UNITED IN BLOOD
CHAPTER NINE !

   DANIELLE LINDEN DIDN'T HAVE the best track record when it came to genuine happiness. It had been so long, years to specific, since the young brunette had smiled a smile worthy enough to light up her eyes. Sure, she had been happy-ish. She wasn't exactly depressed and hating life 24/7, though no matter the situation, no matter the person opposite her, Danielle just couldn't feel any genuine joy.

   Now, she wasn't a naturally jealous person but she couldn't contain the feeling that bubbled within in as she watched the way Ellie and Dina interacted with each other. It was cohesive and easy, the two girls just naturally cared for one another. No, she wasn't jealous, that's not what the feeling was. No this feeling made her positively green. She was envious.

   The last person to truly care for her was gone and had been ever since the beginning of Danielle's involvement with the WLF. That fateful day as a young, weak and injured Danielle was discovered clutching a knife against a thick, blood splattered tree trunk, that day had been the beginning of the end for the Linden girl.

   Without hesitation, she has been welcomed into the fold by Isaac though to this very day, Danielle couldn't for the life of her understand why. Perhaps the leader of the WLF had seen the young girl as an opportunity. With no children of his own, perhaps the man had initially seen Danielle as a chance to remedy that. If that had been the case, it hadn't lasted long.

   Isaac had put the Linden girl to work instantly, siting that she needed to pitch in if she wanted to stay as his reason. While it was understandable, Danielle hadn't always been a medic. She had once been a soldier, a grunt if you will. Despite the still gaping knife wound that had traveled along her upper thigh, severely hindering her ability to walk, Danielle had been pushed out the door with a gun in hand, headfirst into the conflict between WLF vs Seraphites.

   Isaac was not a good man. Danielle knew this to be a cold, hard fact. It wasn't until she had met Maria and Tommy Miller that the brunette realised the extent of how horrific Isaac and his decisions truly were. The environments of both the WLF stadium and the community of Jackson differed greatly from one another.

   The stadium was cold and distant. The atmosphere bore striking similars with a boot camp. You worked to live and you lived to work. Day in, day out your decisions were decided for you. If you had wanted to move from one end of the stadium to the other, a request had to been put in

That place was rife with the oppression that only a true dictator could impose.

   And yet Jackson had been but a haven in the eyes of Danielle Linden. Despite the terribly sad reasons that fuelled her stepping foot inside the community, the short time she had been a resident had filled the brunette with more genuine contentment than all those years under Isaac's thumb. The town had been overwhelmingly warm, in spite of the finger nipping weather. The citizens had homes, not because they had worked hard for them but because they needed them. Tommy and Maria had managed to build a safe haven for those who needed it most.

   In Jackson, your past mistakes didn't define you. They didn't make you who you were. Not once had Danielle felt unwanted, even in those anguish filled moments of rage from Ellie Williams, she hadn't feel unwanted just blamed. It was completely natural to blame someone and Danielle was willing to shoulder it.

   Hell, she knew she deserved it. Even if working herself to the bone to prove herself worthy was needed once they returned to the town, she would do it. Ellie's words did nothing in the grand scheme of things. Her entire being had been overrun with guilt for Joel's demise even before the man had taken his final breathe.

   Though, it had been for more than just her cowardice. You see, Danielle had considered Abby Anderson, the eventual murderer of Joel Miller, a close friend and vice-versa. The two girls had found themselves connecting on a level that others hadn't understood. While their conversations had usually consisted mostly of small time such as how their day went, what ailments had a particular patient had that Danielle encountered on any given day or even a rundown of the latest novel Abby had read, —the two girls understood one another. They both had emotional trauma that festered beneath the surface, scratching and clawing into them their every waking moment.

   The two girls had developed an understanding all of those years back when Abby had first joined the WLF. Don't ask, don't tell. Their trauma, their issues, their trails and tribulations were their own. It was their own metaphorical cross the bear that neither enjoyed discussing. It was this very thing that had build the foundation of their friendship. Although that once strong friendship had been pulled out from under Danielle in such a short span of time.

   And so as Danielle looked on as Ellie and Dina protected one another from the mass of runners that had infested the courthouse garage, she couldn't stop the burning ache of envy that inhabited her. When would she find someone who cared for her? Someone who didn't view her as a means of information or as a walking-talking map, of sorts. Maybe never. Maybe the young brunette was destined to live out her life helping others with no positive return of her own. Perhaps once she accepted this fact, she could resign herself to her true purpose. Aiding others.

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   ELLIE WILLIAMS WAS CONSUMED by the suffocating desire for revenge. The freckled redhead had been trudging through the city of Seattle followed closely by her best friend and the young girl she had manipulated into coming along.

   Could Ellie acknowledge the underlying pit of guilt for her treatment of the brunette that had been pooling deep within her gut? Of course, she could. But would she? Without a doubt, her answer would be 'no chance in hell.' If she allowed herself to feel bad for the cold shoulder and snarky attitude she had forced upon Danielle then she would be prying open the door that concealed away certain feelings that she had shoved deep down.

   It didn't matter that Danielle had been incredibly helpful up until that moment. The kindness towards Dina that the brunette had shown was not important. The soft smiles that graced the medics lips when she believed no one was looking was absolutely irrelevant. It just didn't matter.

   Something that Ellie had noticed was the complete 180 in behaviour that her journal entries had taken since she had started for Seattle. A journal that was once filled with words of anger and her desire for revenge had slowly but transformed back into her

This girl, this medic! Who does she think she is?
Joel is d̶e̶a̶d̶ gone. It's all her fucking fault!
Her and her fucking friends.
Some friends they are attacking her
and leaving her behind. I̶ ̶a̶l̶m̶o̶s̶t̶
̶f̶e̶e̶l̶ ̶b̶a̶d̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶. She could have
helped but she just sat there, crying?
Fuck her, fuck the WLF!

   Her first ever journal entry regarding the curly haired brunette had been filled with anger. Her fury had blinded her to the truth of the situation which was that Danielle was victim too. She had been mislead and attacked by people she had considered friends. People she had trekked across states with had betrayed her at the drop of a hate. Danielle had been considered merely a hindrance in the grand scheme of things for the Salt Lake Crew.

   Over time, Ellie's overall opinion of the medic had converted into one of understanding. The feeling of frustration the freckled girl once felt had now dissipated into a feeling of pity. She could now feel the true weight, the gravity of Danielle's decisions the day Joel died. In spite of her own safety, Danielle had intervened to protect people she didn't even know. The redhead had been protected from a sight that would have truly destroyed her, all because of Danielle.

Danielle says seattle is at war.
that doesn't matter. I won't let
this keep me from finding Abby.
so far she's been useful. s̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶m̶s̶
r̶e̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶s̶a̶d̶.̶ I think being back here
is getting to her ̶i̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶f̶a̶u̶l̶t̶.
the sooner we get back to jackson, the better.

   The all consuming rage that drove the young redhead was no longer aimed at Danielle. Ellie no longer felt the need nor the desire to snap at the medic for every little thing she said or did. Every step of the way, Danielle had provided both Ellie and Dina with much needed comfort. So perhaps that was why after much deliberating, the young redhead gripped tightly to the small folder that contained the one thing that would allow Danielle some comfort of her own.

   "Here." The Williams girl said shoving her hand in Danielle's direction, her movement causing the arm of her jacket to pull back revealing a glimpse of her tattoo. She kept her voice quiet to avoid grabbing the attention of a nearby Dina.

   The sound of Ellie's voice had spooked the brunette, who had been sorting out the trios supplies, in order of necessity. Her eyes glanced between the small folded in Ellie's hand and the redheads face. "What is this?"

   "There were too many similarities for it to be a coincidence." Ellie reluctantly admitted, her hand now free to grip nervously at the nape of her neck. She knew that it was Danielle in that photo, she just hadn't wanted to admit it to herself. But the medic deserved to know the truth. "Don't make a big deal out of it."

   With nimble fingers, Danielle opened up the folder to reveal a photo. Tears pricked at her eyes as realisation set in for the brunette. This was her. Her and her family. The dad she hadn't seen in years was smiling in this photo. Her mom was alive in this photo. A dull ache bloomed within her chest at the sight.

   The familiar sound of Ellie's sneakers scuffing against the concrete floor caused the brunettes eyes to dart over in the direction of a now retreating Ellie. With a sniffle, Danielle's voice echoed throughout the empty building as she called out, "Ellie?"

"Yeah?" The redhead replied while spinning round on her heel to face the teary eyed Danielle.

   Their eyes met in a moment of understanding. It seemed that for a split second, the animosity that bred amongst the pair fizzled out as Danielle sent the Williams girl a soft smile. "Thank you."

   "Don't mention it." The dirt and grime covered girl replied with a nod. She then proceeded to turn away, ready to walk off when she called back. "Seriously don't."

   A faint giggle escaped Danielle's lips while her gaze lowered once again to the photo held tightly between her fingertips. Hours seemed to pass as the brunette intently stared at the image, reminiscing all of the moments spent with her parents. It wasn't until a small pool of water appeared upon the surface of the photo did the young girl realise she had been crying the entire time.

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jamielee's thoughts.
so I love Danielle so much and she's genuinely my most favourite oc I've every written. This chapter is just a little of a background pertaining to her to help everyone understand the decisions she will make later on down the road and sorry if Ellie seems ooc. i tried my best to capture her as accurately as possible. Anyway I hope you enjoyed. :)