Family Ties ✔

Chapter 21

~Lizzie~
I was up on the Greene’s porch with Maddie on my lap after what happened with Carol in the RV. I was just trying to help. I knew I didn’t know exactly what kind of pain she was in after losing her daughter, but I had come close so many times since the shit hit the fan. I couldn’t go to the memorial for that little girl. If I went, I’d think about what if that was Maddie and not Sophia. Daryl came and found me, just after the services for Sophia and the Greene’s lost loved ones. “I’m moving my tent,” he said when he came to a stop just in front of the steps, “away from everyone else. If you don’t want to stay in it with me when I move that’s completely up to you.” “Daryl,” I whispered when he went to leave, “for the first time since I’ve known the man, I don’t feel safe around the person I used to call a friend. Maddie and I will still join you.”
~Daryl~
I nodded to Lizzie then left, packing up my things, the tent, then their things, and moving everything farther away from the entire group. I decided to set up close to where Lizzie and me bonded. It was far enough away from the group but not too far away in case of any danger that may be lurking around these woods. I had the tent set up, two sleeping bags placed on the floor of the tent. My bike was parked nearby. No way in hell am I letting it out of my sights. I didn’t know when Lizzie would join me, figured it’d be much later on but when I heard footsteps approaching, I figured it was her. Looking up, I scoffed when I realized it was only her aunt so I went back to carving out some arrows from branches I had collected seeings as I was down to my last bolt.
“Moving to the suburbs,” I heard a voice ask. Looking up again I noticed it was still Lori. The hell could this woman want with me?! I looked back down, ignoring her question and continuing with the arrow I was currently carving on. “Listen,” she said as she came to a stop near where I sat, “Beth’s in some kind of catatonic shock. We need Hershel.” “Yeah,” I said not looking up, “so what?” “So I need you to run into town real quick,” she said as she squatted down next to where I sat, “and bring him and Rick back.” I continued to ignore her, just hoping she’d go away and leave me the hell alone. “Daryl,” she asked when she realized she wasn’t getting a reply from me. I sighed and finally stopped what I was doing and looked up and over at her.
“Your bitch went window shopping,” I said, “you want him? Why don’t you fetch him yourself then? I got better things to do than be an errand boy.” “What’s the matter with you,” she asked shaking her head while looking at me like I was in the wrong, “why would you be so selfish?” “Selfish,” I said standing up as my temper got the better of me, “listen to me Olive Oyl. I was out there looking for that little girl every single day. I took a bullet and an arrow in the process. Don’t you tell me about gettin’ my hands dirty! You want those two idiots? Have a nice ride. I’m done looking for people.” I sat back down after that, going back to what I had been doing earlier before she had walked up.
~Lizzie~
I sat on the porch for a while after Daryl left, figured I’d give him time to set things up so that Maddie and I weren’t in his way. I watched Aunt Lori leave out of the farm house and head off towards the woods where Daryl and I had gone earlier this morning after the fight at the barn before Shane lost his mind and let loose those walkers. I’d say she was gone for no more than ten minutes before she finally came back to the farm house but boy did she look pissed. My guess, she found Daryl and he wasn’t in a talking mood. “Alright c’mon Maddie,” I said standing up from the chair I was sitting in after Aunt Lori disappeared into the house, “let’s go see if Daryl got that tent set up.” I bent down and picked her up, placing her on my hip before walking off the porch and in the direction Aunt Lori had gone earlier before coming back pissed off.
By the time I reached where Daryl set his little camp site up at, it was dusk and maybe less than thirty minutes of sun left. “Didn’t think you were actually gonna come,” he said looking up from his small fire at the sound of our approach. “Told ya I would,” I said smiling and sitting down next to him, placing Maddie on my lap. “Daryl I’m hungry,” Maddie said after a couple of minutes and looked over at him while I smiled down at her. “All I got is some squirrel,” he said looking at her with a ghost of a smirk on his face like he knew what reaction he was gonna get from her. “Ew,” she shrieked when Daryl pulled his plate of cooked squirrel meat in front of her. “Have ya ever tried it,” he asked looking at her.
She looked at the plate then up at him and shook her head. “Has your momma tried it,” he asked as he quickly cast a glance up at me. I sent him a playful glare as Maddie looked back at me. “Tell ya what Maddie,” I said as I continued to glare at him, “I’ll try it with you. Then after we eat we’ll go to bed okay? It’s getting late.” “Okay Mommy,” she said then sent the plate of meat a skeptical look as I reached over to the plate and grabbed a piece of the meat just like she did. She looked up at me, her eyes almost begging me to change my mind. I smiled down at her before quickly popping the piece into my mouth the same time Daryl ate his own piece. I started chewing as I looked down at my five year old who slowly placed the food in her mouth.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” she said with a small sad frown on her face as she looked up at me. “C’mon baby,” I said picking her up and standing her on her feet, “go on into the tent and I’ll be in there in a minute.” She nodded and quickly ran into Daryl’s tent, leaving it just me and him out by the fire. “Thanks,” I whispered when she was inside, “for letting Maddie and I stay in the tent with you. You didn’t have to do this.” “I know,” he said smiling at me, “but I wouldn’t have been able to sleep knowing I wouldn’t be near you in case of Shane.” “Good night Daryl,” I whispered after a minute and stood up, placing a light kiss on his lips before heading inside the tent and laying down in the sleeping back next to Maddie. “Mommy,” Maddie said after I had her to my chest, “is Daryl going to be my new daddy?” “I, um,” I said lost for words, “I don’t know baby. Go to sleep.”

Hey guys sorry it took a few days to update. I'm gonna try and update one more time today but I'm not making any promises.
- Kenz