The Third Dixon [The walking dead OC x OC]

Authors note - The end

So, after editing, this is where Measi's story ends, with Negan and leaving Nathan and Daryl thirsty for revenge. I decided to leave it open a bit but here are some things I can conform on what happened to the group after Measi's death: 

After the lineup — Alexandria (Season 7)

After the lineup, everyone expected Nathan to change. They expected anger. They expected him to become reckless, to hunt Negan down, to let grief turn into something violent.

And maybe, somewhere inside him, that part existed.

But the thing that surprised everyone was that Nathan became quiet.

Before, Measi was always there to fill the silence. She would complain, make some sarcastic comment, insult someone, or make a joke at the worst possible moment. It was one of the things everyone loved about her, even when she drove them insane.

Without her, Nathan felt different.

The quiet became noticeable.

He kept her jacket and her knife, not because he couldn't let go, but because they reminded him of who she was. Measi had spent her whole life being treated like a weapon, something useful only because she could fight and kill.

Nathan refused to remember her that way.

He remembered the person underneath it.

The girl who cared too much. The girl who protected everyone even when she was falling apart. So instead of becoming consumed by revenge, Nathan started doing the things Measi used to do.

He checked the fences.

He watched over the younger survivors.

He stood guard when nobody else wanted to. He became the person who noticed when someone was struggling. Because he understood what Measi had been trying to do all along.

She wasn't fighting because she loved violence.

She was fighting because she never wanted anyone else to feel as alone as she had.

Nathan spent the rest of his life trying to continue that.

Daryl's return

Daryl never got to say goodbye. That stayed with him.

When he returned from Negan, everyone knew telling him would break something. They were right. Daryl didn't explode. He didn't scream. He just went quiet.

He asked one question.

"Did she...?"

And nobody had to finish the sentence.

Because he already knew.

The guilt hit him differently than anyone else. Measi wasn't just someone from the group.

She was family.

She was the person who understood him without needing explanations. And now he had to live with the fact that she was gone and he never got the chance to tell her.

Daryl and Nathan became different after that.

They never became the type to talk about their feelings. They didn't need to.

They were two people carrying the same loss.

Daryl lost his sister.

Nathan lost the person who was his home.

Sometimes that was enough.

The war against Negan (Seasons 7-8)