The Perfect Family

Family

"Tegan!" Negans booming voice shouted amongst the chaos. He lost sight of her when the flames enveloped her and Alpha. He had tried to stop her, but more Whisperers came at him.

"Where is she?" Daryl asked. His eyes searched wildly through the flames.

"Last I saw she was after Alpha! I lost her through the fire," Negan pointed towards the direction Tegan had went. Daryl wasted no time in finding a slight gap in the massive heat and jumping through it. He landed with a roll on the ground, coughing up a lung as he tried to search the smoky mess.

"Tegan!" Daryl shouted. When he received no response, he pushed on. His lungs burned. His eyes were dry. He prayed to a God he didn't believe in that she was still alive.

"Daryl!" Merles voice carried through the raging fire. "I got her!" Hearing those words Daryls heart lifted back to his chest. He ran to his brother and took the woman from his arms.

"Tegan, baby," Daryl cooed. No response.

"Come on!" Negan yelled, holding Daryls bow in one hand and Angie's hand in the other. The four started running back, the wolves on their heels.

It felt like days until they made it back home, but in reality it was only a couple hours. Eugene once again opened the gate for them. Daryl didn't stop, just carried her straight to Dr. Carson.

"Okay, Angie get me clean rags. Negan, hot water and some alcohol. Daryl, this is going to hurt her, please hold her down. She's going to wake up," Dr. Carson said. Daryl nodded as he laid her down. He carefully placed his hands on her shoulders. Carson cleaned the wound the best he could before pouring the alcohol over it. As soon as it hit the open gash Tegans eyes flew open, a scream escaping her lips. Daryl held her tightly, trying to keep his own tears at bay as she clawed at his arms. His heart hurt for his wife.

"I'm so sorry," Daryl murmured to the girl. Tegan couldn't hear him over her whimpering. Carson bandaged up the wound before moving to her ankle. He put that in a splint.

"Hold her head up," he told Daryl, who nodded. He lifted the firey red hair and helped her take some pills Dr. Carson had. "Its infected, but that should help. We need to keep an eye on it and she needs to stay put."

"Daddy?" Strykers voice called from the doorway. Daryl quickly set Tegans head down gently and ran to their daughter.

"Daddy!" The twins screamed coming in behind her. Negan held his arms open and they ran straight into them. Tears of happiness flooded all four of their faces. Angie quickly wiping hers away.

"What's wrong with Mama?" Stryker asked, staring at her now sleeping mother.

"She's hurt, sweetie. Very hurt," Daryl sighed. He looked at Tegan again and realized she was worse than he thought. She now had some slight burns running up her right arm. A scratch ran down her left eye, slicing perfectly through her eyebrow. Her ankle was broken and the gash in her leg was gnarly. His heart ached even more.

"Shes gonna be ok, Daddy," Stryker reassured her father, placing a soft warm hand against his arm.

"Yeah, she is sweetie," Daryl smiled down at her, a few tears betraying his rough exterior.

"You're purple," Stryker mumbled. Her small fingers danced gently around Daryls face. His eye was swollen shut, the purple mixing with a little black. Blood was caked under his nose and all on his chin. He hadn't even really felt it until now.

"Daryl, go get cleaned up. I'll stay here with her," Negan offered, placing a hand on Tegans shoulder. Daryl hesitated. What if she woke up? He needed to be there when she woke up.

"Lets go, Dare," Angie sighed. She grabbed his hand and tugged him behind her. Stryker stayed silent in his arms. She hated seeing her parents so hurt and felt it was all her fault. She wasn't sure why she felt that way, but she knew she did.

Once at their house, Daryl set Stryker down to go play with Shiva, the wolves, and the twins. He didn't remove his eyes off the children as Angie shoved him towards the stairs.

"She'll be alright, Dare. I'll watch her," Angie said with a smile. Daryl glanced at the raven haired girl before looking back to his daughter.

"I'll only be a few minutes," he mumbled, before leaping up the stairs. In the bathroom he peeled his blood and mud caked clothes off of him. He winced as the clothes scraped against his sore body. Only one eye was open and able to see out of. Frowning, he took in his form. He felt bad that Stryker had to see him like this. He wanted to protect her from everything in this shit ridden world. Her little heart was so fragile and he didn't want anything to break it. Unfortunately, almost losing her mother had taken a rough toll on the girl. The night before she had night terrors, just like Tegan once had many years ago. Now that she was in a better place in life and had her daughter to care for and think of those night terrors had ceased, mostly. Every once in a while they would happen, but not as often.

Daryl stepped into the hot shower, allowing the water to burn his already sensitive skin. His mind wandered to the times Tegan and him had spent together in the shower. The thought of her hands traveling across his chest and stomach caused goose bumps to rise on his arms. Her words fluttered through his head. All the I love yous she ever said to him.

Water started to trail down his face. Not from the shower head above, but from his eyes. The tears he tried so hard to hold back, wouldn't stay anymore. A sob racked through his body as his hand gripped his chest. If he lost either one of them, he wouldn't know what he would do.

Tegan was his first love. He had never had the feelings he had for her, for anyone else. If he had met her before the apocalypse there is no doubt in his mind that the outcome would have been the same. He would've fought for her, killed for her, loved her. They would've had Stryker, maybe even more by now. He would've met her family and friends. They wouldn't have to worry about the walking dead possibly destroying their home or crazy people hurting their daughter. Tegan wouldn't have had to kill anyone. She would be able to be whatever she wanted and not have to put herself in danger every single day.

Stryker, his only daughter, his only child. The child he helped conceive with the love of his life. The little girl that proves how much love Tegan and him have for each other. He wished more than anything she could be a normal child in a normal world. He wished he could watch her go through preschool and make new friends. He wished he could bring her to the zoo or to the movies and watch her have fun.

However, he can't. Their lives are permanently stuck in this revolving door of chaos. No matter what though, he'd always be there for them. He'd always keep them close. No one would ever come between them. They would outlive everyone, even if it meant he had to kill entire civilizations. He would do anything and everything for his family.