Things Change (Glenn Rhee x Reader x Daryl Dixon)

Two

Glenn felt numb as they arrived at the clearing where they'd set up camp. He could see the look of confusion that soon turned to pity some of the group was giving him when they saw that Y/N wasn't with them. He wanted to look at each of them and tell them all to go to hell, that she wasn't dead, that she was going to be coming back. But he couldn't because after what he saw he didn't even know if she had survived.

"Glenn...?" Dale called from the top of his RV. Glenn wanted to stop, but he couldn't find it in himself to worry about anything other than getting Y/N back safely in his arms.

"Glenn, will you at least slow down." Dale's footsteps sounded behind him and Glenn slowed his pace so the older man could catch up with him.

"Don't go beating yourself up over this son." Dale stated when he'd caught up with Glenn. He wanted to listen to the older man because he too had lost the people closest to him and was still fighting. But Glenn wanted to believe that Y/N was still alive, that she had gotten out and was on her way back, like she promised.

"I just want to know that she's OK, that she's alive." Glenn started sobbing, not caring that he might be drawing the attention of everyone at the camp.

"She's a strong girl. She'll make it back." Dale placed a comforting hand on Glenn's shoulder, but it was obvious that is not what he needed.

----

Y/N stumbled through the woods covered in blood, dirt, and bruises. She wanted to keep going, try to find shelter, to find the group, but she was running on nothing and wouldn't last much longer on her own. She shuddered out a breath, feeling the constriction to her breathing, the stabbing pain from the bruises covering her ribs. She wanted to lay down, get some sleep, but she had to find shelter. She walked for hours, walked until the sun came up, until she finally found a little run down bar. She sent a silent thank you to whatever, god, goddess, angel, that was up there.

The bell above the door chimed when she walked in which made her freeze. She stood in the doorway for a minute for two, hoping that a walker wasn't near and hadn't heard the chime. When she didn't hear any moaning or groaning she ventured into the bar, sidestepping broken bottles, overturned chairs and chair to get to the bar, which didn't look any better than the rest of the place. Glasses and bottles sat scattered across the surface, dust covered everything in sight, and there seemed to be blood spattered across one section of the bar. But at the moment Y/N didn't care, it was a roof over her head, and walker free at the moment. Y/N sighed and dropped her bag behind the bar before joining it. Now with her head laying on her bag and her machete in hand she fell asleep.

Y/N was forced awake some time later by the bell above the door. As it stopped chiming she could hear soft footsteps and the occasional crunch of glass under someone's foot. She slowed her breathing and laid as still as she could, she heard the footsteps stop in front of the bar but she still didn't move, if she did it might be the choice that gets her a bullet between the eyes. So she waited for the person to leave, but they never did instead she heard one of the chairs scrape against the floor and the person sit down. She waited for another minute or so before she stood up as silently as she could. Y/N looked through the bar but saw no one sitting at any of the tables.

"You move and I shoot." The person drawled, their thick accent sounded so familiar but she couldn't place it right away.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She lied wanting to get the weapon they were holding off of her.

"Turn around." Y/N listened and slowly turned around to face the person, but she was not expecting to see who she did.

"Daryl." She breathed watching the recognition flash in his eyes. His cross bow fell limp in his hands and they stood wide eyes staring at each other until Y/N jumped at him and hugged him. Y/N knew that Daryl had never been much of a hugger but it had been so long since she'd seen someone she knew; someone she had called a friend that she had to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

'Y/N?" He muttered pulling away, he sounded like he couldn't believe she was standing in front of him, but she couldn't blame him, she couldn't believe he was there either. "They told me you were dead."

"They had good reason to." Although it had hurt to hear that she knew it would've been the same thing she told them if it had been anyone else missing for a year.

"Let's get going." Daryl mutter, nodding his head towards the door.

"Where are we going."

"I'm taking you back to the group."

At this Y/N smiled.