Once A Dixon, Always A Dixon (Daryl Dixon)

Father vs. Daughter

A/N: I'm sorry... but this is The Walking Dead, not Disney. Also, play the song. It's very important to the chapter.

Setting: Negan's Compound, Season Six

*Nico's POV*

Everyone leaves the house. I stay behind with Jesus. 

"Where is the Saviors's camp?" I ask him. 

"It's on the way here, in the woods. It's easy for a tracker to find," Jesus says. I clap him on the shoulder.

"Thank you," I say and leave the house. Rick and the others are packing supplies given by the people of the Hilltop into the RV. 

I sit next to Daryl and Rick starts the RV. Maggie and Glenn join us with a picture. Glenn passes the picture to Michonne. She smiles big and hands it to Daryl. He grins and hands it to me.

The picture is an ultrasound scan. The zygote is a tiny blob in Maggie's uterus. I smile at Glenn and Maggie and hand the scan to Abraham. He stares at it thoughtfully. 

I look around at all these people. My family, my true family. I love every single one of them and die for them in an instant.

That is exactly what I'm going to do.

I'm going up against Negan. Father vs. Daughter. First, I need to find someone to come with me. Ain't no way I'm doing this alone. I need someone who's strong, brave, and likes a risk. I need someone who understands the meaning of self-sacrifice. 

I need Merle Dixon. 

---

We get home and the first thing I do is run home before Daryl gets there. Merle's in the living room.

"Hey, Nico, how'd--" before he can continue, I grab his arm and lead him upstairs, into my room, and lock the door. 

"Listen," I say. "My father's alive. He's been terrorizing a community called the Hilltop for some time now. Rick's agreed to take him and his group out, but I want to do it myself. Nobody can know, especially Daryl."

"What do I gotta do with this?" Merle raises an eyebrow. 

"I need you to come with me," I say. "You understand self-sacrifice better than anybody. I need you."

"Nico, I can't let you do this," Merle says. "He'll kill you."

"I know," I say. "But I'll kill him, too. So, are you coming or not?"

Merle hesitates, then nods, "Yeah."

"We leave at midnight," I say. "Best do it when nobody's expecting it."

"Alright," Merle says. "Meet at the south tower."

"Remember. Tell nobody."

---

Daryl lies in bed, staring at me. It's currently 9:00 P.M. 

"You okay?" he asks. "You look scared."

"It's-- my father's alive," I sigh. "He's alive. I thought I killed him, and he's alive."

"Hey," Daryl says. "Rick promised that we'd take care of him. It's gonna be okay. The Governor and Gareth are dead, Negan won't be any different."

"You don't know him like I do," I say. "If we get involved, he'll kill us. If he finds out I'm with you, he'll make our lives excruciatingly painful."

Daryl cups my cheek and kisses me. I kiss him back, knowing that it will be my last time.

"I love you," I say, holding back tears. "God, I love you so much. You know that right?"

"Yeah," Daryl says. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me. Get some rest." He rolls over and soon, I can hear his light snores.