Quick author note, this chapter follows the episode where Daryl first comes in. Some of the dialogue are the same and there are some scenes that are different and Daryl does act differently in the story. Also this chapter is longgggg. Have fun! S1, E3 -Mae
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The next morning the group started their day off normally, everyone doing what they were doing the previously day. Chloe stayed closed to Dale, the kindness of the old man making her feel safe. As Dale and Chloe sat together Shane came speeding into camp.
Shane pulled to a stop and got out. "Water's here, y'all. Just a reminder to boil before use."
Glenn, Amy and Andrea grabbed the water from the back of the jeep. Chloe stand and made her way over to Glenn. She smiled and tugged on his shirt.
"Mr. Glenn, can I help?" She asked. Glenn smiled down at the girl but didn't get a chance to replay as a scream could be heard from Carl and Sophia. Everyone in camp took off running towards them. Chloe followed behind them confused but she was stop by Carol who took her in her arms.
"What's happening?" She asked trying to catch a peek from where the males were standing. "Is it a monster?"
Carol didn't say anything but kept her from the running towards the walker that now laid dead. Suddenly the sounds of leaves and breaches being snapped could be heard. Everyone rise their weapon, awaiting what's coming. Soon enough Daryl appeared, he take a step back when he saw a gun was being pointed at him but his eyes went straight to the dead deer and the walker the laid next to it.
"-Oh, Jesus,"
"-Son of a bitch," He says claiming over the rocks. "That's my deer." He walked forward his eye on the deer. "Look at it. All gnawed on by this.." he says, kicking the dead body. "...filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard. "
"Calm down, son." Dale said. "That's not helping."
Daryl glared at him, walking over to him. "What do you know about it, old man?" Shane placed his gun against his chest, keeping him from getting at Dale. "Why don't you take the stupid hat and go back 'on golden pond'?
He walked away going back to the deer, he sighed and bent down to retrieve his arrows. "I've been tracking this deer for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us some venison." He looked to the deer neck. "What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?"
"I would not risk that," Shane said.
"That's a damn shame," He said. "I got us some squirrel about a dozen or so. That'll have to do."
Chloe ears picked up on her dads voice, she smiled pushing Carol arm off her. "DADDY!" She yelled running toward her dads voice. "DADDY! DADDY!"
Daryl turned just in time to catch Chloe in his arms, Daryl smiled but had place her back on the ground as the walkers head started to move again. "Come on, people. What the hell?" He said pushing Chloe behind him and aiming his crossbow at the walker head and shot it. He walked over to it and took his arrow out. "Its gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothing?"
He grabbed Chloe's hand and started to walk up towards camp. Rick watched the too walk away. "Merle!" Daryl shouted Chloe dropped her hand, tears started to form in her eyes. . "Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel. Lets stew 'em up."
"Daryl, just hold up a bit. I need to talk to you." Shane said siting his gun in the back of his jeep.
"About what?" Daryl asked noticing that his daughter wasn't at his side, but next Glenn.
"About Merle," Shane said. "There was a-- there was a problem in Atlanta."
Daryl looked towards Chloe whos eyes was glued to the ground as she clutched onto the back of Glenn's shirt. "He dead?"
"We're not sure," Shane answered.
"He either is or he aint't!" Daryl shouted walking around Shane.
"No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it." Rick spoke up walking over to the redneck.
"-Who are you?"
"-Rick Grimes."
"Rick Grimes, you got something you want to tell me?"
"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked to a piece of metal. He's still there."
The conversation between Rick and Daryl started to drew in the people. Chloe wanted to run to her dad but was stopped by the fear she had of something happening to her dad and her uncle.
"Hold on. Let me process this." Daryl said turning away from Rick, rubbing the sweat from his eyes. "You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!"
"Yeah."
At Ricks answered Daryl threw the dozen squirrels he had at Rick. As Daryl went after Rick, Shane body slammed him to the ground.
"DADDY!" Chloe screamed going to run forward but was stopped by Glenn wrapping his arms around her and lifting her up.
Daryl grabbed his knife from its holster and standing up.
"What's the knife." T-Dog called out.
Daryl swung at Rick but he easily douched he grabbed Daryl arm and pushed his back as Shane come up and wrapped his arm around Daryl neck.
"Okay. Okay." Shane said slowly kicking then knife from his hand.
"-You'd best let me go!" Daryl shouted struggling against Shane.
"-Nah, I think it's better if I don't." Shane replied.
"Choke hold's illegal."
"You can file a complaint." Shane said. "Come on, man. We'll keep this up all day."
Rick kneeled down in front of the struggling man. "I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic." He said. "Do you think we can manage that?" When Daryl didn't answer Rick got a little closer. "Think about your daughter."
Daryl glanced over to Chloe who struggled in Glenn's arms as tears fell from her eyes, he nodded. Shane looked to Rick and slowly let go of Daryl who stayed on the ground.
"What I did was not on a whim," Rick said calmly. "Your brother does not work and play with others."
"It's not Rick's fault," T-dog stepped in. "I had the key. I dropped it."
Daryl glared up at the man. "You couldn't pick it up?"
"Well, I dropped it in a drain."
Daryl got to his knees his breathy heavy, Rick stood watching the man.
"If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't." He said throwing handful of dirt down as he walked towards T-Dog.
"Well, maybe this will. Look, I chained the door to the roof so the geeks couldn't get at him with a padlock." He stated.
"It's gotta count for something." Rick said from behind him. Daryl turned and glared at him but turned as tears from on his eyes.
"Hell with all y'all," He sobbed. "Just tell me where he is, so's I can go get him."
"He'll show you," Lori spoke up making Rick and Daryl look towards her. "Isn't that right?"
Silence felled the camp for a moment before Rick spoke up.
"I'm going back,"
Daryl didn't say anything before walking off towards Glenn. Glenn sat Chloe down who ran into Daryls arms as they hadn't towards their tent.
"Daddy?" Chloe said sitting down on Merle sleeping bag. "Are you bring back Merle?"
Daryl sat next to her. "Sure as hell am," He said. "And once I find him, I'll kick his ass, dumbass. He couldn't just play nice."
Chloe tilted her head as she watch and listen to her dad rumble on about how Merle was a dumbass, only stopping when Carl voice could be heard on the other side of the tent.
"What do you want kid?" Daryl asked not getting up from his spot.
"I-uh-just wanted to ask if Chloe wants to join me and Sophia." Carl shacking voice asked.
"Can I daddy?" Chloe asked.
"No,"
"Please, Carl's my friend."
"I said no Chloe."
"But daddy! I never had a friend before!"
Daryl noticed Chloe eyeing him with her puppy dog eyes, her blue eyes stared into his as she pleaded for him to let her go with Carl. "Fine go, but anything happens and I mean anything you come straight back. You understand?"
Chloe nodded before standing up and giving her dad a hug before leaving the tent.
"Those damn puppy dogs eyes," He said to himself. "Works every time."
On the outside, Chloe sat on the ground with Carl and Sophia. She drew in the dirt with a stick when her dad left his tent and walked over to the camp fire.
"Well, look, I--" Shane called out following behind Rick. "I don't, okay, Rick? So could you just throw me a bone here, man?" He said. "Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?"
Chloe over heard this and stood up, and was about to head towards Shane but was stopped by Carl who shook his head. "Hey, choose your words more carefully." Daryl said glaring at the formal officer.
"-No, I did. Douche bag's what I meant. Merle Dixon--" He mumbled looking between Daryl and Rick. "The guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst."
"-what he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me," Rick said. "I can't let a man die of thirst-- me. Thirst and exposure." He paused for moment glancing to the little girl that stood and glared towards them, mostly towards Shane. "We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being."
Rick walked away from Shane and headed towards the others, Shane said nothing as he walked away. Chloe shrugged her arm out of Carl hand and walked over to her dad.
"So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?" Lori asked. Rick said nothing as he looked from his wife to Glenn who stood behind him.
"Oh, come on." Glenn groaned.
"You know the way," Rick said. "You've been there before in and out, no problem. You said so yourself. Its not fair of me to ask-- I know that, but I'd feel a lot better with you alone. I know she would too." He said pointing to his wife.
Shane huffed and rolled his eyes. "That's just great. Now you're gonna risk three man, huh?"
"Four," T-Dog said causing Daryl to huff. "Great that's just my luck. My day just gets better and better, don't it?"
"You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?" T said.
"Why you?"
"You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language."
"That's four." Rick said looking to the others behind him.
Shane glared at Rick. "Its not just four. You're putting every single one of us at risk," He says, looking to everyone in camp. "Just know that, Rick. Come on, you saw that walker. It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities--"
Suddenly the words Shane was speaking faded from Chloe mind as her attention went elsewhere. Her mind went to her uncle before going off into wonderland. She held her teddy tight as her mind wondered before being snap back into reality when Lori started to speak.
Chloe eyes shifted to Lori's as she started to speaking a in a shacking voice. "You went through hell to find us. You just got back and you're gonna turn around and leave?"
"Dad, I don't want you to go." Carl said softly.
Rick turned and looked to Carl before his eyes shifted to Chloe. He didn't want to leave his family but he couldn't leave the little girl uncle up on that roof, no matter the reason.
"To hell with the guns," Lori spoke up again snapping Rick from his thoughts. "Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth of your lives, even with guns thrown in."
Rick suddenly at her words, not agreeing with her at all. "I don't give a damn," He snapped. "If that was your brother on that roof. You would fight like hell to bring him back, wouldn't you? Not to mention that mans niece is standing right beside you."
Lori was shocked by her husband outburst but said nothing else. Rick sighed. "I own a debt to man I met and his little boy," He started trying to clear things up. Lori was even more shocked as she tried to say something but was stopped when Rick continued. "Lori, if they hadn't taken me in, I'd have died. It's because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn him."
Lori spoke up. "What's stopping you?"
Chloe let out a sigh as she tipped Daryl on the shoulder. "Daddy, can I go to sleep in the RV? I'm sleepy."
Daryl looked up the group that surrounding the camp fire pit and nodded. "Sure baby girl," He whispered. "Just go and let Dale know you in there."
Nodded her head and placing a kiss on his cheek. Chloe made her way over to Dale and tugged on his sleeve. Dale looked down at the little and smiled.
"What is it sweetie?"
"May I sleep in the RV?" she asked nicely.
Dale smiled and nodded. "Of course."
Smiling Chloe took off towards the RV, ignoring everyone before climbing into the vehicle and headed straight to the back. Grabbing the blanket off the bed and tossing aside Chloe hopped into the bed and snuggle down with her teddy bear wrapped tightly in her arms.
"Night teddy." She whisper before closing her eyes and drifting off into sleep.
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God I hated Lori in this ep, she should've kept her whore mouth shut buuuutttt nooooo she wanted to go and whine and be a crybaby about it. So glad she no longer apart of The Walking Dead. Sorry not sorry.
ANYWAYS here's another chapter of My Little Dixon. I hope y'all anjoy!!
-Mae