*Dahlia*

      "No absolutely not" I cross my arms over my chest and I say "dad I can take care of myself paul taught me everything he knows about sniper rifles I'm not a little kid anymore". He sends me a narrowed gaze and he says "dahlia it isn't safe out there" I roll my eyes and paul says "she's tough she doesn't scare easy daryl she's a Deadshot". Dad looks at me and he says "you don't move from your post until we radio to you that it's safe do I make myself clear?". I smile at him and nodd and paul handed me my suitcase which had my sniper rifle gun in it and when we finally get to the outpost I hop into the backseat with Tara Paul was in the passenger seat.

I take my gun out of the case and start assembling it and tara stares at me with amazement and when I attach the scope I turn to look at her and she says "wow you really are something huh?". I chuckle and shake my head and I go to my post which just so happened to be a tree around back right by tara, paul and father Gabriel's car. Once we hear the alarm go off I put my back against the tree and aim at the back door any minute now. Once the saviors start to run out I aim at there heads and from the ones I didn't get father Gabriel and tara got for me.

I take a deep breath and then after the all-clear and the sun was peeking up over the trees. I ease down the tree and I was about halfway there when my foot slipped but before I could fall onto the ground soft hands grabbed my waist. I turn around and see it's tara she sits me softly onto the ground and I say softly "thank you". she sends me a smile and we start to walk over to the group and we were checking for negan but we couldn't find his body.

Then we hear a motorcycle start to drive out of the garage off to the side and before he could escape my dad tackles him to the ground. We run over there and I hear him scream "where'd ye get the bike?" rick pulls daryl off of him and aims his colt python at the guy I do too. I reload really quick and aim at him making sure I had a headshot and then a radio right by his head and it crackles "lower the gun prick". We get him sat up and rick aims his gun right by his head again and the woman says "I got a carol and a maggie I think that's something you wanna talk about".

I roll my eyes and rick says "I want proof of life" then out of nowhere we hear carol say "rick it's carol we're okay" then it moved onto maggie I swear if I get my hands on this woman I am gonna kill her nice and slowly no one messes with maggie she's pregnant for crying out loud. After she and rick do they're song and dance I run to the treeline right in front of us and father Gabriel says "dahlia please be careful she might still be watching". I flash him a thumbs up and I check the ground with my dad right behind me and I see footprints on the dirt it was like maggie or carol dug their feet into the mud. I hit dad's arm and I say "it's like maggie and carol wanted us to know look at the feet print".

He nodded at me and I say "they weren't dragged Maggie pushed her feet into the mud so we would know or carol". He nodded at me and sends me a prideful smile and I look at him and I ask "what?" he just chuckles and shakes his head at me "you just make me proud every day". I smile and I step out of the treeline and tell them to come on with my hand they make they're way to us and we get the prisoner and dad and rick were in charge of him. I keep tracking them until we come to a road and it looks like one of them started dragging there feet.

I smile at the dragging and I say to rick while pointing at the footprint "look either maggie or carol started dragging her feet she's either hurt er leg or she's doing it on purpose". He chuckles and nodded and he says "who taught ye how to track?" I point at my dad behind me "he did and uncle merle too". He chuckles and dad says "yeah she was about seven or eight and as soon as she got off the school bus we would go hunting I didn't wanna leave her alone in the house so her little brain was like a sponge she just sucked it all in". We make it to an old abandoned factory and as soon as Glenn opens the door maggie and he comes face to face.

I gasp and run over to her after Glenn hugs her and dad goes over to carol and he whispers "you alright?" I stand behind him and she whispers "no". Daryl's eyes soften and he says softly "come here" he pulls her into his arms and hugs her tightly I hug her too and she wraps her arms around me. I turn when rick is talking to Premo he had told us his name and then he growls at rick "I'm negan shithead". Then rick shoots him in the head I hear carol gasp I don't even bother giving that guy a second glance once we made it back to the outpost and I see heath and tara talking to rick and she looks at me and she does her head one way telling me to come here.

I walk over to them and rick leaves us alone and I ask "so where are ya headed?". She turns to the van and then back to me as heath loads up the truck and she says "heath and I am are going on a run we'll be back in a few weeks". I bite my lower lip and smile at her and before she leaves she says "hey why don't you come with us? we can use an extra hand?" I raise my head and I toss the rifle over my shoulder and I ask awkwardly "really?" she smiles at me and nodded eagerly "yeah and besides I kinda like having you around". A smile breaks across my face and I say "can you pick me up at Alexandria? there are a few things I need to get and I need to ask my dad first".

She smiles as she closes the door to the truck/RV and heath says "yeah like tara said we can use an extra hand". I smile and walk back to my dad and I ask "hey tara wants me to go with her and heath on that run said they needed an extra hand". His eyes soften and he shakes his head "no you could get hurt" I send him an eye roll and I say "dad I can take care of myself I promise I mean I did spend seven years on my own without you and besides I won't be alone I'll have tara and heath to watch my back". He sighs and he says "I don't know dolly your gonna do it anyway so whatever" I run my hand through my hair as he walks by me and gets in rick's car.

I turn back to tara and I walk over to her and I say "he said okay" her face lights up with a smile and I get in the RV with her and heath she lets me sit in the passenger seat. I smile when I start to play with her hair and I ask "when ye gonna let me braid yer hair?" she chuckles and shrugs "I'm not really good with braids". I snicker and when we arrive at Alexandria I went to rick's house and dad asks from the porch "I thought ye was going with tara?". I pat his arm "I am just gotta pack a few things" he nodded and so does everyone else and dad says "be careful out there".

I walk inside and I hear dad say "hey tara watch her back out there" she nodded at him and she gazes up at me "I will as long as she watches my back I always got hers". I smile and continue walking upstairs I pack up some clothes and a few comic books. I even add a first aid kit in case we need it good thing my backpack is waterproof I had found it at a sporting goods store and I add some protein bars. I walk downstairs and everyone hugs us goodbye and then Judith squeals "bye-bye dally".

I giggle and I tickle her sides "close enough little Jude" she giggles and when she wraps her arms around me I take her out of rick's arms and she gives me a big hug and she tells me "careful". I snicker and everyone starts to giggle at her and tara says "hey you little stinker what about me?" Jude blows a raspberry at her and tara chuckles and I say "she loves me more". I snicker and tara sticks her tongue at her and Jude copies her and daryl says "no way I'm her favorite right, Judy?". She goes straight to daryl and he pushes her up against his hip and I giggle that was so cute and precious I blow her a kiss and she blows me one back I kiss her cheek and she kisses mine and then I see tara and Denise standing on the front porch and tara looked like they were arguing.

I put my backpack down on the RV and I put the safety on my gun and I help heath load his things up and heath says "why don't you go tell tara we are ready to go". I nodd at him and close the back door and walk over to their house. I walk up the porch and I hear Denise say "I love you I just don't wanna lose you to some younger and more beautiful girl and besides she's nothing but redneck trash that's what everyone calls her". Who is she talking about? is she talking about me? I feel hurt creep up into my heart I knock on the door and tara says "come in" I open the door and I smile at them and I pretend like I didn't hear "hey heath said we are ready to go".

She sends me a soft smile and I say to Denise "and Denise my dad said those things you made him?". She nodded at me and she cracks a smile "he said he liked them and he wants me to try one I don't know what they're called the only thing he said was it looks like shit". She giggles and she says "yeah he did say that yeah I will make you some when you and tara get back from your run". I smile at her and close the door "thanks" I walk away and let the door close and she says "be careful out there" I snicker and shake my head and I say from outside "we will".

She giggles what the crap am I doing? I have a huge crush on her girlfriend and I'm trying to play nice with her? and plus didn't she just call me redneck trash? why am I being nice to her she was rude to your back just a second ago one thing is for sure I can't stand a two-face person and I sit inside the RV and I help heath with the map. We start driving along the road after tara got in the RV and we drive until it was time to stop the RV and get some sleep each of us on watch. But when I finally got some sleep I climb into bed next to tara in the back of the RV my back to her and I feel her arm wrap around my waist.