Survival in Numbers (Daryl Dixon/The Walking Dead)

Chapter Ninety One - The Big Reveal

Emma knew the loss of Tyreese and the burial had put an extra couple of hours on their trip. She knew getting back to the estate before Daryl returned from his hunt wasn't going to happen. She had to brace herself for getting in trouble.

The Hunter was waiting at the gates, with narrowed eyes.

"Good luck." Rick said, parking the truck.

The red head would have asked him to stay with her as some sort of moral support, but she knew he needed to speak to Sasha.

"Before you start," She began, as Daryl pulled her door open. "It's not a good time."

"I ain't gunna listen to ya excuse, Princess. Get out the car."

"Daryl, it's not an excuse." She said, climbing out of the truck. He closed the door behind her, and she could see in his eyes that he was pissed off. "We lost Tyreese."

"Ya wha'?"

She tucked her hair behind her ear, feeling a tingling in her nose she knew a fresh wave of tears was on the way. "He got bit, helping us get out." She said, "His infection spread faster than T-Dog's."

He pulled her into his chest, and she clutched at his leather winged vest.

"Just so's ya know, ya ain't off the hook." He murmured into her hair, "I'm pissed that ya left. I know I ain't ya keeper, but ya din't even tell me."

"You were hunting."

"Convenient for ya."

"Have you found out where Merle's been hiding?" She questioned then, pulling back from him.

He shook his hair from his eyes, "Yeah, come look."

She frowned, but followed him down the street towards their house, her hand clasped in his. They didn't enter the house, but instead went round the back towards the apple orchard where she had just been that morning, harvesting fruit with Gleggie.

"What the..." Her eyes widened as she took in the sight before her.

Merle was sitting at a picnic table, grinning from ear to ear as he watched Carl and Sophia play with...a dog.

"A dog?"

"Yeah." Daryl replied, "Said 'e saw it when he was on watch. He's been out feeding it, tryin' to get it to trust 'im for a few days."

"I always knew he was a softie." Emma replied, smiling down at the spaniel as it bounded over to her and Daryl. She crouched in front of it, holding the back of her hand towards it as greeting.

The liver and white speckled dog, sniffed her hand, his cropped tail wagging behind him.

It licked her once before turning around and bounding back towards the children, barking in excitement as Carl threw a tennis ball.

"Does he have a name?" She asked, noticing it was wearing a collar.

"Merle's been callin' it, 'Dog'." Came the response, "Kids named him 'Coco'."

"He's cute!" Emma replied with a wide smile.

A heart breaking scream then fell over the estate, causing everyone to fall silent. The dog perked up his ears, before bringing the ball over to Sophia.

Emma's heart went out to Sasha. Her eyes flew down to stare at her feet as they welled up with fresh tears, and she felt Daryl giving her hand a small squeeze.

"Hey," He said, causing her to look up to meet his Georgian blues. "She's gunna be alright."

The red head nodded at his words, believing them to be true.

"I'm going to go and see if she needs anything."

"Give 'er some time." The Hunter suggested, "She's gunna want t'be on 'er own."

Emma sat with the Dixons, keeping an eye on the kids playing with the lively spaniel. The red head informed Merle that there was a 'Pets Corner' at the Garden Centre, and he said that he was going to make a run the next day to get some food and supplies for 'his boy'.

Carl and Sophia were laughing and smiling as they played with Coco. And Emma was in awe of the fact that they could have a moment to just be kids again. Although Carl was thirteen going on twenty, Sophia was still only twelve, the girl had had a difficult upbringing and she was incredibly shy because of it. Carl coped with being on the road and moving place to place, but Sophia needed a place to be. A place to feel safe, comfortable, she needed structure.

"There you all are." Carol stated, coming to stand beside the three at the picnic table. "The dog's settling in well with the kids then." A fond smile forming on her face as she watched her daughter and Carl. "Where's the dog going to be staying?"

"With me." Merle said without hesitation. "We gonna move into a house down the street. He gunna have 'is own room. Ain't that righ' Dog!"

"It's Coco." Sophia corrected him with a giggle.

"I ain't callin' it that."

"Michonne is moving in with Sasha, so she's not on her own." Carol said then, taking a seat beside Emma. "She's not taken the news of Tyreese well."

"What about you?" Emma asked then, "You were together when the prison fell...I know you have a lot between you with Karen and..."

Carol nodded, "I told him everything before we found you and Merle. He said he wouldn't forget, but he forgave me for what I did. He understood." She sighed, "He was such a kind man. How he looked after Sophia..." Tears filled the older woman's eyes. "I haven't told her yet, she's going to be devastated. She's been calling him Uncle Tyreese since the prison."

Emma wiped a stray tear from her eye, but didn't say anything. Carol was one of the people who had changed the most. Emma was glad to see that there was still part of the old Carol there, her humanity was still intact, the red head believed it was because of Sophia. If they had lost the young girl on that highway, Carol would have become a completely different woman.

A/N: Any Assassins Creed fans lurking out here? I have an Altair/OC story recently published!