Sunshine

Chapter 6 - Sister

No world's were spoken as everyone gathered around the three fresh graves. Everyone was still processing what had happened. (y/n) didn't go, she wanted to be alone, as pathetic as she felt it was, she was to ashamed to be around anyone after the incident at the barn. She remembered throwing up in front of everyone, the memory of her mothers crushed skull still plaugued her.

"Should be with em" (y/n) turned to find Daryl standing in the doorway of her bedroom. She was surprised, he hadn't stepped foot into house since Hershell had fixed him up. "ya sisters a mess"

"She'll be fine, s'got Maggie" she replied, turning away from him and shoving her face further into the pillow she had been resting on. "Doubt she'd want to see me after" she took a deep breath "y'know"

"After what?" He asked in a rough voice, like he was angry with her. "After ya saved her life?" He huffed and leaned against the door frame. "You did what ya had t'do, none of the rest of ya family did shit!"

"The fuck is your problem?" She snapped, sitting up right to face him again. "If this is your way of comforting m-"

"I ain't tryin t'comfort ya" He growled, then proceeded to walk towards her. "Am telling ya t'stop hidin' away and keep doin' what ya gotta do!" How this escalated to a fight she had no idea.

"I don't 'GOTTA' do anything." she stood up and marched up to him, poking at he chest harshly. "What you 'GOTTA' do is get the fu-"

"(y/n)!" Glenns sounded panicked, he ran into the room and looked momenterly puzzled by Daryls presence, the larger man left almost immediately after this interruption. "(y/n) something wrong with Beth, shes with Maggie in her room. You gotta come now."

***

"And daddy come out side and yelled 'What the hell is going on!' and Beth just looks at him all innocent like 'we was just swimming daddy." (y/n) let out a chocked laugh, smiling through her tears at the story Maggie was telling Andrea. She remembered that day just as vividly, she remembered the way their family used to be, when it was whole. She carefully stroked Beths arm, silently begging her to come back to them. Rick and Glenn had gone off to find Hershell after finding his flask, empty on his dresser.

"Rick and Glenn are gonna bring your dad back." Andrea promised, forcing a smile. Maggie grabbed (y/n)s hand and held it tightly.

"Yeah"

***

"Oh thank god" (y/n) breathed a sigh of relief as she watched her step father get out of car, seemingly unharmed. She watched Maggie run right past him to hug Glenn and smiled slightly at both her love of the Asian boy and her unconscious rudeness. She ran to Hershell to give him the hug he very much needed. "you're ok!" she said, holding him tightly.

Rick informed the group of his rash decision to save Randall, they didn't take it well but (y/n) admired his compassion, his want to help people dispite the danger he may face.

She spotted Daryl later, sharpening his bolts by his camp. She wandered over to him, pushing away any feelings of embarresment after the way she had acted before. He was clearly a hot head, that much she was sure of but he did try to help her in his own way.

"Hey" she smiled, kicking the dirt and trying not to sound too awkward.

"Hey"

"Sorry about before" she said, her world's were genuine. "You were right about doing what to have to do." He shrugged at that, not much of a talker unless he was pissed about soemthing. "So thanks"

"Y'say that too much." Her cheeks felt hot as the slight criticism. "Don't gotta be so damn thankful all the time, yer good."

"Thanks" she kicked her self "er, not thanks - I guess" and for the first time, they shared a real, happy smile.

That smile was only short lived as Andrea ran up to her, informing her that Lori was desperately looking for her. (y/n) ran to the house, worried that something had happened Beth, that maybe her condition had gotten worse. She didn't expect to Lori to hold up one of their steak knifes and tell her that Beth had secretly taken it, obviously having horrific intentions.

(y/n) and Maggie sat with Beth, on her bed. Their younger sister sobbing and telling them she didn't want to live through this anymore.

"You do it too" She said. "We can go together, all three of us." (y/n) was pained, sure she had thoughts of doing it herself, to escape the visions of her mothers rotting corpse as it was crushed behind her own boot, but Beth? She deserved to live her life and damn it all if she wasn't gonna make sure she did. Beth was the only 'real' family she had left. (y/n) stroke her sisters long blonde hair, then held her teary face in her hands.

"No" she spoke softly. "Noone else is gonna die, not tonight."

From then on they didn't leave her alone, someone was always with her, either (y/n), Maggie, Hershell, Jimmy, Patricia, Lori or Andrea. Beth didn't speak much during their time together. when they were younger and (y/n) would occasionally sleep in her room, they would talk into all hours of the night until one of them couldn't stay awake any longer. Now that (y/n) was sleeping there every night to watch over her, it was just silence.

Until she finally spoke one night. "You don't have to babysit yknow." she sighed, turning over to face her older sister.

"Bethy if anything happened to you.. I'd die."

"You'd be alright, youd have Maggie and Dad, Patricia, Jimmy, and Glenn is nice too."

"Beth you're the only thing I have left to hold on too, please don't hurt yourself."

"That's not fair. You can't make me live just for you."

Silence again.

***

"Andrea was supposed to be watching her, but when Maggie and (y/n) went to check up on her, the room was empty. Suddenly they both heard glass smashing, coming from the bathroom.

"Beth!" Maggie yelled, banging on the door. "Please don't do this, let us in"

"Bethy please we aren't mad, just open the door." The other sister begged. When they finally got into the bathroom Beth was crying, holding her bleeding wrist, she cried out apologies as Maggie held her. (y/n) ran to get Hershell and he rushed to help her. She was about to follow when she saw Andrea talking with Lori.

"Where the hell were you?" She yelled, pointing at her aggressively. "You were meant to be watching her!"

"What happend?" Lori asked, concerned, unlike the blonde women who looked indifferent.

"She tried to kill herself."

"Tried" Andrea repeated, "She didn't go through with it, she made her choice she wants to live."

"Her dad is up their right now stitching up her wrist." (y/n) growled

"Now she knows what she wants." Andrea said, "It worked out."

"What if it didn't?" (y/n) stepped closer to her, backing her out on the porch. "What if she had died? You almost let her die!" Andrea open her mouth to talk but the angry women in front of her cut her off. "You come near my sister again, you come near my house again" she started, pushing Andrea again and again until she was off the porch, looking up at her furious expression. "Il kill you!" and she stormed off onto the farm, not wanting to see her face anymore, and not wanting to overwhelm Beth with too much attention since Maggie and Hershell were already with her.

She wandered aimlessly, allowing her anger to slowly decrease until all she was left with was dread. What if Beth had died, what would she have done then?

She saw Daryl sitting alone, he looked lost in his own thoughts just like she was.

"Daryl hey" she said.

"What d'ya want now." He grumbled, looking like he was already exhausted from this conversation, before it even started.

"Sorry, I was just getting away from the house, Beth tried to kill self, Andrea let her do it, i honestly thought I was going to kill her" she told him, making way to sit down next to him.

"Tried?" He asked. "We got bigger problems than an attention seeking kid!"

"Daryl! She's my sister, shes in pain" (y/n) started to cry, she hadn't really taken much time to process what had happened and Daryls comment cut into her.

"Why ya cryin' t'me about it?" He asked "It ain't my problem, you ain't my problem." He stood up from where he was seated, wanting to be alone.

"Daryl i-"

"Nah, sorry ya lost your husband, and yer brother but I ain't no replacement for em, and I ain't yer dad neither, so go tell someone who cares."

Chapter 5 - Already Gone

(y/n) was knelt down next to her husbands corpse, she used her sleeves to clean away the dirt and blood that clung to his face. As she sat there taking in his gut wrenching apreance she thought about her Mother and Shaun, she thought about how she felt as she cleaned them, the pain she tried and failed to push down at the idea of her beautiful, innocent, and loving family members having ever turned into these monsters. (y/n) for some reason, she assumed it was cruelty on her part, did not feel all these things for her husband, in fact she felt as though his outer appearance had finally matched who he really was inside. She hated herself for this, she loved this man, of course she did but she couldnt help it.

She felt a presence behind her, she wasn't surprised, some of the men from Rick's group; Glenn, t-dog, and Daryl, we're busy digging graves for her family. She assumed whoever it was was here for the body's.

"That your brother?" She heard Daryl ask gently. She turned to him, teary eyed, threatening to spill. She shook her head.

"No" she gasped, she hasn't realised she was holding her breath until now. "This is my husband." she motioned to her left. "That's Shaun." Daryl walked towards her brother slowly, reached down to pick him up but stopped and turned to her first.

"She'd thank ya" was all he said.

"What?" (y/n) asked softly, having no clue what he was referring to.

"Yer mom" he clarified, motioning to her mutilated corpse. "She'd thank ya. Y' know f'what ya did." she stayed quiet not knowing what to say. "F'saving Beth from her."

"Wasn't my mom, not anymore. Mom couldn't have walked through that gun fire like it was nothing." she stopped to take a deep breath, tears falling now. "Mom wouldn't have hurt Bethy like that." Daryl nodded slowly, feeling like he'd bitten off more than he could chew with this conversation.

"Il get another grave started f'ya man" (y/n) looked down at Colins body once again, anger souring threw her whole body. He didn't deserve to be buried with her mom, with shaun or that little girl. She shook her head weakly. "Don't bother" she said.

"It not a prob-"

"Please."

Daryl nodded his head "Alright." He patted her, somewhat awkwardly on her shoulder. "Sorry 'bout your family kid" (y/n) looked up at him and felt herself fall apart at the kind eyes of this socially awkward fool trying his best to help her. She let herself feel all of the pain she had been pushing down since this whole thing started, since the illness, and the barn. She wrapped her arms around his strong frame, needing to hold someone that wasn't dead and cold. Daryl stood awkwardly for a second, not knowing how to react. All he could do was gently hold onto her arm and let her cry into him.

"They were already dead." She cried, remembering the last words he had said to her on the last day they had spoken.

They stood there for a few minutes, neither one of them talking. When (y/n) tears started to dry up to slowly pulled away from him, looking up at his nervous expression. She let go of him fully, mumbling an apology.

"What ya wantin' done with him then?" Daryl asked, nodding down at her husband. (y/n) just shook her head. "Whatever you do with the rest of them. I just don't want him next to my family for eternity." She felt ashamed for admitting this to a basic stranger but soemthing in Daryls expression told her that he understood. He bent down to pick his Shauns body, to carry him off to the grave sight. (y/n) gave her brother want last kiss to the head and stepped back.

Chapter 4 - Sophia?

(y/n) walked through the woods with Hershell and Rick, her step father had more poor souls suffering from the illness and wanted to take them back to the barn. He asked Rick for his help. (y/n) knew this was a test, to see if Rick could abide by his rules and she was pleasently surprised when he agreed to do things Hershells way. She thought for a minute, that perhaps they wouldn't have to leave and that Maggie wouldn't have to lose Glenn. This thought made her smile, although the two girls didn't have the best step sister relationship, they definitely still cared for one another, that much obvious, despite neither of them having ever voiced this. Daryl and (y/n) hasn't spoken since the argument they had in front of the barn, (y/n) had barely spoken to anyone since this, apart from her sister Beth and the poor women Carol, who's child was still missing and presumed dead by this point.

Rick, (y/n) and her stepfather lead what Rick's group referred to as the 'walkers' back to the barn in hope of keeping them alive until a cure was found. As they were approaching the barn they saw the large group of people crowded around it and all three of them were anxious, not sure what was about to happen.

Shane ran up to them, Gipping his gun tightly to him, he was screaming at Rick, demanding to know 'what the fuck was going on'. Suddenly he held his gun up and began shooting and the poor soul being lead by Hershell, but to (y/n) and Hershells surprise, he man just kept walking. Rick was begging him to stop, to just listen, while the other the elder man and his step daughter watched in terror as the man finally dropped to ground with a bullet to the head. Hershell dropped him, looking completely broken. The other sick men were immediately put down next, one after the other but there was no time to react as Shane ran to the door of the barn and started forcing it open, all anybody could do was watch ilthe horrors unfold infront of them.

(y/n) grabbed her step father's hand and sobbed as the reanimated corpses she once called 'mom' 'shaun' and 'colin' crawled out to the barn towards her, along with the other sick folk they had rescued since. (y/n) only cried harder, dropping to her knees as Ricks group started firing, she watched as her mother walked through a swarm of bullets, completely unharmed, that wasn't possible. She closed her eyes and wished for it all to disappear.

The gun fire had finally calmed. The sound of sobs coming from the three sisters was all that was heard, that was until the low growling and grunting of one more victim hit their ears. Every single one of them stated that the barn door, awaiting one final death. It was little girl, a poor innocent child, couldn't have even been a teenager yet, none of the farmers had even known there was a child in there, Otis must have rescued her just before his own death.

Suddenly the girls gasping breath was the only thing heard, no crying, no yelling, just the heartbreaking final sounds of the young child. Then.

"Sophia?"

(y/n) crumbled again at that, she had been here all along.

'Sophia!" (Y/n) turned to carol running towards to daughter, only to be caught by Daryl who had to hold her down for her own safety. Carol whimpered and her child wandered closer to her. Everyone watched on as Rick was up the girl slowly and held his gun towards her. He waited, staring at her, willing himself to put the young girl out of her misery, and then he did.

"Sophia!" one final plea from her mother.

Once it was over (y/n) pulled herself together and walked towards her Mothers body, where Beth was already sobbing. She saw Carol run off as she made her way there. She dropped down next to the body, holding Beth tight and crying into her shoulder. She to her left and saw her Brother lying right there, right next to his mother, it was only right that they should have been together in the end. She reached down to stroke his cheek, finally taking in that he was dead, they were all dead.

Out of nowhere Beth began screaming, (y/n) heard Maggie yell 'No!' Just as she turned to find that their mother was still there, but she wasnt their mother, she was attacking Beth, her teeth chomping to so close to her daughters face (y/n) felt like she could passed out just from looking, but there wasn't time for that yet. She jumped up pulled Beth away from her, and when her attempts failed she did what she had to do. She lifted her leg and stomped down as hard as she could on her own mothers face, and she kept stomping, and screaming as she watched her mothers blood and brains break out of skull as she destroyed it. Maggie pulled her back when she didn't know when to stop, she tried to pulled her into a hug but (y/n) only pushed her away and ran towards the side of barn to throw up, choking on her own vomit and tears, this by far was the worst day of her life.

Your pet name for her

Regina: You're pet name for her is angel, after being known as evil for so long it feels good to know that you think so highly of her now.

Ruby: Pup. Pretty self explanatory, knowing that you love her for exactly who she is, or what she is means so much.

Belle: Beauty/Beautiful, because that's exactly what she is to you.

Emma: Baby. With having to grow up so fast, Emma really enjoys feeling like she can be vulnerable with you, knowing that even though she doesn't need to be looked after, you still always do.

Daryl Dixon x Reader

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3 - They Ain't People

Maggie and (y/n) watched from the porch. Glenn had informed them earlier that he couldn't keep their secret anymore, said he wasn't any good at lying. (y/n) wished Hershell had sent them away as soon as the boy was better, this couldn't end well.

Rick's group were discussing what to do with the barn, (y/n) stood back, just close enough to listen to them.

"We can't go" rick said 

"Why?"

"Because my daughters still out there." Carol said, they had been searching for days and nothing. It was hard to say it but most people didn't think we would ever find her. 

'"OK" Shane sighed holding his face in his hands, clearly frustrated. "Ok I think it's time that we all start to just conisder the other possibly."

"Shane, we're not leaving sophia behind" rick insisted

"I'm close to finding this girl" Daryl said "I just found her damn doll two days ago!"

"You found her doll daryl that's what you did, you found a doll."

"You don't know the hell you're talking about!" daryl snapped. 

"Look I'm just saying what needs to be said here now you get a good lead in the first 48 hours. Let me tell you soemthing else men, if she was alive and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction, man!" All hell broke loose at that. Daryl and Shane started going at it and (y/n) ran up to the group to help them separate the pair, the others had pushed daryl away, and when he want to approach Shane again she grabbed his arm to pull him back, he looked and her, clearly pissed at this gesture, but retreated regardless. 

"Il talk to Hershell, OK?" Rick said 

"Hershell sees those walkers in there as people," Dale said, he looked over at (y/n) sympathetically "His wife, his step son." (y/n) stepped into the middle of the group.

"Hershell isn't gonna give in on this." She looked around, glances at every face in the group. "I'm sorry but you'll just have to leave."

The group split after that, going odd in different directions, chores to do and a missing child to find. (y/n) felt a hand on her arm, she looked at, it was daryl. He was watching her closely, like she was unstable.

"Those things in barn." He started, instantly infuriating her.

"My family?" She snapped, ripping her arm away from him. He nodded slowly, and shot her an apologetic look.

"Ya family ain't in there kid." He said, rubbing the back of his neck, he was expecting some sort of melt down, and daryl Dixon wasn't great at the whole comfort thing. "They ain't people." She looked up at him again, he towered over her, but this time he was less intimidating, seemed like he was trying to help, dispite his corrupt view of this new sickness. (y/n) knew he didn't mean to offend, what that didn't stop the anger that boiled within her. "Look ya tried t'warn me 'bout that damn horse, am just tryin' t-'

"Fuck you man." she said, attempting to storm off but he grabbed her by her arm. She was momentarily paralysed, this didn't usually end well, but before she could react he started speaking again.

"You ain't been out there." He said, loosening his grip. "These things are dargerous, they'll rip you an' yer family apart if ya let em." He looked down at her fearful expression. "Don't wanna see ya eaten kid". He let go of her now.

"Well I appreciate that daryl, but I'm not killing my family, you'll just have to leave, this isn't your problem," She told him, no anger this time, just disappointed at his words, his view on all of this, it was almost intolerable. She walked away back the house, needing to just lie down and forget about what he just to her. Didn't he have a family? How could he just expect her to kill hers?