioned in my DD overall thoughts, that some things are too painful to say (eg, Carol's name over Connie's in the name drop, IMHO). It's easier for Daryl to say that he made a promise, or that he has family back home, and also, nothing with unsaid looks, than it is for him to say that he left the love of his life, and he promised (loves) her, and he needs her.

"He is the the only family I have left."

This is a tying thread for me, this family thing.

Daryl says, "I got family waiting for me back home."

I have 3 points:

1. Carol is trying to convince someone to help her get to Daryl? She's trying to make her case as convincing as possible, really sell that thing with butter and icing.

2. There may be others at the Commonwealth Carol could consider family. Like who though? Ezekiel and Jerry are friends, but family is under the skin. Family was that core group. The kids aren't going to provide her with that companionship she longs for. I'm not sure on the timeline if Rick and Michonne are back yet. But my point is, Carol's happy ending is not going home to an empty apartment, she doesn't want to be alone, she tells Daryl he never needs to worry about her, with the commitment of someone who made dinner plans when they were feeling social and energetic, and now she's home in her pyjamas, and Daryl hears straight through it.

3. When Carol dreams, she dreams of Daryl and Henry. I think it's reasonable to suggest that in her mind, the notion of a nuclear family springs, and in that, Daryl is really the only family she has left. This is the empty apartment thing again, but I like having 3 points. It makes sense to me. She is his home, she is his promise, she is his family. And he is hers.

There is annoyingly a fair bit of discussion about maybe Daryl realising that he actually belongs where he doesn't belong, and that his home is somewhere else, like in France, away from his family. This is irritating because Daryl completely ignores this line of thought, instead of just shutting it down. But, also, Daryl completely ignores this line of thought, and the only thing he says of that notion, to Isabelle, at the nest, is:

"I kinda like it here. Yeah. It kind of grows on you. Feels like home."

But he says this as he's getting ready to leave Isabelle, and more significantly, Laurent, in this place, which feels homey. He's reassuring himself that he's doing the right thing by these new clingy folk who like to pull at his saviour complex heartstrings. Daryl is happy, his boat is coming in. He spends a significant amount of time staring out the window during this scene, where I'm wondering if the ocean is? It's an island right. Where the boats sometimes are? Cause the boat is his path home. The point is, he's not entirely present in this moment. Not with Isabelle and her wound.

And the very last thing he says on the matter is, "And this place feels like home to you, and I truly hope it is for both of you. But I have my own home to get back to."

Lastly, I love Caryl. I already have more than I need from this beautiful pair. But these characters deserve to be happy. They want what they want, I tell you.

#carol peletier #caryl #caryl is endgame #tboc

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gunmetal-ring · 3 years

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Re: find me (can't do below the cut bc I'm on mobile)

even without shipper goggles on the entire episode is basically revolving around comparing Leah and daryls relationship to Carol and Daryl. Parallel scenes of spear fishing, parallel conversation about how the dead are coming to get them in the end, and the obvious parallel between Leah's adopted son being dead and Carol's adopted son (that will be dead) but also in the flashbacks whenever Daryl and Carol talk to each other she talks about zeke and Henry so... yeah

Also apparently Daryl did tell Carol about Leah and by the tone it sounded like he already told her that it was a romantic relationship but maybe he didn't tell her that he was gonna ditch team family for Leah? Idk either that or there's something that he didn't tell her that we will also find out at some other point

Re: the fight it wasn't a screaming match but it was fuckin sad and honestly it didn't seem all that out of character. Daryl DID try to get Carol to talk to him a hundred times about what was going on with her and she just. Kept. Running. Instead. and as for the "you should have gone back on the boat" or whatever line, like yes it was obviously meant to be very mean, but also there was an earlier convo between Daryl and I think michonne? That was like "she found peace on that boat and shouldn't have come off it bc being here isn't healthy for her" so I think it's also bringing that around too

I know everyone's like "well what about all the shit Daryl pulled w negan and the saviors" which yes absolutely fair that nobody is calling him on it but I think at this point we are supposed to assume that it's been dealt with one way or another and everyone has moved on. Sucks but oh well

It was also SO sad that Daryl refused to entertain the notion that Leah just Left Him Behind, he was like nope she got taken and I was never able to find her that's IT that's the ONLY reason she's not around (shipper goggles tells me it's bc he emotionally can't handle being Left Behind by yet another woman he cares about)

Idk overall it was......... not even close to matching the hype which I guess is to be expected

I did audibly laugh when he threw a fish at her door tho like he was v obviously trying to be nice and apologize for telling her to fuck off when she was trying to save him but like why not just knock on her door and apologize? Why on earth would you THROW a FISH at her DOOR like you know how to be romantic Daryl you've picked a flower for a woman before get a grip

I do think he genuinely cared about Leah and I think the "toxic" was that she gave him an ultimatum and she was "abducted" or whatever by the time Daryl decided to choose her (v relevant that it was after Carol said she's too busy to keep seeing him for a while With Ezekiel And Henry) but like bro it seems p obvious that she just left and I know you know that

I do sincerely believe that he has been in love with Carol since the prison (terminus at the latest) and I'm of the opinion that it's not possible to be In Love with two people at the same time so no I don't think he was In Love with Leah I think he had the same kind of intimate, caring love that Carol had for Ezekiel. Love but not In Love.

Shipper goggles tells me that daryl:leah::carol:ezekiel... Leah and zeke were In Love with Daryl and Carol but to d&c they were relationships of convenience/mutual trust/support/intimate connections.... love, sure, but not Love

Idk tho I am taking feedback if anyone disagrees or has other insights!

#op #twd spoilers #meta #find me

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sheriffgrimes-archerdixon · 4 years

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Requested by anonymous: hi! Can you do one where daryl and negan are having a conversation and all is well until negan says something that hurts daryl mentally and he can't control his anger? Can Y/n be the one who calms daryl down when he comes back and maybe it ends up all lovey dovey? thank you.

Comfort

"you know I'm not bad" Negan spoke cutting the tense silence. Daryl stared into the distance scoffing slightly "of course you aren't." Negan smiled and shook his head "I didn't like what I did... Don't hold a grudge against me because the saviours are gone. There's no negan anymore. Only me." daryl sighed and played with his crossbow "I never wanted to hurt your group or kill Ab-" daryl cut negan off "you shut the fuck up. You don't know how we felt! You don't know us! You're an outcast alright?! You're an outcast!! You have no family! We may be a family. This group may be a family but you're in no way a family member to us." Negan fell silent and daryl clenched his jaw breathing heavily. "I met this kid. A bit of a psychopath. He killed a young boy and his mother. I tried to tell him that we do not kill kids-" daryl cut him off once again "oh yeah! You're a selfish prick! You say you don't kill kids but what about Y/n's baby brother?! He was seven and you smashed his head in because of a mistake no one could control!" Negan glared towards daryl "it wasn't my fault Y/n's big mouth couldn't stay shut" daryl shook his head letting out a cold laugh "I suggest you get away from me right now." Negan sighed loudly "daryl I was just trying to have a civil conversation. Look I'm sorry" daryl looked at negan "okay. very funny now go." Negan looked at daryl a smile on his face "do you forgive me buddy?" daryl raised his eyebrows "I am not your buddy. No I will never forgive you but for the sake of you not trying to kill us... Bearing in mind you would loose. Yes I forgive you but that does not make us friends. Got it asshole?" Negan nodded and daryl stormed off his hair covering his eyes as he walked back to camp. He passed carol and Jerry but didn't say anything. He was only looking for one person. And that one person was you. "has anyone seen Y/n?" michonne looked towards him the same glum look on her face. She wasn't coping with Rick's death but daryl believed his brother was still alive. "in the tent" daryl nodded and walked towards the tent. "Y/n?" you heard his voice and smiled a little bit before unzipping the tent "hey daryl. You okay?" you looked up at him and you noticed something was off about him "hey you okay?" you got out of the tent and before you knew it daryl was wrapping his arms around you tightly his body shaking showing that he was crying and holding in his cries. "shhh" you soothed rubbing his back gently "I-i don't want to loose you" you held onto him tightly "you won't loose me daryl... Never." daryl shook his head "rick promised me that and he left. He's promised he would be with me forever" you closed your eyes as your eyes teared up "he's alive daryl. He's safe. He's just fine." you whispered trying to not only convince daryl but to also convince yourself that rick was in fact safe and sound "Negan was being an asshole. He was talking about your brother... Carl... Rick... Abraham... Glenn... Everyone" you felt your heart break and nodded reaching up and running your hands through his hair "it's okay." it really wasn't "I'm going to be here forever" no you won't. You clenched your jaw as the voices in your head got louder but you pushed them to the back holding daryl's face in your hands "I'm never leaving you." he held onto your hands and squeezed them his usual sparkling blue eyes a now faded twinkling dark blue. You wrapped your arms around him holding onto him with all your might. "I'm scared" he whispered and you hid your face in his shoulder "me too." his grip on you tightened and a sob fell from his mouth.

This usual strong man was now a shattered glass and it hurt you to see him like this "don't leave me" he whispered his body shaking. "I won't ever. I promise." daryl stayed silent and you slowly pulled away wiping the tears from his cheeks "pinky promise" you said smiling softly trying to lighten the mood. Daryl looked at you before down towards your pinky and nodding. He sniffled wrapping his pinky around yours and you smiled "I promise" he wrapped his arms around you again holding you tight like you were going to dissappear "I'm right here" you said softly reaching your hands up starting to play with his hair to calm him down. He breathed heavily a sob falling from his mouth and at that point you knew you had to do something to help him. You crawled into the tent sitting down and pulling him beside you before pulling the blanket over you both and cuddling into him. You traced patterns onto his chest listening as his breathing calmed down. You smiled closing your eyes as memories of Carl came back. Flashbacks of him taking pictures with Judith and putting both their hands together on the steps. A tear slid down your cheek and you held onto daryl tighter knowing him listening to you singing helped him relax. "y-you're my sunshine... m-my only sunshine. You make me happy when sky's are grey-" a sob caught in your throat and daryl kept you close "it's okay" he whispered "let it out" he hid his face in the crook of your neck and you both held each other crying and letting all the built up emotion and anger out. His hand drew patterns into your back as silent tears rolled down your cheeks "I miss him... I miss Glenn... I miss Carl... I miss Abraham... I miss rick... I miss sasha... I-i miss Jesus..." you whimpered and daryl sniffled nodding "I do too Y/n..." he kept you in his arms and eventually the tears stopped and so did the emotions running through your body. Daryl looked down at you kissing your head before closing his eyes and falling asleep his grip on you not loosening.

Daryl woke up with a start his breathing heavy "Y/n?! Y/n!!!" he couldn't see you breathing. He put two fingers on your neck to check for a pulse but couldn't find one. He rolled you onto your back putting his ear to your lips and listening for breaths. When he heard them he let out a relieved breath before he relaxed back down keeping you close tears rolling down his cheeks. "Y/n?" he whispered trying to compose himself "hm?" you asked tiredly "I-i-i love you" he whispered and you opened your eyes before rolling over to look at him "pardon?" he smiles wiping the tears on his cheeks away "I love you." you smiled cupping his face with your hands and kissing him gently. He froze up for a second before he wrapped his arms around you tightly kissing back. After a while you pulled away and smiled "I love you too dixon." his normal smirk appeared on his face and you smiled glad that he had a hint of himself back again. "what is there not to love?" he asked and you smiled "nothing because I love you so much" the smile on his face was big and he held you tighter "good because my whole heart is yours" you look into his eyes again before kissing him softly tracing patterns over where his heart would be. You loved this man so much. Some would call him weak but you call him a fighter. Your fighter. The fighter who got you through everything and the fighter who would save you from everything even if it meant risking his life. Daryl dixon would do that. He would do that for the ones he loves most but with you. He would save you over and over again to make sure his sunshine was safe.

#Daryl dixon #Daryl dixon x reader #Friends to lovers #Protective #The whisperers #Death #Self blame #X reader #Y/n #Promise #Safe #Michonne #Hilltop #Negan #Lucille

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