Blind Date Masterlist 2

Blind Date Masterlist 2

Modern Thomas Shelby -99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108

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Found You- Part 2

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: 10.8k

Warnings: language, blood, brief attempted SA (nothing happens)

PART 1

A/N- Back with a part 2!! Thank you to my lovely follower who commissioned this fanfic and wanted a part 2. I really hope she likes this, and I hope you all enjoy it as well. ❤️

*6 Months Later*

The prison had fallen. Your home, your safe haven, your everything was ripped away from you within an hour.

The Governor and his soldiers arrived thirsty for revenge with a tank, which ploughed through the fences and blasted holes into the walls of your home. The prison didn't stand a chance.

You managed to escape with Rick, Carl and your youngest son Dean. But you had no idea where the others were or more importantly were Daryl, Merle and Ricky were and it was killing you.

Michonne had showed up at some point joining the four of you in your journey to some community called Terminus. There were signs placed around the area everywhere with directions on how to get there, so you hoped that Daryl and Merle would be there, and you prayed to anyone who was listening that little Ricky was with them.

"We're close. Just got to make it through another day." Rick suddenly said, breaking the silence as you sat around the campfire on the side of the road.

Carl and Dean were asleep in the abandoned car you had come across on the road. It was a good place to camp for the night, the kids safe inside the vehicle where no walkers would be able to get to them.

"If folks there are taking people in, they have to be strong. They have to have a system." He continued to say.

"I wonder if the whole thing's legit." Michonne responded while you sat there silently and stared at the flames of the campfire.

Michonne and your father continued to talk about Terminus, but you were barely listening too busy thinking about the day the prison had fallen, the day that you last saw your husband and eldest son.

"On the bus. Go!" Maggie's voice shouted across the courtyard.

You looked up from where you were taking cover behind a turned over table, Daryl and Merle right beside you, breathing heavily and reloading their assault rifles.

Maggie and a few others were ushering some of the kids into the bus, getting ready to evacuate if it came down to it, but you could only see Ricky amongst the kids, no sign of Dean anywhere.

"Cover me. I'm going to make sure the kids are on the bus." You shouted above the gunfire.

Daryl and Merle both nodded before they stood up and started returning fire at the Governors men. You didn't waste any time before you took off sprinting across the courtyard, jumping over the bodies of the fallen and around the debris the tank had caused.

Maggie was rushing out the bus as you reached it, her eyes wide and panicked as she scanned the area behind you like she was looking for something.

"Have you seen Beth?"

You shook your head, "no. Is Dean in-"

You didn't get a chance to finish that sentence before she was sprinting off in the opposite direction shouting her sisters name desperately. You stepped into the bus, your eyes raking over the kids and elderly on the seats before you spotted Ricky standing on one of the seats and looking out the window anxiously.

"Ricky, baby." You sighed, rushing down the aisle before he turned around and threw himself into your arms. You hugged your boy back tightly before you pulled away and grabbed his shoulders, holding him in front of you. "Where's your brother? Where's Dean?"

Ricky’s face paled and he glanced over his shoulder at the brick walls of the prison and your stomach dropped. Dean was still inside?

"I-I didn't want to leave without him. But the adults told us to go, and I couldn't find Dean and-and. I'm sorry. I'm s-sorry." Ricky whimpered, his eyes now swimming with tears.

"No, no, it's okay. It's not your fault. Hey, look at me, baby, it's not your fault." You insisted, cupping his face with your hand as the tears started to fall and you wiped them away with your thumb. "I need you to be brave for me, okay? I need you to wait here and I will go and get your brother."

Ricky nodded, biting his trembling bottom lip in effort not to cry before you leant forward and placed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

"I will be right back."

You spared one last glance at your son before you ran back out the bus and sprinted towards the main door of the prison.

"Dean!" You shouted, rushing inside and searching high and low for him. "Dean, where are you?!"

You checked the cafeteria first, then the shower block, but Dean was nowhere to be seen.

The cellblock was next. He wasn't in the cell that he shared with Ricky. He wasn’t in yours and Daryl's cell either and that was when you really started to panic. You began to check every single cell, throwing back all the blankets and sheets trying to find him.

"Dean! Where are you?" You shouted desperately.

"Mummy?"

You spun around so fast, nearly giving yourself whiplash in the process before you spotted your son peeking out from the door to the cell at the far end of the room. Merle's cell. Of course, he was hiding in there.

"Dean!" You rushed over and dropped to your knees in front of him, cupping his face with your hands and searching his body for any injuries, but he seemed to be fine. "Thank God. C'mon, we need to go."

You scooped Dean up in your arms and rushed back outside to put him in the bus with the other kids, but the bus was gone. It wasn't parked in the courtyard anymore. It was gone, which meant Ricky was also gone.

"No, no, no, no, no. No!" You screamed, shaking your head in denial.

This couldn't be happening. No. This couldn't be fucking happening. Your boys were gone.

"W-what's happenin'?" Dean whimpered, getting upset that you were upset.

"It-it's okay. Everything's okay." You reassured, despite the fact that your eyes were filled with tears, and it most definitely wasn't okay.

You frantically looked around taking in the carnage and destruction left over from the fight, but there was no more fighting. The gunshots had seized, and the army tank was quite literally on fire. You couldn't see any people, yours nor the Governor, but there were walkers. Lots of walkers.

The gunfire and explosions having drawn them in from the woods. Everyone must have already evacuated, there were too many walkers to fight, and the prison was destroyed. They had all left.

"Y/N!" Carls voice suddenly shouted.

You looked to your left to find him struggling to hold Rick who was leaning heavily against him.

Shit.

You sprinted over to them, shifting Dean onto your right hip before hooking your father’s other arm around your shoulder, helping take the weight from Carl. Ricks face was busted up, bloodied and bruised, the Governor having done serious damage. You hoped he had killed that son of a bitch, but you didn't ask, you had bigger things to worry about.

"Did you see where the bus went?" You quickly questioned, looking between them.

"No, was Judith on the bus?" Carl asked, grunting as the two of you helped Rick across the courtyard.

Shit. Judith wasn't on the bus, and you didn't see her in the prison either. Where the hell was she?

"I didn't see her. Where's Daryl and Merle?" You asked, but Carl shrugged his shoulders.

Maybe they had gotten on the bus before it left?

"We-we need to get out of here." Rick stuttered, his voice sounding as pained as he probably felt right now.

You nodded in agreement, the three of you picking up the pace and heading for the gap in the fence towards the woods, but out of nowhere, Rick suddenly stopped walking and was staring at something on the ground in the distance.

"What are..." Your voice died in your throat when you saw what it was.

Judith’s baby basket.

It was sitting on the ground in the middle of the courtyard, but it wasn't exactly empty. It was full of blood. Fresh blood. Oh, dear God.

You felt like you were going to be sick as tears burned in your eyes, but you couldn't look away from it no matter how badly you tried.

Judith was dead. Your baby sister was dead.

Your father and brother were both crying. Your arm tightened around Ricks waist as he leant more into your side while he sobbed. It was a different kind of pain hearing your fathers cry like that. He was always the strong one, the one that never broke, but seeing him like this broke your heart and you couldn't stop yourself from crying either.

"Hey, Y/N? Y/N?" Rick's voice called out, snapping you out of your thoughts.

You blinked, bringing yourself back to the present as you looked over at your father who was eyeing you worriedly.

"Sorry, what?" You asked.

"We're going to find the others. You know that, right? Ricky too. They're probably already at Terminus right now waiting for us."

You appreciated his words and knew he was only trying to reassure you, but you also knew that wasn't guaranteed. The others might not be at Terminus and if they weren't, then what? How were you ever meant to find Daryl? Or what if Daryl and Merle were at Terminus but Ricky wasn't with them?

"Hey." Rick said gently, leaning over and grabbing your shoulder. "It's going to be okay."

You took in a deep shaky breath and nodded while fighting back the tears you could feel starting to rise at your fathers' words. It was something so simple, the reassurance and kindness of a father, but it was something that you had spent years without. You had missed it. You had missed him so much.

"Dad... what if they're not there?" You asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't. Don't think like that."

"But-"

"If there is one thing I know about those Dixon brothers, it's that they always find a way to come back. They're kinda like a cockroach if you think about it. No matter how hard you try to kill them, they just keep coming back." Rick explained with a soft chuckle causing you to smile.

"Especially Merle. He's the slipperiest cockroach of them all. Getting shot by the Governor didn't stop him from coming back." Michonne added.

That was true. They always did find a way back. Even when Merle went after the Governor all those months ago and Daryl tracked him down by himself, they both came back. Merle was bleeding from a gunshot wound, but he still made it back. They both did.

"Oh, dearie me." A males voice suddenly said.

That voice was close. Really fucking close.

You jumped to your feet in an instant, pulling out your handgun and rushing to the car where Dean and Carl were, to protect them from whoever had snuck up on you guys. However, you only reached the hood of the car before a man suddenly stepped out from the shadows and blocked your path.

You quickly pointed your gun at him, but he didn't seem threatened in the slightest. Instead, he started to grin from ear to ear, showing off his crooked yellow teeth under the moonlight.

"You screwed up, asshole. You hear me? You screwed up." The same voice from earlier said.

You spared a quick glance over your shoulder and your stomach dropped when you realised how many of them there were. You were outnumbered, and out gunned.

A man wearing what looked to be a biker denim vest was leaning beside Rick. He had a handgun pressed to your father’s temple while one man stood behind Michonne, a gun to her head and two others stood across the campfire, some kind of assault rifles in their hands and aimed at the three of you.

You quickly turned back to the big man in front of you, his sickening grin still as wide and as disturbing as before.

"Today is a day of reckoning, sir. Restitution. A balancing of the whole damn universe." The man who you figured was the leader continued to say.

"Everyone drop your guns, or I shoot your buddy between the eyes." You threatened, finger resting on the trigger as you took a step to the side so you could see everyone else as well as keeping your sights on the big man.

The leader glanced over at you in clear amusement before he looked back down at your father.

"You might wanna tell your girl over there to lower her gun."

Rick didn't dare move his head, not when the tip of a barrel was still pressed against his temple, but his wide panicked eyes shifted over to you.

You yanked your hunting knife from the sheath on your belt and swapped hands with your gun. Within a blink of an eye, the blade of your knife was pressed to the big man’s neck and your handgun was in your non-dominant hand and aimed at their leader.

"You might wanna lower yours first." You shot back.

The man laughed, but it wasn't a normal laugh, it was forced, it was angry, and you didn't like it.

"We have you five to one."

You tilted your head, "I like those odds."

The man seemed taken back by your words, but before he could say or do anything, a voice you feared that you'd never hear again suddenly cut through the still night air.

"Joe!"

Daryl Dixon suddenly stepped out from the woods across the road, his crossbow hanging loosely in his hand by his side. He wasn't looking at this 'Joe' though, his eyes were glued to yours and yours only.

Those ocean blues were torn between relief and panic before he looked over at Rick, eyeing the gun to his head cautiously.

"Hold up. Just hold up." Daryl continued to say.

"This is the guy that killed Lou, so we got nothing to talk about." One of the guys across the campfire suddenly said.

"The thing about nowadays is we got nothing but time. Say your piece, Daryl." The leader -Joe- instructed.

"These people, you're gonna let 'em go. These are good people."

"Now, I think Lou would disagree with you on that. I'll, of course, have to speak for him and all 'cause your friend here strangled him in a bathroom." Joe responded.

Oh, crap.

Rick had told you about that, but you didn't think the guy’s group would track you down.

"You want blood, I get it." Daryl said, dropping his crossbow before holding his arms out to the side. "Take it from me, man. Come on."

What the hell was he doing? Was he trying to get himself killed?

"This man killed our friend. You say he's good people. See, now that right there is a lie. It's a lie!"

Suddenly one of the men turned on Daryl and slammed the butt of his rifle into your husband’s stomach. Daryl doubled over with a grunt of pain before the other man joined in and they both started to punch him.

"Teach him, fellas. Teach him all the way." Joe encouraged.

"No!" You screamed, shifting the sights of your gun at the two men attacking Daryl.

You were so focused on those other men, you had momentarily forgotten about the big man beside you. The blade of your hunting knife had shifted away from his neck, and he used your distraction to his advantage.

Within a blink of an eye, the big man yanked the knife from your grasp before grabbing you by your wild hair and throwing you backwards. There was nothing you could do to stop yourself from hitting the bitumen, hard. The gun tumbled from your hand as you landed on your side, skidding across the road from the sheer force of the throw.

Road rash covered your left arm. Your skin broken and bleeding, but you couldn't feel it. You weren't sure if you could feel it even if you wanted to because you were zeroed in on one thing, and one thing only, the big man who was now opening the car door to get to Dean and Carl.

"No!" You screamed, springing to your feet and slamming the man into the car door, effectively shutting it in the process.

You could hear Dean crying from inside the vehicle and you spared a quick glance through the window to find Carl holding your son trying to comfort him.

"Fucking bitch." The man hissed, his head apparently heaving hit the roof of the car from your shove as he turned to face you, his nose now heavily bleeding.

Oh, he was angry.

There was nothing you could do to stop the hand that came your way. He grabbed you by the collar of your shirt and swung you around before pinning you against the hood of the car.

You grunted at the hard impact and tried to thrash out of his grip, but he had stepped up against you, his body pinning you down against the hood, making it impossible to move.

"You leave her be!" Rick furiously shouted in the background somewhere, but there was nothing he could do.

The other two men were still beating Daryl over the other side of the car. You couldn't see him from where you were, but you could hear the punches and grunts. They were going to beat him to death.

You tried to kick the man out from behind you, you tried to throw your elbow back to hit him, but he had you pinned down well. You weren't getting out of this.

"Listen, it was me. It was just me!" Rick continued to shout.

"See, that's right. That's not some damn lie." Joe responded. "Look, we can settle this. We're reasonable men. First, we're gonna beat Daryl to death. Then we'll have your two girls. Then the boys. Then I'm gonna shoot you and then we'll be square."

Nope. That is not going to happen.

You thrashed against the hood of the car, trying again to get free and although it was pointless, you kept trying.

"Stop your squirming." He laughed from behind you, his hand reaching up and starting to lift your shirt.

"Get the fuck off me!" You yelled, but that only made the man laugh even more.

Suddenly, a gunshot fired nearby, halting the man's hand on your shirt instantly. Dread filled your stomach as you tilted your head to the side in fear, expecting the worst.

Joe took a stumbling step away from Rick, holding his bloodied nose, and it wasn't hard to figure out that your father must have headbutted him. Rick quickly got to his feet and punched Joe, but Joe punched him back just as hard, sending your father to the ground in one hit.

"I got him." Joe declared, reassuring his men before he kicked Rick in the stomach. "Oh, it's gonna be so much worse now. Come on, get up!"

The hood of the car suddenly shifted under you, and you looked up to find Daryl now being pinned against it on the other side, the men still punching him repeatedly.

"No! Stop!" You screamed, watching helplessly as he got beat.

"Get away from her before I-" Rick started to shout before Joe cut him off.

"What the hell are you gonna do now, sport?"

You yanked and thrashed in the man’s grip as you looked back over at your father to find Joe now practically hugging Rick to his chest, pinning him down. You, Daryl and Rick now all pinned down while Michonne sat with a gun trained to her head.

This was it.

This was how it ended.

Then, Rick suddenly bit down into Joe's throat causing the man to cry out in pain before Rick pulled his head back, taking out a chunk of flesh from Joe's neck. Blood sprayed everywhere from the literal hole in his neck before his body dropped to the ground.

Rick spat the mouthful out, blood dripping down his mouth, staining his beard and the once white woollen collar of his jacket a bright crimson red.

The man behind you had stopped, clearly having watched the whole thing happen too. Your father stood there for a moment, staring down at Joe's body, clearly shocked with what he had just done.

Michonne and Daryl were quick to use the bad guy’s distraction to their advantage, taking them down easily. The man holding you suddenly dug his fingers into the back of your dirty blonde hair and yanked you off the hood of the car before holding you in front of him, pressing the blade of your own hunting to knife to your throat.

Great, he was using your own knife against you.

Michonne quickly pointed her gun at him, but the guy was using you as a human shield. She was a good shot, but you did not trust her enough to take this kind of shot.

"Let her go." She ordered, glaring at the man behind you.

His grip only tightened on you, the knife digging into your neck a little harder causing you to wince.

"He's mine." Rick growled.

Your father suddenly marched straight past Michonne and the man behind you gasped in fear, his body now trembling as he stared at Ricks animalistic rageful eyes.

Suddenly, the man let go of you, pushing you back into the car as he took a few shaky steps backwards as if to surrender before Rick speared his knife straight into his neck.

You quickly stepped in front of the car door window, blocking Dean and Carl's view of your father. You found yourself unable to look away as Rick yanked the knife out before slicing it through his neck once again, blood gushing out the wounds like a waterfall.

"Y/N? Sweetheart, shit, are you okay? Sweetheart, are you okay?" Daryl's voice suddenly questioned before he appeared in front of you, snapping your attention away from your father.

Daryl's face was a mess with reddening bruises and blood, but he didn't seem phased by his own injuries. He was too busy scanning your body up and down, searching you for injuries. His eyes hovered over your left arm which you hadn't even looked yet, but you knew it wasn't bad.

You could still hear Rick stabbing the man behind Daryl. The sound of the blade slicing through flesh and blood irreplaceable in the now silent night. He just kept stabbing, and stabbing, and stabbing the man, but you didn't try to stop him. He needed to unleash his anger somehow, so you let him go.

Daryl's blue eyes met yours with a questioning look, and you realised that all this time, you hadn't said anything or answered his questions. You had been too caught up in your own head to notice.

"I-I'm okay." You stuttered, still a little shaken after everything that just happened. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, but you knew that was bullshit. By tomorrow morning his face was going to be covered in bruises, but you knew Daryl was no stranger to that.

Rick eventually stood up and dropped the blood laced knife to the ground before he glanced over at you, and you met your fathers gaze over Daryl's shoulder.

His eyes had a faraway look about them, like he wasn't entirely there after what he had just did, but there was a flash of concern amongst the rage brewing inside of him.

"I'm good. Dad, I swear. I'm okay." You reassured, knowing that was what he was worried about.

Rick hesitated for a second, like he wasn't sure if he should believe you or not before he glanced at Daryl and seemed to realise that you were in capable hands before he simply nodded and turned away, walking off into the woods.

"Wait-" You quickly said, side stepping around Daryl to go after him before Michonne grabbed your shoulder.

"Let him go. He needs to cool down. He'll be back."

You wanted to disagree with that. Not liking the thought of him being out there alone in the dark after all of this, but you knew Michonne was right, your father wouldn't have walked off if he didn't need the space, you had to respect that.

Michonne gave you a small reassuring smile before she walked over to the car and opened the door. Carl was quick to climb out, and instantly hugged the other woman. Michonne seemed taken back by the sudden display of affection, but she quickly hugged him nonetheless.

Little Dean fearfully stuck his head out the car door and you quickly dropped to your knees in front of him, taking in his tear-streaked face and terrified eyes.

God, you hoped he hadn't seen all of that.

"Holy shit, Dean!" Daryl gasped, shock and utter relief filling his voice.

Deans scared eyes suddenly lit up hearing his father's voice and his head snapped up in Daryl's direction, those little almond shaped hazel eyes widening into saucers.

"Daddy!"

Your heart melted watching Dean climb out the car and practically throw himself into Daryl's arms who had only just crouched down before having to catch the five-year-old.

"H-how? I... I thought he was on the bus?" Daryl whispered, tilting his head up to you in shock, his eyes shimmering with tears before he looked back down at the boy in his arms. "I thought you were on the bus. 'N when I checked the bus and ya weren't there, I thought..."

He thought Dean was dead.

Daryl thought his son was dead. These past two weeks he had thought little Merle Dean was dead, but he wasn't He was right here, and you felt yourself tearing up just watching him hold his son.

"Wait." You suddenly said, realisation hitting you like a truck. "You checked the bus? Was Ricky still-"

Daryl smiled through his tears before he stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly, cutting your sentence off.

You frowned in confusion and opened your mouth to ask what the fuck that was, but then you heard it.

"Mummy! Mummy!"

Your heart just about stopped at the familiar voice before you spun around to find Ricky running out from behind a tree across the road.

"Oh my God." You gasped, sprinting the remaining distance to your son before you bent down and lifted him up into your arms, hugging him tightly.

"Daddy told me to hide in the trees and to not come out until he whistled. I did it." Ricky said proudly, his little arms wrapped tightly around your neck.

"You did, baby. You did so good." You sobbed, unable to hold your tears back as you held him. "I missed you. I missed you so much."

"Ricky!" Dean suddenly squealed.

Hearing his little brothers voice had Ricky snapping into action. He let go of your neck and began to wriggle in your arms, wanting to be put down. The last thing you wanted to do was let go of him, but you forced yourself to do it as you gently lowered your eldest son to the ground.

The second his shoes hit the ground, he took off sprinting to the car where Daryl was still crouched, holding Dean, but he quickly released the other boy, and you watched through silent tears as the brothers reunited and entangled themselves together in a big hug.

Daryl got to his feet and walked back over to you, not saying a word before he snaked his arm around your waist and pulled you into his side. His warm, gentle hands were comforting, they were safe, and you allowed yourself to be manhandled before you leant your head against his shoulder.

Silent tears were still trickling down your face, your eyes glued to your sons who were hugging one another before you wrapped your arms around Daryl's stomach and hugged him too.

"We're okay, sweetheart. We're all okay." Daryl whispered, kissing the top of your head. "I love ya."

-

You awoke the following morning inside the safety of the car. Carl and Michonne were both passed out in the front seats while Ricky and Dean were curled up on the backseat, their heads resting in your lap.

"We should save it to drink." You heard your father say from somewhere outside the car.

"You can't see yourself, Y/N and the kids can." Came Daryl's reply.

You glanced out through the window of the car to find Rick sitting down against the front wheel of the car, using Daryl's red rag to wipe the dried blood from his face before Daryl sat down beside him.

You turned your attention back to the two boys in your lap, drowning out Daryl and Ricks conversation about Beth, who, by the sound of it, didn't make it.

Ricky began to stir a little in his sleep before his bright blue eyes fluttered open and he smiled sleepily at you.

"Hi, baby." You whispered, resting your hand on the side of his face and brushing his cheek with your thumb gently. "Go back to sleep. I'll wake you when it's time to go."

Ricky nodded ever so slightly before his eyes slipped shut again and he rolled over, shifting closer to his brother who was still out like a log.

"I knew they were bad, but they had a code. It was simple. Stupid, but it was something. It was enough." Daryl continued to say quietly from outside.

"And you were alone." Rick reminded him.

Carefully, you shifted your sons heads out of your lap before quietly opening your car door, not wanting to wake them or Michonne and Carl who seemed to be making the most of this rare sleep-in opportunity.

"They said they were lookin' for some guy. Last night they said they spotted him. I was hangin' back. I was gonna leave... but, I thought I heard Y/N shout. That's when I saw it was you guys. Right when ya saw me. I didn't know what they could do."

Daryl's voice was heavy with shame, the same way his guilt was weighing down upon his shoulders. He blamed himself for what happened. He felt responsible for it all.

"It's not on you, Daryl." Rick insisted, but Daryl refused to look at him. "Hey. It's not on you. You being back with us here, now, that's everything. You're my brother."

You quietly closed the car door behind yourself, successfully getting out without waking anyone before you walked around the vehicle to find the two of them still sitting against the front wheel and looking out at the woods ahead. Their poker faces were terrible, you could see the emotion washing over the two of them from that conversation, but neither of them wanted to show it.

"I think you mean, son-in-law." You piped up, trying to lighten the mood.

"Jesus." Rick exhaled with a chuckle as he tilted his head up towards you. "We were having a moment here."

"By sitting side-by-side and staring straight ahead? What a touching moment." You teased causing Daryl to snort softly in amusement. "You guys okay though?" You asked seriously.

They both gave you a small nod, although you suspected that neither of them would admit if they weren't okay, so it was a stupid question really.

You sat down beside Daryl, leaning your back against the frame of the car before reaching over and grabbing his hand, lacing your fingers together before shifting your hands into your lap.

Daryl didn't say anything, he simply let you hold his hand in silence as the three of you sat there together.

"Merle?" You asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer.

Daryl shrugged, "went to get Ricky out the bus. By the time I came back, he was gone. Haven't seen him since."

Shit.

Daryl's head quickly turned to you, and you could practically see the light bulb shining brightly above his head at the sudden thought or idea he had just gotten.

He glanced over at Rick almost cautiously, but your father was too busy staring down at his blood-stained hands to notice the look. Daryl quickly turned back to you before mouthing the words, 'Judith?' and your heart shattered.

You bit your lip and silently shook your head, willing the tears you could feel coming to stay back as Daryl’s expression dropped. His own heart shattering, but he didn't say anything. He didn't react loudly, seeming to realise that it would be bad to bring that topic up in front of Rick.

"Merle is probably at Terminus." You suddenly said, wanting to change the topic to something positive.

"He will be, and we should get a move on if we wanna make it before sundown." Rick pointed out, and the two of you nodded in agreement.

-

Later that day, the group of you were walking straight into Terminus after hiding a duffle bag of weapons in the woods for backup. You wandered straight through the back gate without being stopped and entered some kind of old building where a group of people were seated at tables and seemed to be drawing up maps.

"Hello." Rick called out, announcing your presence.

Everyone in the room froze at the unexpected voice before a man sighed and dropped his paint brush onto the table.

"Well, I bet Albert is on perimeter watch. You here to rob us?"

"No. We wanted to see you before you saw us."

"Usually we do this where the tracks meet." The man continued to say, stepping out from around the table to walk over to you. "Welcome to Terminus. I'm Gareth."

You stood back in silence letting your father do all the talking with Gareth and before you knew it, a man named Alex was giving you all a guided tour around the community.

It wasn't until you got outside to what seemed to be an outdoor cafeteria type area, where someone was cooking a barbeque that it all came crashing down.

Michonne, Alex and the woman behind the barbeque were talking while you scanned your surroundings and the people in the area before your eyes landed on a man wearing prison armour.

Where the hell did he get that from?

You kept looking around, noting all the fresh gardens and tables set up under large umbrellas where a few people were sitting and eating. But then you saw something that you'd never misplace.

Daryl's poncho.

A woman sitting at one of those tables was wearing his poncho. It was his. You knew it was his because it had that little hole by the bottom left where Ricky had burnt it while playing with Uncle Merle's lighter without permission.

How the fuck did this random person get Daryl’s poncho? How did that other guy have prison riot armour?

Alarm bells were starting to go off in your head. All of this was just one giant red flag, and you couldn't ignore it.

You adjusted your hold on Dean who was resting on your hip before you took a step forward until you were between Daryl and Rick, both of them looking around the area on high alert.

"Not to alarm anyone, but that guy is in prison armour and that chick is wearing your poncho. How?" You asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

Both Daryl and Rick suddenly turned tense in realisation, their heads snapping in those people’s direction.

Okay, good. So, you weren’t just being paranoid. It isn't just a coincidence.

Rick suddenly marched forward just as Alex went to hand Michonne a plate of grilled meat. Your father smacked the food out Alex's hand and grabbed the man, wrapping his arm around Alex's neck and holding his back against his chest with a gun to the side of his head.

In an instant, you drew your handgun from the holster on your hip, aiming at other people in the area who had already raised their own weapons at the group of you.

"Ricky, behind me. Now." You ordered, not taking your eyes off the armed people in front of you.

You felt Ricky grab onto the back of your pants, hiding behind your legs before you glanced over at Daryl to find him with his crossbow raised, Michonne and Carl also following suit with their guns.

"Where the hell did you get this watch?" Rick questioned, and you only just realised that he pulled out a silver pocket watch from Alex's pocket which you assumed belonged to someone at the prison.

"You want answers? You want anything else? You get them when you put down the gun." Alex responded.

"I see your man on the roof with a sniper rifle. How good's his aim?"

You quickly glanced over at the roof to find that there was in fact a man on the roof with a scoped rifle. Shit. How did you not notice him earlier?

You quickly shifted your sights onto the man on the roof, trusting Daryl, Michonne and Carl to have the others under control. Your fingers rested against the trigger as you aimed at him with one hand, the other firmly holding Dean to your side.

"Where did you get the watch?" Rick repeated sternly.

Alex began yelling at the sniper to lower the weapon and not do anything. To your surprise the man listened and lowered the sniper, but you kept your handgun aimed in his direction not taking any chances.

"I got it off a dead one. I didn't think he'd need it." Alex tried to say, his shaky hands raised in surrender, but Rick didn't remove the gun from the side of his head.

"What about the riot gear? The poncho?" You questioned, not bothering to look at the man as you spoke, keeping your sights on the sniper.

"Got the riot gear off a dead cop." Gareth's voice suddenly answered. You quickly spun around with your gun raised to find the other man standing directly behind you. "Found the poncho on a clothesline."

"Bullshit. That is my husband's poncho. Try again."

Gareth eyed you cautiously, staring down the barrel of your gun before he glanced over at Rick, dismissing you completely.

"What's there left to say? You don't trust us anymore." Gareth simply responded before turning his attention over to your father. "Rick, what do you want?"

You kept your gun trained on Gareth while Rick spoke with him before Gareth suddenly raised his hand to signal someone and Rick fired his gun without warning.

It all happened so quickly.

Dean and Ricky both screamed in fright, and you looked over at your father realising that he had just killed Alex. A second later, gunfire erupted, and you quickly turned around to shoot Gareth, but the man had vanished.

Shit.

You turned your body to the side, trying to shield Dean in your arms and Ricky hiding behind your body as you returned fire at the other people. Daryl suddenly picked up Ricky in his arms before you all took off running away from the gunfire.

Dean was whimpering in your arms, his body trembling as he buried his face in the crook of your neck. You wanted to comfort him, to reassure him that everything would be okay, but with the bullets raining down on you, now was not the time for that.

After a few seconds of running, it became apparent that those people weren't shooting to kill you, they were shooting by your feet. They were shooting at the ground trying to herd you in whatever direction they wanted you to go in.

Oh, that couldn't be good.

"They want us to go this way. They're shooting at our feet!" You shouted above the gunfire.

"We don't have a choice, keep running!" Rick shouted back.

As suspected, they herded you guys like damn sheep in a pen and before you knew it, you were trapped out in the open between a tall, barbed wire fence and a large warehouse building, nothing but an old train cart to your left.

"Drop your weapons! Now!" Gareth shouted.

You looked up to find him now standing on the roof of the warehouse, another man beside him with an assault rifle aimed at you all.

Damnit, how the hell is this guy everywhere?

"Now!" He repeated when none of you moved.

You glanced around trying to find a way out, but you were trapped between the fence and warehouse that was lined with men with guns aimed at you all. There was nowhere to go.

Daryl looked over at you, his bruised but fearful eyes locking with yours before he dropped his crossbow to the ground and lowered Ricky down beside him. Rick looked between you all, his mind working overtime trying to think of a way out of this, but you knew there wasn't one.

Slowly, you lowered your handgun to the ground before putting Dean down as well, wanting your hands to be free in case you had to fight.

The second Dean was on the ground, Ricky rushed over before Daryl could stop him and he quickly grabbed his brother protectively and pulled him behind you, both of them grabbing onto the back of your pants for safety.

Rick, Michonne and Carl all lowered their weapons as well, none of them looking happy about it.

"Ringleader, go to your left. The train car, go." Gareth suddenly instructed.

There was a train cart on your left with the letter 'A' spray painted on the side. He wanted Rick to go inside there? Great, perfect. This was not going to end well.

"You do what we say, the boy goes with you. Anything else, he dies, and you end up in there anyway." Gareth further explained, noticing your fathers hesitation.

Rick glanced over at you and Carl for a brief moment, giving you both a small nod before he began to walk towards the train cart.

"Now the archer."

Like Rick, Daryl hesitated. He didn't want to leave you and the boys out here when there were several men on roofs with guns aimed directly at you. You gave him a small nod of encouragement, despite not wanting him to leave you either. But you also knew that if you pissed off Gareth and didn't do as he said, it wouldn’t end well.

Daryl sighed, but started to follow Rick.

"Now the samurai." Gareth instructed a few seconds later. Michonne glared up at him but obeyed. "Stand at the door, ringleader, archer, samurai, in that order."

"My kids!" Rick shouted, not taking his eyes off you and Carl as Daryl and Michonne lined up behind him in front of the door to the train cart.

Gareth looked back down at you and although it was hard to see his face from all the way up on the roof of the warehouse, you could see that he was grinning.

"I am not going anywhere without these boys." You stated sternly, your hands behind your back, holding onto your sons as you glanced over at Carl who took a few steps closer to you, his brown eyes filled with terror.

"Relax, mama bear. You and the three boys can go."

Carl quickly grabbed Ricky’s hand while you picked up Dean and you hurriedly walked in the direction of the train cart.

"Ringleader, open the door and go in." Gareth shouted from the roof.

"I'll go in with them." Rick shouted back, not taking his eyes off you and Carl as you walked over to them.

"Don't make us kill the girl now."

Ricks face twisted in anger. He glanced at the door to the train cart before glancing back at you, not wanting to go inside when you and Carl weren't there yet, but seemed to realise he didn't have a choice.

You watched as Rick climbed up the steps before he pulled open the door to the train cart before stepping inside, Daryl and Michonne following before you and Carl reached the steps.

"Go." You said, nodding at Carl to go inside first.

He nodded, his hand still holding Ricky’s as he slowly walked up the steps with his nephew and stepped inside before you followed. Daryl instantly stepped in front of you, his hand cupping the side of your face before he looked down at Dean in your arms when suddenly the door behind you slammed shut.

It was dark inside. The only light was streaming in through the small gaps in the door barely lighting up the cart. You could see Daryl in front of you though, his eyes never leaving yours, like he had been afraid that he would never see you again after getting momentarily separated.

"It's okay." You whispered, grabbing his hand with your free one before glancing over at Ricky who was still clutching Carl’s hand tightly.

"Rick?" A voice suddenly questioned.

Wait. That voice... you knew that voice.

You turned around and had to do a double take when a couple figures stepped out from the shadows at the far end of the train cart and your jaw dropped when you realised who they were.

Glenn and Maggie.

Holy shit, they were alive.

"You're here." Rick responded, sounding as shocked as you were.

A few other people suddenly emerged from the darkness, two familiar faces, Sasha and Bob, but the other men and women were strangers, although Maggie and Glenn didn't seem worried about them.

"They're our friends. They helped save us." Maggie explained, like she could somehow read your mind.

"Yeah." Daryl nodded, his hand still holding yours. "Now they're friends of ours."

"For however long that'll be." The big redhaired man muttered, shaking his head before he turned away.

"No." Rick stated, shaking his head causing the man to turn back towards him. "They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out."

Your father walked over to the door, peaking through the small gap as the redhaired man stepped forward, "find out what?"

“They're screwing with the wrong people."

-

Nobody slept a wink that night, minus Ricky and Dean. Those little boys could sleep anywhere if they wanted to. The rest of you stayed up talking, Daryl telling Maggie about Beth, Glenn introducing you to Tara, Rosita, Abraham and Eugene.

They seemed like decent people, Eugene was a little strange, but was nice enough and Maggie and Glenn vouched for them, so that was all you cared about.

The group of you made weapons out of anything that you could. Gareth had apparently stripped the others of all their weapons, but you still had your hunting knife on your belt and pocketknife. The knives were used to carve wood out from the side of the cart, shaving off the tips and making them into weapons.

Carl helped as well, but also sat in the corner with Ricky and Dean, keeping your boy’s company and trying to distract them from how scary this whole thing must be for them.

"Alright, got four of 'em pricks comin' our way." Daryl announced from where he was keeping watch through the gap in the door.

"Ricky, Dean, you two stay right there, okay? Don't move." You instructed, looking over at your boys who were still sitting in the corner.

They both nodded, but Ricky must have sensed the urgency in your voice because he reached over and grabbed his little brother’s hand to make sure Dean didn't try and move.

You turned back to Daryl who had stepped away from the door, and you handed him your hunting knife. He took it with a nod of appreciation before you pulled out your pocketknife, flicking the blade out with your thumb.

"Y'all know what to do. Go for their eyes first. Then their throats." Rick instructed.

"Put your backs to the walls on either end of the car, now!" A male’s voice shouted from outside.

None of you listened. You all huddled around the door with your weapons raised ready to attack the second that door got pulled open. But then a hatch suddenly opened in the roof, daylight streaming down at you all.

You squinted at the bright light, unable to see what was up there before something suddenly fell through the hole and clanged onto the ground. You looked down in confusion and your stomach dropped when you saw the silver device by your feet.

Oh, fuck.

"Move!" Abraham's voice boomed through the cart.

Daryl grabbed your arm, yanking you away from the canister before shielding your body with his just as it exploded with a loud bang.

The force of the explosion sent you and Daryl to the ground. Your body crashed into the hard floor. In the back of your mind, you acknowledged that the explosive had been some kind of stun or gas grenade and nothing lethal, but that little piece of information was useless right now as you laid on the ground quite literally stunned and ears ringing loudly.

You blinked, trying to get your head straight as you glanced around, the entire cart filled with white smoke as you cough and spluttered. Your vision was blurry, but you could see Daryl lying on the ground beside you, not fairing much better.

Your body wouldn’t cooperate as you tried to move, your limps feeling numb as you tilted your head to the side and allowed yourself to relax slightly when you spotted your sons across the cart. Ricky was covering Deans body with his own, shielding his little brother from the explosion.

Suddenly, the door to the cart slid open, and you watched helplessly as a group of men marched inside and started to drag some of you out.

"Daddy!" Dean cried, peeking out from behind Ricky to see his father being hauled away by the men in riot armour.

"No!" You yelled, staggering up onto shaky feet and reaching for Daryl who seemed to be unconscious in the man’s arms. "Let him go!"

You rushed forward, your head spinning and ears still ringing from the explosion, but then something hard slammed into the side of your head and the last thing you heard was Rick screaming, "don't touch her!" before everything turned black.

-

"My dad's gonna be back. They all are."

That was the first thing you registered when you started to wake up. The second being what sounded like screams and gunfire in the distance.

What the hell was going on?

"They are. And we need to get ready to fight when they do." A different voice said. A voice you knew.

Maggie.

Slowly, you blinked your eyes open to find that you were laying on the floor of the train cart with two sets of familiar eyes looking down at you in worry.

"Mummy! You're awake!" Dean said happily, plonking himself down on top of you in a hug.

You grunted at the sudden impact before Ricky hugged you as well and you laid there for a moment and wrapped your arms around your sons holding them against your chest.

They were okay. Your boys were okay.

Maggie suddenly stepped into your line of sight, hovering above you almost worriedly.

"What happened?" You asked, your voice coming out weaker than you expected before you cleared your throat and tried again. "What happened?"

"They took Glenn, Rick, Daryl and Bob. But there was an explosion not long ago and now it sounds like a war outside. We're not sure what's going on. Can you stand?"

Ricky must have been listening because he suddenly let you go before he grabbed his brother and pulled him off you, giving you room to sit up as you looked around. The others were all sitting and standing around, everyone's eyes on you.

You could hear the sound of walkers above the rapid gunfire, their distinct growls and snarls coming from outside the train cart.

Maggie held her hand out and helped you to your feet before Carl walked over and handed your pocketknife back to you which he must have found on the ground.

"Thanks." You said, taking the knife before suddenly the door to the train cart opened and Rick stood in the doorway.

"Come on! Fight to the fence!" He shouted, briefly looking at you all before he turned and began shooting walkers with what appeared to be an AK-47 in his hands.

Where the hell did he get that from?

Everyone hurried out through the open door before you could even move, but Daryl pushed past them and stepped inside the cart, his wide panicked eyes frantically searching the small space before he saw you standing beside the kids.

"You good?" He quickly asked, rushing forward and grabbing the side of your face, gently tilting your head to the side to look at the bruise on your forehead from the hit that knocked you out.

You grabbed his hand and lowered it from your face, "I'm good. Let's get out of here."

Daryl nodded, before he picked up Dean in his arms and you grabbed Ricky’s hand with your free one and you rushed out the train cart where the others were fighting the herd of walkers.

Shit, there were a lot of them.

"Y/N!" Rick's voice suddenly shouted.

You looked up and only just had enough time to catch the assault rifle he tossed your way.

"You hold onto the back of my shirt, and you don't let go, understand?" You instructed, looking down at Ricky who frantically nodded, grabbing the bottom of your shirt in a vice like grip.

Daryl was taking out walkers with a metal pipe in one hand while holding Dean to his chest with the other and you quickly raised your rifle and began shooting at the walkers, taking them out one by one.

"This way! C'mon!" Your fathers voice shouted.

The group of you ploughed your way through the herd of the dead, clearing a path until you reached the tall, barred wire fence that lined the community. Abraham and Rosita found an old blanket and threw it over the top of the fence to cover the sharp barbs.

Everyone began throwing themselves over the tall fence with Abraham’s help.

"You keep shooting, I'll get Ricky over the fence." Michonne instructed.

You glanced over your shoulder and nodded at your son to go with Michonne who quickly picked him up and rushed over to the fence where Daryl was lifting Dean over to someone on the other side.

Satisfied that your boys were in safe hands, you turned around to find a group of men appearing up on the rooftops of the warehouse, giving you deja vu.

"Y/N!" Your father shouted for backup, raising his rifle towards the men.

"I see them." You responded, wedging the butt of the rifle into your shoulder before you looked through the scope.

The crosshairs were moving all over the place as you tried to hold the gun still, but your hands were shaking too much, so you just squeezed the trigger and shot in their general direction. It seemed to work though because after a few seconds, they were all dead.

You and Rick turned your sights onto the walkers that were getting closer and closer, their rotten bodies stumbling through the courtyard towards you all.

You began to shoot at them too, trying to buy the others time to get over the fence before your gun suddenly clicked, the bullets no longer firing.

"I'm out of ammo!" You called out, dropping the rifle and drawing your pocketknife back out.

"Get over the fence, I'll cover you!" Rick shouted, stepping in front of you protectively while he kept shooting at the walkers.

You hurried back over to the fence just as Abraham helped the last person over and you glanced over your shoulder, "Dad, c'mon!"

Abraham helped you over the fence, making quick work of it before you landed on the other side where the others were all waiting. Rick landed beside you a moment later, stumbling a little failing to get his footing before you grabbed the collar of his jacket and steadied him.

"Thanks." He sighed, breathlessly, resting his hand over yours just as Abraham hauled himself over the fence too.

You glanced over to find Daryl holding Dean while Ricky stood beside him, holding his free hand before you glanced around at the others, relieved that everyone was okay.

Daryl led you all through the woods, tracking your old footprints from yesterday before he found where Rick had buried the bag of weapons. While your father dug up the bag, he argued with Abraham and the others about what to do next, but their arguing came to a quick stop when footsteps approached you all from behind.

You turned around quickly and reached for your knife, but froze when you saw that it was Carol.

Holy shit, she was alive.

Daryl was the first to react, putting his son down before rushing over and hugging her. You let out a small chuckle of disbelief, unable to believe she was alive as you walked over to her.

"I'm so glad you're okay." You said.

"I'm glad you guys are okay." She replied, looking between you and Daryl with a big smile before she glanced at someone over your shoulder.

"Did you do that?"

You turned around at your father’s voice to find him motioning back in the direction of Terminus and suddenly it all made sense. The explosion that Maggie told you about, that was Carol.

Carol nodded before Rick pulled her into a hug and you smiled watching the two of them reunite.

"She had a little help!"

Merle Dixon suddenly emerged from the woods, and you found yourself paralysed to the spot in pure disbelief. He was alive. Holy shit, he was alive and him and Carol had just saved your lives.

"Uncle Merle!" Ricky and Dean both squealed.

Your kids seemed to process this information quicker than anyone else because within a flash, they were sprinting over to their uncle. Merle grinned, kneeling down with his arms out just as your sons threw themselves into his embrace causing Merle to chuckle.

"Have you two grown since I last saw ya? Look how big you are! You're gonna be out huntin' with me in no time." Merle exclaimed, hugging his nephews tightly before he tilted his head up towards you and Daryl, and a relieved smile spread across his face.

"Jesus, man. I thought you were dead." Daryl muttered, trying not to show how much he really cared, but you could hear the emotion in his voice.

Merle just grinned, letting go of his nephews before he stood up and took a few steps towards his brother. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Merle shook his head and pulled Daryl into a tight hug.

"Ain't nothin' can kill me, little brother." Merle reassured, patting Daryl's back before he glanced over at you. "Y/N, get your freckled face over here 'n give ya brother-in-law a hug."

You rolled your eyes at his choice of words, but walked over anyway just as Merle lifted one of his arms off Daryl and pulled you into the family hug. You closed your eyes and hugged the two of them, allowing yourself a moment to let your guard down as you stood in the safety of their arms.

"Dixon, is that you?" Abraham suddenly called out.

Wait, what?

You and Daryl pulled away from Merle in confusion to find Merle looking just as confused as he looked in the direction of the voice to find Abraham slowly walking towards him.

"Ford?" Merle questioned in shock.

A giant smile broke out across the redhead’s face, and if you weren't mistaken, that was the first time you had ever seen the man smile.

"Son of a dick, it's really you." Abraham exclaimed, holding his hand out.

Merle grinned, taking Abraham’s hand before they pulled each other into a quick hug-pat thing that guys seemed to always do.

"Wait, you two know each other?" You asked, looking between them in confusion.

The two of them pulled apart and Merle nodded, "we sure do. I know him from my army days."

"Bro, you got kicked out the army." Daryl pointed out causing Merle to glare at him, but there was no real heat behind it.

"We were in Basic together." Abraham supplied, still smiling brightly. "Man, remember all the shit we used to get up to?"

Merle grinned, "remember that night when we-"

"Whoa, is this story PG rated?" You quickly asked, glancing over at Ricky and Dean who were looking up at Abraham and Merle like they were the most fascinating people on this planet.

"None of Abrahams army stories are PG rated." Rosita spoke up, shooting the redhead a smirk. "We should probably get going. I don't wanna be near that place when those walkers get out."

Yeah, she had a fair point.

"You have to come with me." Carol quickly said, pointily looking at Rick as she spoke before she suddenly turned around and began walking off through the woods.

"She's right. C'mon, Officer Friendly, you're gonna love this." Merle announced, turning and following Carol.

You glanced over at your father in confusion who met your gaze with equal amounts of confusion, but you just shrugged your shoulders before the group of you all followed the two of them through the woods.

Eventually you reached a small dirt road which you then followed, neither Carol nor Merle elaborating any further about where you were going, until you spotted an old wooden cabin in the distance. The door to the cabin opened a moment later and your jaw dropped when Tyreese stepped out with baby Judith in his arms.

Rick made a sort of strangled gasping sound in the back of his throat beside you before he quickly pulled his rifle off his shoulders, holding it out in your general direction. He couldn't speak, but you didn't need him to as you took his gun before he sprinted down the dirt road.

Carl ran after your father and tears started to blur your vision as you watched Tyreese hand over your baby sister to them before Sasha jogged over engulfing her brother into a tight hug.

The rest of you all slowly walked over to them. Merle was holding both Dean and Ricky in his arms while he chatted away with Abraham. Your sons refusing to leave their uncles side, but Merle didn't seem to mind.

Daryl slung his arm over your shoulder, and you rested your head against his chest and wiped the tears from your eyes as Rick handed Judith to Carl.

"Thank you." Your father said, turning to Tyreese.

"Don't thank me, man. Dixon was the one that saved her back at the prison."

Everyone's head snapped in Merle’s direction who was too busy talking with Abraham to hear what was going on, but he noticed the sudden attention because he stopped whatever he was saying and looked around at everyone in confusion.

"What?"

"You saved Judith." Rick stated, like he couldn't quite believe it was true.

"Yeah, I did," Merle nodded seriously, glancing over at the baby girl in Carls arms before he chuckled. "And you lot doubted my baby-sitting ability."

You rolled your eyes, "that is because you keep teaching my sons bad language. We don't want Judith’s first word to be asshole."

"Well, someone's gotta be the fun uncle. It sure as shit ain't gonna be Mr. Goodie Two-shoes over there." Merle responded pointing at Glenn. "No offence, man."

Glenn laughed softly, "no, that's fair."

"I think I like Glenn better. He hasn't taught those boys anything bad." You pointed out, giving Glenn a small appreciative nod.

"Wait, wait, what about that day Glenn gave Ricky the lighter?" Maggie suddenly reminded.

"I swear, I didn't think he'd try and set that poncho on fire." Glenn said defensively.

"That was you?" You gasped, looking over at Glenn who had the decency to look guilty. "I've been blaming Merle for the past two months."

Daryl snorted softly from beside you, "to be fair, it is usually always Merle who does stupid shit."

"I am standing right here." Merle exclaimed, pretending to take offence to the whole conversation causing you all to start laughing.

"Hold on, I'm confused." Rosita suddenly said, looking between your family. "Rick is your father, but he is also Carl and that baby’s father, and Daryl is your husband, and those boys are you sons?"

You chuckled softly, "yeah, pretty much."

"Oh, okay. That makes total sense." Tara nodded sarcastically.

"It's okay, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it and I've known them for a while now." Michonne piped up causing you all to start laughing again.

"We need to go." Rick announced once the laughing had stopped.

You looked over at your father to find him staring at the smoke in the distance. The community of Terminus still burning from the explosion Carol and Merle had caused.

"Yeah, but where?" Daryl asked, his arm still over your shoulder.

"Somewhere far away from there."

-

THE END

-

MASTERLIST pinned to profile

Commissions open! Link in bio & DM for enquiries ❤️

---

Hey how are you hope you ok

I got a request for Tommy Shelby if that ok

So basically you and Tommy are dating and one day in a meeting you was having theses really bad stomach pains and you thought nothing of at than when u got home and I got worse and than u went to Tommy crying in pain still and he said you might be in labour ( u don’t know u pregnant) than he calls polly and then u gived birth to you boy or girl up to you and then next day every one was  Shock and yh hope that make sense u don’t have to do it x

Dear Anon,

Thank you for waiting! I changed things up a bit and I apologize for any mistakes as I'm editing on mobile at work. Hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: childbirth, mentions of Hugh stress and poor eating habits. Peaky related themes and magic.

Dating Thomas was a life changing decision in more ways than you had originally realsied. Your whole life plan had been derailed by the constant ups and downs. 

Every new accomplishment and high was met with an even more dangerous low. You were along for the ride while managing your position at the book shop you owned. Long days and fun nights occupied these past few months so much that you realised that your period was late. 

Very late. 

You thought about it for a while and realised it was probably what used to happen when you were a teenager. High times of stress would stop it altogether. You had no other symptoms that women had told you about. No weird cravings, or morning sickness. Just lots of drama and stres.

You pushed the thought from your mind as you went about your usual routines. 

________6 months later____

You had come to the realisation that you must be barren. A fact that was difficult to come to terms with, however Tommy had said he wasnt interested in children any way. 

Looking at your self in the mirror you noticed a bit of weight on you and made a mental note to try and correct it by skiping meals for a while. Nothing big to worry about in comparison to another rival family causing chaos. You’d only just gotten sorted from being held captive a week ago. 

You already had so much on your shoulders at the book shop, orders were piling up and you were spending more and more late nights and early mornings. Tommy’s men escorting you and staying by the door while you worked. 

The multiple attempts on your life did nothing but add to the list of reasons you couldnt sleep at night. You were slowly falling apart. 

Cramps set in about mid day and you finally gave up. You called Tom letting him know you couldnt make it to lunch and went right to bed. Taking a much needed nap you woke up to even worse sets of pain. 

You grabbed your hot water bottle and tried to curl up on the couch with a book. Struggling through the sets of pain you began to wonder if something else was wrong. Wasn’t there an organ that could explode in your stomach? 

Your thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. 

____________________________________________________

Sitting across the table from the old woman, Polly thought back through time. Her eyes were dark and she had told her lots of things about her life that night. Gave her the curse of knowledge, knowing all too well that the girl was too weak to fight fate. And Polly had tried, every step of the way to fight it. 

It didnt surprise her that she was once again stuck at that wooden table. That the woman reflected on something said ages ago. 

A child. 

Polly’s heart sunk when she thought about the two children that were permanently out of her reach. A child? At this age. Not likely. 

The dream took a turn and woman shouted at her. 

“Go to her now before its too late.” And image of your face came into her mind and suddenly she was awake. The womans cold scream still echoing in her mind. 

Getting her clothes pulled on she quickly called Thomas. 

“Need to get to her place now” She said trying to pull on her boot at the same time. 

“Pol - why? What’s wrong?” The sound of panic in his voice made her reconsider your place within the family. 

“Just go, I’m on my way now.” She hung up the phone not wanting to waist anytime. On the drive over she thought about you and what this ment. 

There was no way of making sense of the situation. All the things she was told never made sense as a girl and wouldnt likely start to make sense now. She sighed defeated. She liked you well enough. Smart, kept Thomas in line, a bit soft hearted but she could see that changing the more you saw of the world. 

She parked and ran up the steps of your building. Opening the door she ould hear your soft cries as he tried to comfort you. 

“Pol what’s wrong with her.” 

“It’s a child.” Polly said moving into the kitchen seeing what supplies they were working with. 

“Fuck off.” You said a tone of disbelif. Coming back into the room she watched your face cycle through the many stages of panic. 

“Accept it so we can get on with it.” Polly said to the both of them. 

“How?” 

“Part of the prophecy. Flashbacks got me up in the middle of the night.” She watched as Tommy fell under the weight of her words. 

“Alright, love.” He kissed the top of your head. “It’s not going to make sense. So just let it happen.” You looked at up him your fear fading in the warmth of his gaze. 

“I dont think I can do it.” You groaned, tears welling up in your eyes. 

“It’s already happened. Pol saw it. That means you certainly can. Just have to make it from here to there.” 

After that you followed instructions, Polly was professional but couldnt help but feel a fondness growing for you. This was also a side of Tom she hadn’t seen since he was a small boy. He did everything without thought, never letting you out of his grip. 

“Tough girl.” He kissed your temple. “You can do it, gotta push again” 

Like many times before. Polly pulled a small little babe from their mother on the living room floor of a dingy flat in Birmingham. 

You collapsed against Tom and Polly went to work ensuring the child was alright. Smallest little girl she’d ever seen. Born too soon, quiet as a mouse as she looked up at her great aunt. Her heart was strong, and Polly knew just by holding her that this child, was significant in something bigger than all of them put together. 

She handed the girl off to her parents. Leaning back against the sofa sitting next to Thomas. He handed her a cigarette from his breast pocket. 

Taking a long drag, she realized she should give them space to enjoy the moment. Her bones had no interest in moving as the night, and previous months took a toll on her. 

“She predicted this? Why didn't you say something?”  Tom whispered stoking the cheek of his first child. 

Polly almost snapped at him, before registering his tone of voice. She’d never seen him this vulnerable. 

“She told me a lot of things, I was small at the time. None of you were born yet. It’s not specific stuff-” 

“Thank you.” You said with tears in your eyes. “I -I Don't know what to say.” 

“You shouldn't say, anything love. You're family now” 

_________________________________________________

You were the most exhausted you’d ever been, but a family meeting was unavoidable. That night was the last night you spent in your apartment. He’d carried you to the car the next morning to take you to his place. 

You watched him move around the massive kitchen. He got you a cushion before letting you sit at the head of the table. A cup of strange tea was placed in front of you as the family started to pile in. 

Ruby slept in your arm and you tried to relax as the family came close. You were friendly and warm with everyone but this was the first time they were seeing you as a permanent fixture in the family. 

“That must have been so scary love. Your body hid it so well” Emse came up to you putting her arm around you in a makeshift hug. “Look at her. So small. Pretty like her mum.” She sat close to you and you knew that it was because of her natural distaste for family meetings. Her posture told you if anyone got smart she’d chew them out. 

Arthur and John started to congratulate Tommy loudly and your stomach turned when they set on you. She was so small you didn't feel comfortable passing her around yet. What if that offended people? 

“Look at that! Next Shelby made a grand entrance like her da” Arthur kissed your cheek, his mustache tickling. “Good job, love.”

“Thanks,” You said softly. 

“God I hope she’s just like you Tom. Finally some payback.” John came over and lowered his voice once seeing her. “Fuck she’s so small. You can call us any time if you need anything. Got a truckload of baby clothes for ya.” 

“Really though, love. Call any time.” Esme said and you hoped more than anything you would get closer to her. 

The meeting started and Tommy made a grand speech. It didn't take long before Polly was rushing you back up to lie down in bed. When you woke up there was a ring on your wedding finger and a note on the bedside table. 

Gone to London for business. Be back tomorrow. 

You went back to the massive set of diamonds on your finger. It was talked about but you hadn't had the chance to think about it yet. 

There was a soft knock at the door and Esme poked her head in. 

“Staying while he’s away, do you need anything, love.” Without knowing what to do you just stuck your hand out at her. 

She looked at the ring. 

“When!” She whispered.

“Just woke up and it was there.” You whispered back in disbelief. 

“Such a Thomas thing to do.” She laughed and sat on the bed next to you. You both talked for hours and you were grateful she let you doze off and nap. 

You and Ruby fit right in.

---

Messing with the Peaky Fookin Blinders

Thomas Shelby x (Sister) reader, Arthur Shelby x (Sister) reader, John Shelby x (Sister) reader,

Plot: (Y/N) came home one day with tears in her eyes and some scratches on her. Her brothers go to protect family mood

Word Count: 1180

Warning: Teen reader, regular amount of Peaky Blinders violence, bad grammar (as always), Protective Arthur, John, and Tommy,

Peaky Blinders Masterlist

I do not give permission for anyone to repost/ post my stories, with or without credit. Reblogs, comments, etc. are more than welcomed, but please DO NOT copy and paste my stories that you may like onto another platform

It was late afternoon, almost evening when (Y/N) walked into the house. Usually, she would be home before this time, but she was supposed to meet up with a boy that she really fancied, but it didn’t turn out like she expected. Her eyes had been glossy the whole walk home. She closed the heavy door, signalling to the whole house that someone walked into the house.

“(Y/N) is that you?” John yells out from one of the rooms, but she doesn’t reply, she just wanted to go to her room. She hears some movement before hearing her brothers again.

“Oi, what happened to ye?” Arthur inquires, seeing his little sister with her head down, hiding behind her hair.

“Nothing. Just tired is all,” she replies, trying to move around her brothers. Tommy quickly grabbed her arm, stopping her. She whips around, the boys finally seeing the damage she arrived with. A couple of bruises littered her face. Scratches adorned her open skin. This shocked all three of them.

Arthur quickly picked her up and moved her to the kitchen. Tommy and John followed close behind. The light was turned on, giving them more light to see her condition. Arthur placed her on the counter and gently pulled her hair back like a curtain. She had a black eye and a bruise forming against her cheek. What scared them the most was the bruise forming around her neck. Her knees and elbows were scuffed up, blood slowly falling from the open cuts.

“Who did this,” Tommy asks cooly.

“You remember the boy I had talked about,” they give a quick nod, remembering that they didn't like the idea of her going out with the boy. “It was a joke... a bet. Once the bet was up, they beat me up,” she says. The looks on their faces were cold.

“Did they say anything else?” Arthur pushes.

“They said something about revenge, but I couldn’t really make out the words…” she trails off, trying to not let the tears fall. Tommy placed a gentle hand on her shoulders. Before anyone could get another word in, Polly walked into the kitchen and before she could get a word in she saw (Y/N). She gasped and pushed off the brothers to get a look at the young girl.

“What in the bloody hell happened?” she questioned, pushing back her hair to get a better look at the damage herself.

“Apparently some of Kimber’s young men thought it would be funny to mess with (Y/N),” Arthur says while getting some ice.

“How’d you know it’s Kimber?” Polly questions, grabbing the ice from the oldest Shelby and gently placing the ice on (Y/N) face.

“Are we at war with anyone else at the moment?” Tommy questions while lighting a cigarette.

“Fair point,” she stated. (Y/N) hisses at the coldness, but Polly ignores her whines. She hears liquid in a bottle swing and then footsteps.

“Hold out your arm,” John says, which she follows. A burning feeling runs up her arm as the cloth is placed on her cut.

“You got lucky that they didn’t try to break bones (N/N),” Arthur states, hating to watch his younger sister in pain. The silence in the room was broken by a sniffle. Their attention was all brought back to the youngest Shelby daughter.

“I thought someone finally took a fancy to me…” her voice breaks at the end. Everyone's heart breaks for her. Polly brings her into an embrace, trying to comfort her. The three men got up, grabbed their hats and coats and made their way out the door.

"Where are you lot going?" Polly yells out, already knowing the answer.

"Don't worry, it won't take long," John calls out before the door closes.

“Where are they going?” (Y/N) questioned, looking up at Polly. She gives the younger girl a small smile before answering.

“They are going to get revenge for their sister. Now, let us get you cleaned up and into bed,” (Y/N) nods before they make their way upstairs.

It was late into the night when the three returned to the Watery Lane house. (Y/N) was partially asleep, still dejected over what had happened hours before. She stirred awake again, but instead of a quiet house, she heard footsteps and soft voices throughout. She got up and slowly opened her door, trying not to alert the people who were making the noises. She slowly made her way out of her room and down the stairs, following the voices. She peaked her head into the office area, seeing her three older brothers sitting around. They were drinking and talking, probably about Kimber.

“I think someone is dropping in on our conversation,” Arthur’s voice breaks their current conversation. The boy's eye’s met her (Y/E/C) through the partially opened door. Tommy gestured for her to enter, she quickly comes in and goes to sit beside Arthur. He brings her into his lap, with her head leaning against his chest.

“How are doing?” John asks.

“Better. Still, a little shaken,” she replies, snuggling in her brother's embrace, fidgeting with his callused hand.

“Hopefully you won’t have to deal with them anymore,” Tommy’s deep voice calls out. She moved so she could face him, confusion crosses her face. He gives her a gentle smile.

“We can explain in the morning. Now, I think you should go back to bed,” Tommy pushes but her grip on Arthur tightened. That action caught all of their attention right away. It gave away more than (Y/N) had wanted.

“Oh (N/N),” Arthur whispers, bringing her into his embrace. His chin rested on her head. More tears run down her face.

“They are in my dreams…turning them into nightmares,” she whimpers, trying to move closer to her brother.

The three look between each other. They had never seen (Y/N) this shaken up before and it broke their hearts. Arthur keeps her against him, John now sitting closer to the two, his hand resting on her leg. They continue their conversation but try to keep off the topic of Kimber. Eventually, she fell asleep, listening to Arthur’s heartbeat. The three relax a little, knowing that she is safe in their arms.

“So now what, they will probably go after her again,” John says, noticing the sleeping Shelby. Arthur doesn’t want to move, not wanting to wake her.

“She isn’t going to leave our side,” Tommy says while lighting a fresh cigarette. “And if she does?” Arthur questions.

“We send someone after her. She will always be in the presence of a Peaky Blinder,” he states, the smoke billowing out of his mouth. All of their eyes land on their sister, small smiles cross their faces. She was the only one that would ever see them this soft. A soft smile graces her sleeping form when they all place a small kiss on her head.

“We love ya and we won’t let anything 'appen to you again,” Tommy promises to the sleeping girl.

Hey Juli!! ☺️

I saw you reblogged a list of prompts and was wondering if you could write something for Tommy using "i'm sorry did you just say that this is fun?" "yeah, kinda." … you can do it either with Eva or with a reader, I’ll love it either way!!

Thanks so much in advance if you choose to write it!

Thank you K 😊

Night on the January

Gif by @theshelbysgifs

"I'm sorry did you just say that this is fun?" He asks as the two of you finally get to spend a night together.

Most ladies would turn their nose at spending the night in a borrowed narrow boat.

The January was not the prettiest, but it was their haven where they could be alone together without his family walking in on you or risking your mother coming to run him out with her broom.

"Yeah, kinda." You admit boldly. There was something thrilling about pretending you and Tommy were not together. Perhaps it was the danger of getting caught and the hidden sweetness to this man your mother warned you about.

But anyways, you found it fun.

He didn’t. He wanted to be with you publicly, to show your family and your nosey neighbors that he was good enough for you, that he could provide for you and any children you will have and most of all, that he was not his father.

But your mother had told him not to come there after he got drunk one night and begged you to forget him because he had died in France.

He was not the same boy he left. Tommy had changed and not for the better.

But it didn’t matter to you, you knew he was hurting and that he needed to heal from the war that took your father and brothers from you.

That the two of you needed each other most now that it was over, and he was home.

“Enjoy it while it lasts then, love.” he said with that look you love so much.

He got bright eyed and smirked just a little when he sprung something on you.

It was always a good thing.

Like the pretty compact you couldn’t afford, or a replica of the bedside vase he smashed by accident some weeks ago.

This time he pulls a ring, a simple thing with an S for Shelby. Not quite a signet ring like the ones he and his brothers wear, but still similar.

“Is that what I think it is, Tom?” you play dumb and can’t help smiling like a lovesick fool.

“You tell me, Mrs. Shelby.”

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Masterlist -

In This Together - Thomas Shelby

P 1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P 7 P8 P9 P10 P11 P12 P13 P14 P15 P 16 P17 P18 P19 P20 p21 P22 P23 P24 P25 P26 P27 P28 P29 P 30 p31 P32 P33 P34 P35 P36 P37 P38 P39 P40 p41 P42 P43 P44 P45 P46 P47 Part 48 Part 49 Part 50 Part 51 Part 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89

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