𝐆𝐎𝐃'𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐘 - 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐗𝐎𝐍

four - "too much history"

𝐆𝐎𝐃'𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐘 — 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐗𝐎𝐍
❝ too much history ❞

THE DAY THAT Rick Grimes came back from the dead would forever be etched into her memory. The day had started mundane since Madeline had fallen into a routine. She had been jumpy the entire day since Issac was due to return from the city with the rest of the survivors. Just as she had assumed, Issac had jumped headfirst into the idea of being a runner. He had left his sister and brother with a kiss on the forehead and a tight hug, respectively, and a promise to return.

Madeline had been moping since the moment Issac had left, only to be scoffed at by Daryl whenever he passed her. The two of them had a tense understanding of maintaining a distance, but that didn't stop one another from making their voices heard. Scoffs, eye rolls, badly hidden middle fingers pointing in the other's direction. Through the latter was mostly on Madeline's side.

Tensions had been high throughout the camp ever since the group had radioed in that they had been trapped in one of the department stores. Shane had said that they couldn't risk the rest of the group for them, but she could see how he was slipping. He knew the probability of Issac coming back, and she could see the hurt in his eyes. But she didn't give up hope, she had lost Issac once not even two weeks ago, and she didn't give up hope then.

In the distance, she could see Shane, Lori, and Carl sitting together. Carl was on the ground getting his hair cut while the two adults smiled warmly and conversed softly. She didn't like it. They were both highly vulnerable after having lost their significant other, and she knew her brother.

Madeline was curled up on her sofa, a box of tissues and a bucket of popcorn on her lap. She was going through a ringer after her breakup with her boyfriend, and though she had been the one to do the breaking up, she was still a mess. She was only seventeen so it was to be expected.

Shane had just finished his last year of college and was headed to the academy come fall. He entered the living room with a sigh, setting down two beers, one for each of them. She only really drank when she was with her brothers, and right now it was entirely needed.

"You know, Mads, I have a saying for my post-breakup messes," Her brother began. She merely hummed in response. "You gotta get up, get ready, and go get beneath, or hell, even on top, of someone else." He looked at her with a shit-eating grin.

She scoffed, "Thanks Shane, I'll take it into consideration." She rolled her eyes and shrugged deeper into their old couch.

That was so long ago, but she could only hope that that wasn't what Shane was doing with Lori. They were too close, had too much history.

"I was wondering when you would realize it," came a voice to her right. She turned quickly, only to see the obnoxiously void face of Daryl Dixon.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dixon."

"Oh come on, girly, we all know you ain't dumb. Those two have been sharing a tent far too often for it to just be because she's scared of the dark." He snipped, making her roll her eyes. She knew that he was right, and she hated that.

"Oh just piss off and go back into the forest, get lost for all I care!" She walked away with purpose, leaving the taller man to huff loudly and escape back into the forest.

─────

She had been helping Carol prepare dinner when the alarm began blaring. She nearly threw the skinned rabbit since she had jumped so high, but she quickly regained her composure. Daryl would have had a fit if he saw Madeline drop his kill. It's a good thing he had already escaped into the forest for another overnight hunt.

She ran from the fire and towards her eldest brother, silently asking what was going on. No response, not even with his eyes. His posture was rigid and his eyes were narrowed. "Go find Lori and Carl, get 'em back to the tent," he said.

She nodded, her hand on her knife as she ran to the mother and son, who both looked extremely freaked out. Carl was muttering about it being his dad, which only broke her heart even more. She grabbed the two of them by their wrists, pulling them closer to the tree line before stopping when the alarm suddenly stopped. She turned, throwing a look over her shoulder only to let out a breath of relief.

Stood next to a rather nice-looking sports car was a new friend of Madeline's, Glenn Rhee. He was being yelled at by Shane and Amy, but for the most part, he looked unharmed. She released Lori and Carl's wrists, approaching the duo with curiosity. She was halfway to the men when a big white truck pulled up into the camp. Out came the survivors that had gone into the city, including her brother. He smiled her way before mouthing "It's Britney, bitch".

She ran towards him, dodging the scattered reunions, hugging him tightly. He chuckled and whispered to her that he was alright. He then whispered something into her ear that made her gasp and jump away from him.

"Seriously?" She asked, mouth agape.

"Yeah, seriously. Hey Helicopter Boy!" The last part wasn't directed to her but at the van. She blinked and then there he was, in all his glory, a man everyone thought was dead. Rick Grimes walked slowly away from the van, eyes traveling from Shane, to Madeline, before finally landing on his wife and son. He ran towards them in a frenzy, gathering his baby boy in his arms before hugging his wife with every ounce of strength he had.

The look on Shane's face tarnished the homecoming though, since the moment he saw his best friend, something in his eyes changed. She didn't know it then, or maybe she was just too blind to see it, but this reunion presented itself as a threat to Shane's leadership, relationships, and sanity.

But she didn't see any of that at the moment. No, she had mistaken it as disbelief and relief that his best friend had made it back to them.

─────

"Disoriented, I guess that comes closest," She kept zoning in and out while Rick spoke. She was tired, and her stomach hurt. She didn't know if it was from nerves or the food, but she felt like her heart was in her throat. Rick told the group about Merle and how he was a danger not only to himself but the group, and Madeline nearly threw up. The thought of leaving a person chained to a roof with nothing but his own whits was bad enough, but they were in the apocalypse for Christ's sake. Her relationship with Daryl could barely be described as civil or even a relationship, and if anything it was more like an acquaintanceship, but she did know that when he came back the next day, he would lose his shit.

Hell, she almost lost hers too. If anyone, no matter the relationship she had with them, had decided to leave one of her brothers on a rooftop in a Dead City, she would have gone berserk. Her family was her lifeline, especially now that they were all she had left. She just assumed that Daryl would react the same.