Found You
Summary: Nearly 10 years ago, you left home after a bad incident with your parents, Rick and Lori Grimes. In that time, you married a redneck down south and started a family. But it all came crashing down when the dead started to walk.
Pairings: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader
Word Count: 9.3k
Warnings: language, blood, injury (just the usual twd warnings)
A/N-
This fanfic is a commission for one of my lovely followers who wanted a Grandpa Rick Grimes story with Daryl Dixon x Ricks Daughter.
I really hope she likes this story and I hope the rest of you enjoy it as well xx
The spray of the garden sprinkler washed over you, cooling your skin from the scorching Georgia summer heat. The water did nothing but make your wavy hair more wild than usual, sticking to your neck and the sides of your face as you stood on the grass, enjoying the coolness.
You closed your eyes for a few seconds soaking up the peaceful moment, but it didn't last long before the all too familiar sound of your kids shouting had you opening them again.
"You missed, dumbass!"
Your eldest boy was running across the lawn and for an eight-year-old, he was fast, leaving his younger brother in the dust. Little Merle Dean was holding his new water pistol in Ricky's direction, but it was empty.
"Richard Daryl Dixon. Watch your language." You warned, giving your eldest a stern look causing him to roll his eyes.
"But Uncle Merle says it all the time!" Ricky pointed out.
"Listen to ya mother!" Daryl's gruff voice suddenly called out.
You glanced over your shoulder to find him walking out the back door of the house, a bottle of beer in one hand and a water pistol in the other. He had ditched his usual sleeveless shirt. It was probably sitting on the laundry floor, drenched from the water fight earlier. He was now shirtless, showing off his toned stomach and tattoos, and you couldn't stop yourself from staring.
Ricky didn't dare argue with his father. The boy simply nodded before he went back to running around like crazy under the sprinkler.
"Dean, come over here, buddy. I'll fill your gun back up 'n we can shoot ya brother together." Daryl said, waving him over.
You smiled watching the two of them, little Dean now grinning ear to ear while Daryl used the hose to refill his water pistol.
"Y/N, your phone is ringin'!" Merle's voice shouted from inside the house.
Who would be calling you on a Saturday afternoon? You weren't rostered on to work today, unless someone called in sick and they needed you to come into the nursing home. God, you hoped not. As much as you enjoyed being a caregiver in that place, you enjoyed spending your days off with family more.
Merle walked outside, a dart between his lips and your flip phone in his hand that was ringing loudly. You walked over and gave him an appreciative nod before taking the phone, not recognising the number that was calling.
"Hello?"
"Hey, kiddo." A voice you hadn't heard for nearly 10 years said through the phone.
Daryl was now running around the backyard with the boys, shooting the water pistols and jumping over the sprinkler. Merle was leaning against the veranda post, watching his brother and nephews in amusement while he smoked, but you were barely paying attention to any of that.
"Hello? Y/N, you still there?" The voice said after a few seconds of silence.
"Y-Yeah. Yeah. I... I'm still here. Hi, Uncle Shane." You answered, trying to wrack your brain as to why he was calling after all these years.
Ever since you left home nearly 10 years ago, you hadn't heard from your parents, let alone Shane Walsh. Things went bad, you parted ways with your parents on a bad note... not so much with your father, but with your mother. Things went bad, and your father had taken Lori's side, not surprisingly, so you had left and never looked back.
So, why, after all this time was Shane calling you?
"Man, it is good to hear your voice, kid." Shane sighed.
"How did you even get my number?"
"I'm still a cop. It wasn't hard to find, especially when your name and details are in the system. Nice speeding ticket by the way."
You rolled your eyes, "that wasn't my fault. There was a snake sticking out the hood of my car, I panicked."
"I forgot about your fear of snakes." He replied, unable to stop himself from laughing. "How have you been anyway? What are you doing these days?"
"Not to be rude or anything, but I know you didn't call me for the first time in 10 years just for small talk. Uncle Shane, what's going on?" You asked seriously, your heart rate starting to increase as you thought of all the things that might've happened. Was it Carl? Did something happen to him?
Carl had been a baby when you last saw him. It broke your heart having to leave your baby brother behind, but you couldn't stay there. You couldn't stay in that house with your mother, not after everything.
"It's, uh, it's Rick. It's your father..."
"What happened?" You asked, your stomach dropping at the thought of something horrible happening to your dad.
You might've cut ties with your parents all those years ago, but you still loved your dad. You were his little girl, the two of you used to do everything together and the thought of something bad happening to him made you feel sick.
"There was an accident at work... he's in a coma."
"What?!"
You must have spoken louder than you thought because Daryl stopped in his tracks from where he was standing under the sprinkler. His crystal blue eyes met yours from across the yard, worry and confusion washing over him. Merle had turned to face you as well, his smoke long forgotten when he noticed something was wrong.
Tears burned in the back of your eyes, and you swallowed down the lump in your throat before repeating in a calmer tone, "what? What happened?"
"He got shot in the line of duty... but, Y/N, he's not waking up."
You had to grab hold of the back door to keep yourself upright, your legs threatening to buckle as you gasped at Shane's words. Your dad was shot? He was fucking shot and not waking up from a coma... oh God.
"Merle, can you watch 'em?" You heard Daryl call out.
"You need to come back home, Y/N. It's not looking good." Shane admitted and that was all it took for the tears to spill from your eyes.
"Okay." You whispered, sucking in a deep breath before closing the phone, hanging up just in time before it slipped from your now trembling fingers and crashed onto the pavement.
"Hey, hey. What happened? Who was that? Y/N, sweetheart, talk to me." Daryl said, suddenly appearing in front of you.
His calloused hands cupped the sides of your face and you looked up at him through watery eyes. You opened your mouth to respond, but you couldn't speak past the sobs that escaped your lips.
Daryl was quick to usher you inside, not wanting the kids to see their mother on the verge of a breakdown before he pulled you into his chest, hugging you tightly.
You cried in his arms for what felt like hours, Merle remained outside entertaining the boys while Daryl held you. He was still clueless as to why you were upset, but he didn't push the topic, knowing you would tell him when you were ready.
After a while, the tears stopped falling, your body still shaking in his arms before you pulled away and hastily wiped your tear-streaked face.
"I'm sorry." You whispered, shaking your head at yourself.
"Don't apologise, sweetheart. Are you okay? Who was that on the phone?" He asked, his voice gentle and caring, but there was a hint of protectiveness in his tone with the last sentence.
"My uncle... he said that my dad is in a coma. He said, it isn't looking good and he's not waking up."
Daryl's expression dropped at your words, not expecting you to say that. You barely talked about your parents. You had told him what happened and why you left home, but you rarely spoke of them. Daryl never spoke of his own parents either and you know not to ask about them, especially his dad. His dad was a piece of shit and you were happy when he finally drank himself to death 18 months ago.
"I'm so sorry." He whispered, looking at you sadly.
He knew you had a complicated relationship with your father. You hadn't spoken to him in years, Daryl had never even met him, but you still loved your dad and Daryl knew that.
"My uncle said I should come home." You added after a few seconds of silence.
"I'll come with ya."
You shook your head, "you and Merle leave for your weeklong hunting trip tomorrow. You can't."
Daryl cursed softly under his breath, completely forgetting about the trip that they had spent months planning for.
"I'll take the kids with me. It'll be like a holiday for them, they've never been to King County." You continued to say, knowing Daryl would cancel his trip in an instant for you, but you didn't want him to have to do that.
"Ya sure?" He asked hesitantly.
You nodded, trying to give him a reassuring smile as you fiddled nervously with your grandfather's dog tags around your neck. Going back to King County meant seeing your mother and you weren't sure if you were ready for that... you weren't sure if you'd ever be ready for that.
Daryl's eyes glanced down to the dog tags. He knew that was your nervous twitch, fiddling with the silver chain and tags to ease your anxiety. You didn't even know you did it, but Daryl knew.
"Why are Merle's tags from Basic with your Grandfather's Vietnam tags?" He randomly asked, instead of questioning why you were nervous.
Daryl knew exactly why you were nervous though. But, he didn't say it and you smiled softly, knowing he was trying to distract you from your thoughts.
"Merle is family too, so he is part of the necklace." You simply answered, pulling the silver chain out from under your shirt to show him the dog tags on the end.
Daryl raised his eyebrows, "ya do know my brother got kicked out the army, right?"
You chuckled, "shut up and help me pack my bag. Merle can handle the kids for another ten minutes."
Daryl glanced over his shoulder to make sure Merle was okay with the kids. You followed his line of sight to find Merle laying on his back, Ricky and Dean standing over him, spraying their water guns at point blank into his chest.
"Maybe it was a good thing he got kicked out." You commented causing Daryl to snort softly with a laugh.
-
Less than 24 hours later, the world as you knew it came crashing down around you when the dead started walking.
You never made it to King County and by the time you returned to your small country town, it had been overrun and the Dixon brothers were nowhere to be found.
Your old burner phone had worked for a short period of time. Longer than most people's iPhones, but even then, your flip phone stopped working, no phone signal anywhere. The last thing you heard from Daryl was that him and Merle were packing up, getting ready to evacuate, but were waiting for you and the kids to get home.
They must've had to leave in a hurry though because there was a scribbled note stuck to the fridge with one word, 'ATLANTA.'
You found Merle walking along the outskirts of Atlanta City, his hand cut off and covered up with a bloodied rag. You bandaged it properly for him, your sons both freaked out and curious about their uncles missing hand. Merle took you back to their camp by the quarry, but by the time you got there, it was barren. They weren't there anymore.
It wasn't long after that you met the Governor, and now nearly a year later, you were living inside Woodbury.
Merle was quick to become one of the Governor's soldiers. Working on guard shifts, going out on patrol and protecting the community. With that job came a decent house that he shared with you and the boys.
Merle made sure you were safe. He stood up with Daryl not around, taking care of you and the boys.
Your sons shared a bedroom and went to bed with full bellies and thick blankets. You were safe behind the walls of the community, but there was just something about the Governor that didn't sit right with you. You couldn't place it though and the boys were safe, that was all that mattered, so you ignored the feeling.
You had just put the boys to bed and began doing your usual walk around the block for some exercise. It was late, the town lit up by the streetlights on the footpath while the moon shone brightly in the clear dark sky above you.
It was usually peaceful during your nightly walks, but tonight you could hear voices shouting in the distance.
"Kill them! Kill them!"
Kill who? What was going on?
You followed the noise, the voices getting louder and louder until you rounded the corner and found half the town standing together in a crowd, surrounding something. Seriously, what the hell was going on?
"I asked you where your loyalties lie. You said here. Well, prove it." The Governors voice shouted.
You weaved your way through the mass of people trying to figure out what was going on, but stopped when you saw the bloodied eyepatch over the Governors eye. Okay, something must have gone down. Who hurt him and what the hell was happening?
"Prove it to us all. Brother against brother. Winner goes free. Fight to the death!" He continued to shout, and you followed his line of sight and had to do a double take when you saw who was standing in the middle of the circle.
Daryl fucking Dixon.
Holy shit.
Him and Merle were standing side by side, but Daryl's arms were tied behind his back. Why was he tied up? What were the brothers doing in the centre of the crowd like that? What the hell was going on?
Wait, what did the Governor mean by 'fight to the death'? He didn't mean...
"Y'all know me!" Merle suddenly shouted, throwing his arm in the air. "I'm gonna do whatever I got to do to prove..."
He didn't finish the sentence and you watched in horror as he punched Daryl across the jaw, knocking him to the ground instantly.
"No!" You screamed, rushing forward, but one of the Governors soldiers held you back. "Get your hands off me! That's my husband! Get the fuck off me!"
You thrashed in the mans hold, but he wouldn't let go and there was nothing you could do except watch as Merle kicked his brother in the stomach, sending him rolling a few metres away in the dirt.
"...that my loyalty is to this town!" Merle finished shouting.
Merle reached down to land another punch, but Daryl bet him to it and slammed his fist into his brother's face, sending him stumbling back a few steps from the unexpected hit. He jumped to his feet and tackled Merle, the two of them now on the ground, hands wrapped around each other's throats while they spoke in a hushed tone that you couldn't hear.
Suddenly, Daryl's head snapped up towards the crowd, his eyes raking over the civilians frantically until he spotted you. Your hazel eyes locked with his piercing blue ones and a look of relief washed over him, but it was short lived because the Governors men began leading walkers on snare poles towards them.
They both quickly got to their feet, going back-to-back, no longer fighting each other and now working together whilst they punched and kicked the walkers away.
"Let me go!" You yelled, trying desperately to get free of the man still holding you, so you could help them, but he wouldn't let go. "I said, let go!"
Without warning a gunshot cracked across the night sky and the man holding you suddenly fell to the ground, dead.
You were momentarily stunned before the gunshots continued and more of the Governors men began dropping like flies. Whoever the shooter was, they were on your side. That was all that mattered.
Smoke grenades began exploding, the rapid gunfire continuing around you while the crowd of people screamed and ran for their lives as walkers began staggering in out of nowhere. Shit, that wasn't good.
"Daryl! Merle!" You shouted, trying to look through the cloud of smoke before you came face to face with one of the walkers. "Shit."
You jumped backwards, reaching for your knife only to realise that you had left it at home. Rookie mistake. Damnit.
"Y/N!"
It may have been a while since you last heard that voice, but there was no mistaking who it was.
A second later, a familiar crossbow bolt impaled the walker's skull, killing it. You yanked the bolt back out and turned to find Daryl lowering his crossbow with a look of relief on his face.
"Holy shit." You gasped, sprinting the remaining distance before wrapping your arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
"Are you okay?" Daryl questioned, his voice rougher than usual and you knew he was trying not to cry.
You pulled away, handing him the bolt while looking him up and down, taking in the blood and bruises.
"Am I okay? You're the one bleeding. Are you okay? Jesus, I can't believe you fucking hit him!" You shouted, glaring at Merle over your shoulder to find him fighting off a walker.
"M'fine." Daryl dismissed, not caring about his injuries as he scanned his surroundings before focusing back on you. "The boys are they..."
His voice broke as he spoke, fear washing over him, and you quickly realised that he thought they might be dead.
"They're fine." You hurriedly reassured, grabbing his hand with yours and squeezing it. "Ricky and Dean are fine. They're sleeping in their bedroom as we speak."
"I hate to breakup this little reunion, but we need to get the fuck out of dodge people!" Merle yelled, rushing back over to you.
"Let's get the boys and go. The others are outside the gates waiting." Daryl said, looking around trying to figure out which house was yours.
"The others?" You asked in confusion, already leading Daryl down the street, Merle right behind you watching your six.
"I found some people. Been with 'em for a while, they're good people." He reassured and you simply nodded, trusting him.
"Officer Friendly waiting out there?" Merle asked with a tone you didn't quite like and Daryl nodded.
"Officer Friendly?" You asked.
"I'll explain later. Which house?" Daryl questioned and you pointed to the red roofed building to the left and you all sprinted across the street.
You unlocked the door, but didn't get a chance to step inside before your sons were rushing out the door and hugging you. Deans body was trembling as he clutched to your leg tightly, Ricky not much better as he lifted his head, those beautiful blue eyes filled with unshed tears.
Your heart shattered seeing your boy like this. The gunshots and screaming from earlier were loud, it must have woken them up and you weren't home when they did. No wonder they were so scared.
Fighting back your own tears, you leant down and hugged them tightly.
"There was shooting outside, so-so I grabbed Dean 'n we hid behind the couch until we saw you coming." Ricky explained and a small swell of pride washed over you.
"You boys are so brave. Thank you for looking after your brother, I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. But while I was gone, Uncle Merle and I found someone." You said, letting go of the boys before taking a step to the side, motioning towards Daryl standing behind you.
The boys' eyes turned to saucers, "daddy!"
Daryl dropped to his knees just as the kids jumped into his arms and he held them tightly while whispering apologies for not being there. He was crying. The kids were crying, and you may or may not have let a few tears fall as well.
"Guys, we need to go." Merle called out, stabbing another walker through the eye.
"Boys. This is going to be scary, but I need you to be brave for me, okay?" Daryl said softly, looking down at the kids who wiped their eyes and nodded, putting on their brave faces. "This place ain't safe no more, understand? I found some friends 'n we're going to live with 'em, but first we gotta get through some bad men and the dead."
"We're brave, Dad." Ricky declared, standing up straight and grabbing Deans hand who nodded, mimicking his big brother's posture.
Daryl smiled proudly at his sons before he stood up and glanced over at you and Merle with a questioning look, silently asking if you guys were ready.
You both nodded before you grabbed Ricky's free hand. "You don't let go of your brother and you don't let go of my hand, got it?"
"Got it." He nodded.
Merle pulled out a knife from his belt and handed it to you before the group of you made your way back down the street. You ducked and weaved between houses and trees, avoiding the Governors men and the remaining walkers that were inside.
Apparently, Daryl's group had gotten into the community through a gap in the wall, so that's where you were heading.
"It's just down here!" Daryl shouted in a whispered, pointing down the alley between two houses.
Ricky's hand was still grasping yours tightly, Dean holding his other hand as they kept up with the pace while you all rushed down the alley.
"Get down!" Merle's voice suddenly shouted.
You didn't have a chance to question it before Daryl was shielding you and the kids with his body, ushering you down behind the garbage bin as gunfire erupted.
The boys both screamed, crying in terror as you dropped to your knees and pulled them into your chest. Daryl's gaze met yours briefly before he was running away and returning fire with a rifle, drawing the attention away from you and the kids.
Your arms tightened around the boys, holding them against you and away from danger as you hid behind the garbage bin.
It wasn't until the gunfire stopped, and the grunting and swearing started that you began to worry. The boys were still latching onto you tightly, but you lifted your head up over the garbage to find Merle and Daryl both fighting hand-to-hand against the men.
Shit. They weren't winning those fights, at least not without getting hurt themselves.
"Boys, I need you to stay here while-"
"No! Don't-don't go. Don't go!" Dean cried, his hand tightened around your shirt, snot and tears falling down his face.
"Hey. Hey, sweetie, it's okay. I need to help Daddy and Uncle Merle, okay? I'll be back soon. I promise. But, I need you both to stay right here, stay hidden behind this bin and do not move, got it?"
Ricky nodded, "we won't move. But you'll be back soon?"
"I promise."
"Pinky promise?" Dean sniffed, looking up at you through teary eyes.
You smiled softly and held out your pinky, shaking it with his. "I pinky promise."
The boys both nodded, reluctantly letting go of your body. You gave them a bright reassuring smile before you stood up, knife clutched tightly in your hand.
You spared a quick glance over your shoulder, relived that they both listened and remained hidden safely behind the bin. Merle grunted in pain and your head snapped back up to find him pinned against the brick wall by two of the Governors men.
"C'mon fellas, ya know me-" Merle began to say before one of them punched him square in the jaw.
You didn't waste any time, sprinting across the alley before you sunk the blade of your knife into the neck of the guy that had punched him. You yanked the knife out swiftly before Merle head butted the other guy causing him to stumble back and fall on his ass.
You quickly looked over at Daryl who was fighting off his own men, swinging his crossbow and clipping one of them in the face.
"Go help, Daryl. I got this." You said, nodding in your husband's direction.
Merle hesitated for a split second but nodded and rushed over to his brother before you looked back to where the kids were hiding. In hindsight you shouldn't have taken your eyes of the bad guy, because before you knew it you were being thrown against the wall.
Your forehead slammed against the red bricks with a loud thud. Your vision went for a second and you feared you were going to pass out, but you blinked away the white dots that clouded your vision. Your ears were ringing loudly, and you faintly heard Daryl scream your name in the distance somewhere, but you couldn't be sure.
What you did know was that you couldn't die here. Not like this. You had to survive. You had to survive and protect your kids.
Your head was spinning a little from the hit, but you managed to spin around and swing the knife in the man's general direction. He ducked out the way just in time, but didn't expect you to throw the knife at him.
The weapon spun through the air, and he managed to raise his hands slightly to try and block it, but he wasn't quick enough before the blade pierced straight through his eye. You watched as his lifeless body toppled to the ground and you let out a shaky sigh of relief.
"Nice throw." Daryl commented, walking over to you.
"Thanks. I learnt a lot living with two rednecks." You replied with a grin, turning to face him.
Daryl's lips cracked into a smile at your words, but that smile soon faded when he saw the cut on your forehead. By the look on his face you knew it wasn't good. You could feel the blood from the cut trickling down the side of your face, staining your dirty blonde hair and collar of your shirt.
"Shit, Y/N-"
"Get the kids. Make sure they're okay." You instructed, not wanting him to worry about you when the boys were scared and alone right now.
"I got 'em. Help ya wife." Merle said, yanking his knife out the last guy before he walked over to where his nephews were hiding.
Daryl was in front of you in an instant. His blue eyes wide and panicked as he stared at the cut before he pulled the red rag out from his back pocket and pressed it against the wound. You hissed at the sharp pain it caused causing him to wince sympathetically, but he kept the pressure on it to stop the bleeding.
"Can't believe your red rag has survived this long into the apocalypse." You teased, trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't work by the heated glare he shot you. "Relax, baby. I'm fine."
"Ya ain't." He muttered, pealing the rag away to inspect the damage closely before frowning and pressing it back down. "This needs stitches. Damnit, Y/N. I just found you 'n nearly lost ya on the same damn day."
"Hey." You said gently, lifting your hand and cupping the side of his face. "I'm still here. You can't get rid of me that easily, Dixon. I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere."
Daryl held your gaze for a few seconds, like he was almost scared to look away in case you disappeared before he eventually nodded, and you replaced his hand on the rag before he turned to check on the kids who were both in Merle's arms. Their heads were buried in the crook of his neck, blocking their view of the blood and dead bodies the three of you left behind.
"C'mon, we gotta go." Merle ordered, briefly glancing up at the rag you were holding to your forehead before giving you a questioning look.
"I'm good. Let's go."
You picked up one of the handguns from the ground, biting the rag between your teeth while ejecting the magazine. There were still bullets left so you slammed it back in and actioned the slide, loading a bullet in the chamber.
With one hand holding the gun, you grabbed the rag from your mouth and pressed it back against your forehead. Daryl's eyes were on you the entire time, those beautiful blues still filled with worry but there was a hint of pride flashing across them as he watched you.
Daryl took the lead, crossbow over his shoulder and rifle in his hand while you and Merle were close behind.
"Eyes on me boys, okay? No matter what happens or what you hear, you keep your eyes on me and stay quiet." Merle instructed when your sons lifted their heads from his neck, trying to look around to see what was happening.
They both nodded, and to your relief and slight surprise, they kept their eyes glued to their uncles face while the three of you continued down the dark alley.
It didn't take long before you were through the hole in the wall and trekking through the woods.
"He won't be happy to see me, brother. Glenn neither." Merle muttered quietly, breaking the silence.
You looked over at Merle in confusion, but he was staring at Daryl who just shook his head.
"Don't matter. They're gonna have to deal with it, alright? End of story."
You wanted to ask who they were referring to, but didn't get the chance to ask any questions before you reached a clearing in the woods. There was a man waiting and you stopped in your tracks when you saw who it was.
Rick Grimes. Your father.
"What is Merle doing here? And why does he have kids? Did you steal them? I swear to God if you-" Rick stopped midsentence when his eyes flicked over to you and widened in pure shock. "Holy shit, Y/N?"
His hair was a little longer now, a little greyer, and he was now sporting stubble instead of his usual clean-shaven look, but all of that was the furthest things from your mind as you stared at your father.
It was him. It was really him. Rick was alive and he was here... how the hell was he alive?
You wanted to run to him. You wanted to call out to him. To say something, but you couldn't get your body to move. Tears blurred your vision, and you couldn't stop the small, strangled sob that escaped your lips as you covered your mouth with a shaky hand.
"Dad?" Your chin trembled, trying not to try cry, but it was a losing battle because silent tears were already spilling down your face.
"What?" Daryl and Merle both questioned in utter confusion.
Rick shortened the distance between the two of you in an instant and pulled you into his chest.
"You're r-real?" You whispered, voice trembling as you clutched the back of your father's shirt for dear life.
Your bloodied rag and injured head long forgotten as you hugged your father for the first time in 10 years.
"Yeah, baby girl, I'm real. I'm real." He whispered, holding you tightly. "I thought I was never going to see you again. I thought..."
Ricks voice broke, unable to finish the sentence.
That was all it took before you broke down in his arms, wracked sobs ripping out of you. Rick held you tightly, resting his chin on top of your head as he rubbed soothing circles over your back.
Neither of you moved or said anything for the next few minutes. He didn't want to loosen his hold on you, scared that if he let go then you might disappear again. But, eventually, Rick pulled away, his hands resting over your shoulders as he held you in front of him, not ready to let go just yet.
His own eyes were glossy with unshed tears, matching your own as you shook your head, unable to process this.
"I-I need to say something." He started to say, his voice rough, thick with emotion as he cleared his throat, but you knew what was going to say.
"Dad, it's okay-"
"No. No. It's not okay." He said cutting you off with a shake of his head. "I should have stopped you. I shouldn't have... Christ, Y/N, I'm so sorry."
"Dad..." You trailed off, not knowing how to respond before he pulled you back into a hug.
"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for everything." He whispered and you squeezed your eyes shut, trying to stop the tears that kept spilling as you thought back to the last time you saw him.
10 years ago
"Wait, what do you mean that my savings account is gone?" You asked, looking over at your mother who was folding your clothes into a laundry basket.
"I'm sorry, but it's gone." She shrugged, not looking at you as she spoke.
You stared at your mother for a moment trying to figure out if she was being serious or not. Surely she wasn't serious. You've had that savings account since you were 10 years old. Every ounce of pocket money, birthday money and your pay checks from odd jobs between school all went into that account. It couldn't be gone. It couldn't be.
"Well, where did it go?" You asked, trying to remain calm.
"I had to use it to buy my new car. My old one broke down, remember? We couldn't afford to pay for-"
"So, you used your daughters savings account without her permission to buy yourself a fucking car?!" You shouted, all effort into trying to remain calm flying out the window at high speed.
"Whoa, whoa, why are we yelling? I just put Carl down for his nap." Your father said, walking into the room.
"Did you know she used my savings account money to buy that SUV?"
Ricks eyes widened at your words before his head snapped to Lori who was still folding the clothes, acting as if this wasn't a big deal.
"You said your father gave us that money."
A small part of you was relieved to know that your father hadn't known about it, but you were too angry at your mother to really care.
"I knew you wouldn't like it if I told you the truth. But we needed the car." She said defensively.
"Stealing from our daughter is not the answer!" Rick shouted in his whisper.
"I've been saving that money since I was a child. You had no right!" You hissed, anger soaring through your veins.
"I had every right. The amount of money I've wasted on you. Food, clothes, toys, school. Everything."
"I'm your daughter. That's what parents are meant to do!"
"Do you think I wanted a daughter like you? I never wanted you in the first place!"
Her words were like a slap to the face and you physically recoiled, taking a step back in a mixture of hurt and shock.
"Lori." Rick warned, glaring at his wife.
"What? We were teenagers Rick. We were still in High School when I had her. She was an accident, we didn't want her then and I don't want her now." Lori snapped, finally putting the laundry down to look at you, hatred and disgust flaring in her eyes.
"Wow, Mum." You chuckled, because if you didn't laugh then you would cry.
"Y/N-" Rick began to say, but you cut him off.
"No. Dad it's okay. If she doesn't want me, then fine. She gets her wish."
Without saying anything else, you walked out the room and grabbed the duffle bag from under your bed before filling it with your possessions. You slipped on your boots and jacket before marching back out into the main room, duffle bag over your shoulder.
"Y/N, darling, what are you doing?" Rick asked worried.
"I'm leaving and I'm taking Mum's car. She bought it with my money, so it's mine." You simply said, grabbing the keys from the bench.
"You are not!" She yelled, abruptly standing up. "What are you going to do? Live in the back of the car?"
"Yep."
"You wanna go live like some homeless person? Let me show you what that's like."
Lori snatched the laundry basket from the table before storming out the front door. You quickly followed, your father right behind you as she tossed your clothes over the porch railing into the dirt below.
"Mum, what are you-"
"Go live like a freaking homeless person!" She shouted, her face red with anger. "But if you get in that car, don't you ever come back. Ever."
You looked over at your father, tears now burning in your eyes, but he didn't say anything. His face was pained like he wanted to say something, and you were hoping, praying that he would stick up for you, but he remained silent and lowered his head.
"Dad?" You whispered, your voice breaking.
He didn't look at you. He didn't do anything.
"Get your butt out of my freaking house!" Lori screamed when you didn't move.
Carl suddenly started to cry from inside hearing the commotion which did nothing but make your mother angrier. You looked back at your dad, but he still wasn't looking at you.
"Fine. Have a nice life." You muttered, tears silently falling down your face as you walked down the steps, picking up the clothes you wanted before you got into the car and sped off.
Present Day
"I'm so sorry, Y/N. I shouldn't have let Lori... I should have said something. I-"
"Yeah, you should have." You agreed, sniffing and wiping away your tears as you nodded. "I forgive you though."
His eyes widened, like he couldn't believe what you were saying. You smiled sadly at him, but didn't get the chance to say anything else before Daryl stepped forward with the most shocked and confused look on his face that you had ever seen.
"Rick Grimes is your father?" Daryl asked.
"Wait, you know her? How do you know my daughter?" Your Dad questioned before you could say anything.
"She's my wife."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I'm his wife." You repeated, holding your hand up, showing the wedding ring.
Rick stared at the ring for a few seconds before looking over at Daryl, noting his golden ring too before he looked back at you, his jaw dropping, but he seemed unable to say anything.
"Does that make me your son-in-law?" Daryl asked, the confusion on his face morphing into amusement as he looked at Rick.
Your father coughed, seemingly choking on his own saliva as he stared at Daryl with an unreadable expression before glancing back at you and shaking his head in clear disbelief.
"This whole time you've been talking about your wife and kids... and I've been talking about my daughter..."
"It's been the same fucking person. Yeah. Now, can we get a move on? We're sitting ducks out here man." Merle muttered, already walking past before Rick quickly put his hand out, stopping him.
Your father suddenly looked annoyed as he stared at the older Dixon before he noticed the two boys still in Merle's arms. You could see the gears turning in his head before realisation washed over him.
"Yes. They're your grandchildren. Congratulations Grandpa." Merle said sarcastically before looking at the rest of you. "Seriously, we need to go. Now."
Rick let Merle walk past, Daryl walking beside him, but before you could follow, your Dad grabbed your arm.
"I know we have a lot to talk about. It can wait. But, do you trust Merle Dixon with your sons lives?" He asked skeptically, looking over his shoulder at the boys still clutched protectively in Merle's arms.
"I do."
Rick stared at you for a moment before simply nodding, trusting your word and the two of you trailed off after the brothers.
Although, it seemed that Rick Grimes wasn't the only member of Daryl's group that didn't like Merle. The second you guys reached the others who were waiting by a green Sedan parked on the road, the man you now know by Glenn Rhee, had went ballistic when he saw your brother-in-law.
Within a blink of an eye, the woman in dreadlocks had her katana raised at Merle. You quickly stepped in front of him, raising your handgun at the woman because there was no way you were letting her hurt Merle, especially not when he was still holding the boys.
"Put it down." You warned, finger resting on the trigger.
Maggie and Glenn suddenly raised their pistols at Merle, and Daryl appeared beside you, the two of you blocking the others from getting to him and the kids.
Rick suddenly stepped forward protectively, drawing his Colt and aiming at the katana woman, not liking how close that blade was from your neck.
You weren't a hundred percent sure why these people hated Merle. They were part of Daryl's group, but clearly something had happened between them to gain this kind of reaction.
"If it wasn't for him-"
"He helped us get out of there." Daryl said, cutting Glenn off.
"Yeah, right after he beat the shit out of you." Rick responded.
"Hey, we both took our licks, man." Merle piped up.
"Jackass." Daryl muttered, glaring at his brother over his shoulder.
"Hey, shut up." Merle exclaimed.
"Enough!" Rick ordered, sternly.
"Mummy, what's going on?" Ricky asked, his voice wavering slightly at the raised voices.
"Nothing. The adults are just talking, okay? Everything is fine, right guys?" You said, glancing over at the boys still in Merle's arms before you turned back to the others to find the katana woman taking a step closer with her sword raised. "Hey, put that down."
"Get that thing outta my face!" Daryl snapped, throwing his hands in the air at Glenn.
Merle suddenly started to chuckle, "man, look like you've gone native, brother."
"No more than you hangin' out with that psycho back there." Daryl snapped.
"Oh, yeah, man. He is a charmer, I got to tell ya that. Been putting the wood to your girlfriend Andrea. Big time, baby." He teased, looking at the katana woman.
"Merle, shut the hell up." You snapped, not taking your eyes off the others. "Look, I don't know why you guys hate him. I could probably guess because my brother-in-law isn't much of a people person, but we are not continuing this screaming match with my kids in the line of fire. So, everyone back the fuck up. Now."
To be honest, you were not expecting them to all listen, but to your surprise, the woman lowered her katana and the other two reluctantly lowered their guns. You glanced over at Daryl and Rick before you lowered your own gun, tucking it into the back of your waistband.
"Let's all just take a breath, alright?" Rick said calmly, holstering his pistol.
"I'm not having him at the prison." Maggie stated.
"Why?" You asked.
"He tried to kill Glenn."
You looked over at the man in question, taking in his red swollen eye and bruises that painted his face. Merle did all that? Shit, no wonder he was hostile when he saw him.
"I had to do it." Merle said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You tried to kill me!" Glenn yelled.
"I was followin' orders, man."
"What are you talking about?" You asked, turning to face Merle properly.
"If I didn't do what I did... the Governor threatened to kill you and the kids. I didn't have a choice."
"He did what?" Daryl questioned, anger rising in his voice.
"I couldn't let the Governor hurt her or them." Merle said, looking down at the boys in his arms. "I couldn't. So, I did as I was told and... look, I'm sorry, okay?"
Glenn's furious expression vanished instantly, replaced with an emotion that you couldn't quite place. He glanced over at you before looking at your boys in Merle's arms and he sighed.
"Okay."
"You're not forgiven though." Maggie quickly added.
Merle nodded, "I know."
-
After being squished together like sardines in a can inside the SUV, you eventually reached the front gate of the prison that Daryl and Ricks group called home.
There was a woman with short grey hair and a little boy standing guard by the gate. The moment they saw the car, they both looked relieved and hurried to open it.
You stared at the brown-haired boy in the Sheriffs hat pulling open the tall, barbed wire fence. He looked about the right age Carl should be and that hat... you had seen that hat sitting on the hook in the hallway at home every single afternoon.
"Is that..." you trailed off, not wanting to get your hopes up.
"Yeah. That's Carl." Rick answered, a bright smile spreading across his face as he parked the car.
You all climbed out the vehicle, stretching your legs and getting some much-needed fresh air. The others all greeted the grey-haired woman, but you barely noticed her, too focused on Carl who closed the gate, but the kid froze when he saw you.
"Y/N?"
That had you doing a double take because there was no way a five-month-old baby could remember you. Right?
"Wait, you remember me?"
"I remember the photos Dad used to show me when Mum wasn't home." Your little brother answered.
You looked back at Rick who was smiling more than you thought possible before you turned back to Carl just as the kid rushed forward and wrapped his arms around you.
The affection took you by surprise, not expecting it, but you were quick to hug him back.
"I'm sorry I left when you were a baby." You whispered, holding your brother tightly.
"It's okay. After Mum died, Dad told me what happened... told me why you left."
After Mum died? Lori was dead? Well, shit.
You weren't sure how you felt about that news, so you simply ignored it.
"I'm still sorry." You said and Carl pulled away, giving you a small smile.
"Who is he?" Ricky's voice suddenly asked timidly.
You turned away from Carl just as Merle lowered your eldest son to the ground and he walked over to you, half hiding behind your leg as he stared at Carl. Carl stared right back at him, surprise clear on his face.
"Ricky, this is... well, this is your Uncle Carl. And that guy..." you said, pointing to Rick. "Is your grandpa."
"Grandpa?" Dean repeated, the word foreign on his tongue.
Neither boys had ever met their grandparents. Not on your side of the family and definitely not on Daryl's. This was completely new for them.
Daryl smiled, taking Dean from Merle's arm before walking over to you and looking over at Rick who had a fond smile spreading across his face.
"Rick, come meet ya grandkids." Daryl said, nodding your father over. "This is Richard Daryl Dixon. He likes to be called Ricky though. And this little man is Merle Dean Dixon, but we call him Dean because God help us if there's two Merle's running around."
"Hey!" Merle exclaimed, but there was no heat behind his tone, and you knew he was smiling.
"Richard?" Rick repeated, his voice so small you nearly missed it.
"She wanted to name him after ya. But we did name a kid after Merle too, so it don't mean much."
"Screw you, brother." Merle muttered, but you could tell he was trying not to laugh as the rest of you all chuckled.
"I am so happy for you Daryl, and I can't wait to get to know you." The woman with short grey hair suddenly said, looking over at you with a gentle smile. "But can we talk about what happened at Woodbury?"
-
An hour later, you were all sitting in the makeshift kitchen area of the prison, Tyreese and Sasha cooking something that smelt like heaven for dinner after Rick, Daryl and Merle explained what happened In Woodbury.
Hershel sat beside you, cleaning and stitching the wound on your forehead while you watched Beth bottle feed your new little sister, Judith.
She was so tiny and so damn adorable you wanted to cry. Carl told you what happened when Judith was born and although you hated Lori, she didn't deserve that.
Carl was sharing his comic books with Ricky, the two of them sitting off to the side together while Rick had Dean in his lap, playing with his grandson.
"This will leave a scar, but I can see you are no strangers to scars." Hershel informed, glancing down at the burn scar on your arm and the tiny scar on your finger. "How'd you get those?"
"This long one was from when I was little. Tripped and fell into the fireplace, I think I cried for a month." You admitted with a soft chuckle. "And this..."
"That is from her being an idiot in the kitchen." Daryl muttered, sitting down beside you causing you to roll your eyes. "What? It's true. Ya cut a chunk of your finger off while cooking 'n had to get it sewn back on. She gonna be okay with this one?" Daryl asked, his voice turning serious as he looked up at the stitches.
"Just a few stitches. She'll be fine." The older man reassured whilst he worked.
Daryl rested his hand on your knee, and you placed your hand atop of his, squeezing it gently while you watched your father across the room with Dean happily.
"Dad! Dad! Look what Carl gave me." Ricky's voice suddenly shouted before he sprinted across the room, waving some superhero comic book frantically.
"Wow. That's awesome, buddy." Daryl said, smiling at his son fondly. "What do you say to Carl?"
Ricky turned back to the other boy, "thank you, Carl!"
"I got Volume Two when you finish that one." Carl replied causing Ricky to squeal in excitement.
"Dad, Dad, Dad, can you read it to me?"
Daryl chuckled, taking the comic book before he picked up Ricky and placed him in his lap.
"Merle! Get your ugly ass over here. We're gonna read... what are we gonna read, Ricky?"
"Spider-Man!" Ricky answered enthusiastically.
"Spider-Man, eh? Well, I'm more of a Yondu man myself, but I guess old Peter Parker ain't too bad." Merle muttered, standing up from his table across the room before joining you, Daryl and Hershel at the other table.
"Who's Yon-Yondu?" Ricky asked, looking up at his uncle in confusion.
"You don't know who Yondu is? He's only the greatest Guardian in the Galaxy! Next supply run, I'll keep an eye out for any of his comics."
You winced a little when Hershel finished the last stitch causing him to give you a sympathetic smile before he looked over his work and nodded in satisfaction.
Rick walked over to you with Dean on his hip as he looked at the patched up cut on your forehead with a worried expression.
"Do I want to know how this happened?"
"Probably not."
"She got thrown into a brick wall." Daryl muttered while Merle began reading the comic out loud for Ricky who was still in Daryl's lap.
"What?!"
You whacked your husband's shoulder softly, "thanks for that."
"Gotta keep me new father-in-law happy. Right, Rick?"
"Wait, does that make Daryl my brother-in-law?" Carl suddenly questioned.
"I mean, technically... yeah." You answered, not taking your eyes off your father who looked like he was contemplating his entire life choices at the moment causing you to chuckle softly.
"Is this, like, totally weird to anyone else or is it just me?" Glenn suddenly spoke up.
"Nah, it's definitely weird." Beth agreed, looking up from Judith in her arms before adding, "but in a good way."
Dean began to reach his hands out towards you from where Rick was still holding him before your father smiled, looking between the two of you.
"I think he wants his mother." Rick said, handing the boy over.
"Hi, sweetie." You greeted, placing him in your lap.
Dean tilted his head up, looking at you with his almond shaped hazel eyes that matched yours identically. You could get lost in the mixture of those beautiful greens and browns, like a forest.
You smiled at your son who giggled back at you before he looked over at Hershel who was standing beside you, packing away the first aid kit.
His little brows furrowed as he stared at the man, "are you... are you Santa?"
Daryl snorted from beside you, unable to stop himself. Rick covered his mouth with his hand, trying not to laugh as well and you just bit your lip as you looked over at Hershel who had a surprised look on his face.
"It's the beard, Daddy." Maggie explained with a grin.
Hershel chuckled before leaning down towards Dean, "no. I'm not Santa. But, Santa is always watching, so make sure you're good for your parents, okay?"
"I am." Dean nodded proudly at himself.
"Yeah, you are baby." You agreed, kissing the top of his head before leaning your own head against Daryl's shoulder, watching him and Merle read the comic to Ricky.
"Not to dampen the mood or anything, but, uh... what are we gonna do about the Governor?" Sasha asked.
Rick looked over at you as you tilted your head up towards him, meeting your fathers gaze and holding it. He stared right back with a questioning look that was asking if you were ready for a fight.
You nodded before he glanced over at his grandkids before looking over at Carl and Judith too.
"If he comes knocking then we protect our people. We protect our home. By any means necessary, agreed?"
"Agreed." You all nodded.
"Fuck yeah, I agree!" Merle added, looking up from the comic book.
"Fuck yeah!" Ricky repeated happily, learning another bad word from his uncle once again.
The room went dead silent.
You could've heard a pin drop, it was that quiet as you all looked around at each other before everyone started laughing.
You wanted to yell at Merle for the language, but not tonight. You had found Daryl in the end of the world, your father is back after you thought he was dead and your kids were safe. That was all you cared about. That was all that mattered.
-
PART 2
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MASTERLIST in bio
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