Serve & Protect

Serve & Protect

Summary: You moved to the small quiet town of Hawkins after transferring from the NYPD and reunite with your old partner, Jim Hopper. However, Hawkins isn't as quiet as it seems, and your past follows you there.

Pairing: Jim Hopper x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2.5k

Major Trigger Warning- mentions of past SA, violence, guns, language.

Previous Chapter

Chapter 13- if this is goodbye...

"After Sara I had to get away." Hopper suddenly started to say breaking the silence.

You remained curled up against his side, your face buried against his chest while he held you.

"I had to get away from that place. Had to outrun those memories, I guess." He continued to say quietly. "I mean, why do you think I ended up back in this shithole town?"

You didn't respond, but he didn't expect you to either. Your tears had long ago dried, but he kept holding you. And for the first time in a long time, you felt safe. You felt safe in his arms.

"What I'm trying to say is... I understand why you came to Hawkins to get away from that. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you when your past followed you here."

You tilted your head up towards him, but he was staring straight ahead looking anywhere but at you.

"It's not your job to protect me, Hop."

"Yeah, it is." He argued, sparing a quick glance down at you showing off the tears still shimmering in his eyes. "You're my Deputy. I'm responsible for you, but above all that, you're my best friend and I made a promise to not let that asshole hurt you again, and I failed."

"Hopper-"

"I should have protected you." His voice was heavy with shame, the same way his guilt weighed down upon his shoulders. He wiped his eyes with his free hand and let out a deep shaky breath before resting his head back against the brick wall.

Neither of you said anything for a few minutes after that. You didn't want to move out of Hoppers arms, and he clearly didn't want to let you go either, but you both knew that you had to go back inside and deal with this whole opening gate in Hawkins that Alexei knew about.

"Is it safe to come out?" Murray's voice suddenly shouted in the distance.

Hopper glanced down at you in his arms before looking in the direction of the man's voice.

"Yeah." He shouted back and a few seconds later Murray walked around the corner with two glasses of clear liquid.

"Figured you'd both could use a drink. Vodka?"

Hopper took one of the glasses without a word and skulled the mouthful of alcohol before you unwrapped yourself from around his side and took the other glass which Murray handed over with a gentle smile.

You nodded your thanks and down the drink welcoming the familiar burn of vodka.

"There's more inside if you guys are ready to come back in? Alexei has more details to share." Murray explained, turning on his heels and walking back towards the front door.

A few minutes later you were back on Murray's couch with another shot of Vodka while Alexei and Murray explained things in more details, including how to shut the opening gate.

Hopper re-laid all the information back to Doctor Owens... well, it was the phone number Owens had given him for emergencies and it wasn't Owens that answered. But Hopper told the person everything and requested military backup at Starcourt Mall. Whether the person on the phone believed everything he had just said is one thing and whether or not he passes it on to Doctor Owens was an entirely different thing.

"I should call Joyce and tell her what's going on." Hopper suddenly said, reaching for the phone on the table once again.

"What? Why?" You asked in confusion watching he grab the phone already dialling her number that he knew by heart.

"She's involved in this. She should know what's happening."

"No, you should keep this phone line open for when Owens calls." You argued not understanding the urgency for Joyce to know these details.

What was Joyce going to do? Was she going to go to Starcourt and take down the Russians by herself? Hell no.

"It will only take a minute." Hopper dismissed.

"Whatever." You huffed walking back to the kitchen and stealing another mouthful of Murray's vodka.

"Trouble in paradise?" Murray asked, raising his eyebrows as he motioned between you and Hopper.

"Don't know what you're talking about." You responded, screwing the cap back on the bottle.

Murray opened his mouth to argue but then Hopper walked into the kitchen, and he quickly shut his mouth.

"C'mon, we're heading back to Hawkins." He announced catching you by surprise.

"Why?" You asked in confusion because weren't you meant to wait by the phone for Doctor Owens to call?

"The kids are at the 4th of July festival and that is a stone's throw from Starcourt."

Good enough for you.

"Let's go then." You said, snapping into action.

You were back on the road within a few minutes. Murray and Alexei squished together in the back seat of the car while Hopper drove. The sun was beginning to set along the horizon, and it would be dark by the time you got back to Hawkins, but if the kids were at that festival, you had to find them.

-

Murray and Alexei remained in the car when you got to the festival. Hopper instructing them to go over the plans while you and him looked for the kids.

It turned out that finding the kids at this packed festival was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

"Hey, isn't that Karen Wheeler? Mikes mother?" You asked, pointing to the blonde woman who was entering one of the amusement rides.

"Yeah, let's see if she knows where the kids are." Hopper said, already heading straight over to the ride.

You weren't entirely sure what the ride was, but you flashed your Hawkins PD badge at the man by the gate who instantly let you and Hopper through without question. You stepped inside the large UFO shaped ride to find Karen inside with a bunch of other people.

"Karen Wheeler?" You called out, walking over to her.

The woman turned around at your voice and frowned a little in confusion when she saw you.

"Uh, what can I do for you Officer?"

"Have you seen the kids anywhere? The-the what do they call themselves? The party?" You asked causing the confusion to spread across her face even more.

"No, I-I haven't seen them. I don't think they're here yet. Why? Oh, God, what did Mike do now? Is he in trouble?" She asked sighing with a shake of her head.

"You three, up against the wall!" The lady by some kind of console in the centre of the ride ordered.

"They're not in trouble. But where are they?" Hopper clarified ignoring the other lady.

"Oh my gosh, I can hardly keep track these days. Uh, they were at, uh... Dustin's, then Lucas's, Max's... you know how it is, summer!"

You were about to ask further questions but then the ride door suddenly closed.

Oh, that ain't good.

"Last warning, you two. Up against the wall!" The worker by the control panel instructed.

"Hold the ride!" Hopper shouted back, but the woman shook her head.

"On your life, Magnum."

She pulled the lever on the control in front of her and the ride suddenly began to spin. Hopper quickly planted his back against one of the padded walls before he grabbed your hand and pulled you beside him.

Your back hit the padded wall just as the ride began to spin faster, and faster, and faster. You tilted your head up towards Hopper who met your gaze and squeezed your hand ever so slightly for silent comfort as the ride kept spinning rapidly.

Neither of you said anything nor did you release each other's hands as the ride continued to spin before eventually slowing down and coming to a stop a few minutes later.

"Hate is not a strong enough word for that ride." You muttered, Hopper still holding your hand as you walked out the UFO shaped hell ride.

Hopper snorted softly in amusement but didn't get a chance to respond.

"Jim! Jim! Y/N!" Murray's voice suddenly shouted, and you looked up to find him waving frantically in the distance at the two of you. "They got Alexei, Jim! Alexei! They got Alexei, Jim!"

Sudden dread filled your stomach. They got Alexei? Who the fuck was they?

"We gotta go." Hopper suddenly warned and just by the tone of voice alone, you knew it was bad.

You quickly looked up to find Hopper staring at someone off to the left and you followed his line of sight and spotted the terminator guy from earlier marching through the crowd towards you.

Ah, shit.

"We gotta go. Now."

Hopper's hand tightened around your own as he took off running in the opposite direction pulling you with him as you ran. However, you didn't get too far before you spotted another rough looking guy up ahead who seemed to be concealing something in his jacket.

Yeah, that was definitely a gun. Why bother hiding it like that if it's that obvious?

"Chief, there's another." You said, nodding in that other man's direction.

"Shit." Hopper cursed under his breath before diverting left, his hand still grasping yours tightly as you ran through the crowd and around food stalls. The people around you were completely oblivious to the Russian soldiers walking amongst them. They had no idea that anything was happening while you and Hopper ran for your lives.

More soldiers kept appearing at every turn and you very quickly realised that there was no way the two of you could outrun them, and Hopper seemed to realise that too. He came to a sudden halt in the middle of the crowd and let go of your hand before pulling out the car keys from his pocket and holding them out to you.

"Find Murray, get the car, bring it around back." He ordered, shoving the keys into your palm when you didn't take them.

"What- no. Hop, I'm not leaving you here. There's like six Russians with AK's walking around." You argued, grabbing his hand to stop him from running off.

"I can draw them away and give you time to get to the car. Now, go!"

"No! This feels like a goodbye. I am not leaving you here to die!" You snapped, angry tears rising in your eyes.

You have been through too much to lose Hopper. After everything that's happened you could not lose him. No way.

"Goodbye is always implied in this line of work. I guess I usually just put it out my mind. Maybe I shouldn't do that anymore." He began to say lifting his hand and cupping the side of your face with a gentle smile. "But if this is goodbye then..."

Hopper trailed off as he leant forward and captured your lips with his kissing you gently. Your body froze in absolute shock but only for a second before you lifted your hand and grabbed the back of his neck pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.

A moment later Hopper pulled away, resting his forehead against yours as he breathed heavily, "I just had to do that once before I die."

"You are not dying." You stated sternly, biting your now swollen lip.

He nodded against your head, "then meet me around the back with a car."

"Hop-"

"Do you trust me?" He asked, his beautiful blue eyes locking with yours.

"Always."

"Then go." He responded glancing over his shoulder at the terminator guy who was getting closer through the crowd before focusing back on you. "Run, Y/N!"

Every muscle in your body was screaming at you not to go, but instead, you nodded and reluctantly sprinted off in the opposite direction while you heard Hopper behind you shouting at the Russians, luring them to him.

Jesus Christ, Jim. You better know what you're doing.

You doubled back to where you had last seen Murray and to your relief, he must have spotted you running around the festival like a headless chicken standing out in your uniform because he was shouting your name.

Following Murray through the crowded festival he led you around the back of a food stall and your heart shattered when you saw Alexei's lifeless body slumped down against the back wall.

Alexei, no.

You skidded to your knees beside him and tilted his head up from his chin knowing that position would be blocking his airways, but he was unresponsive and that's when you saw the bullet wound through his chest.

"No." You whispered to yourself shaking your head in denial.

"I-I just left for a minute... for a corn dog. A stupid corn dog." Murray was saying from somewhere behind you, his voice sounding as sad as you felt.

You pressed your hand against the still bleeding wound and pressed your fingers of the other against his neck trying to locate a pulse but there was nothing.

Alexei was dead.

"We need to go." You declared standing up and looking down at your blood-stained hand before taking in a deep breath. "We need to get to the car and meet Hopper around the back. Now."

Murray stared at you for a moment before glancing down at Alexei's dead body and he simply nodded. For the first time in as long as you've known him, Murray didn't have anything to say, so you nodded for him to follow and took off running in the direction of the parking lot, leaving Alexei's body behind.

Somehow you ran into Joyce Byers on your way to the parking lot. She was the one who had told Hopper that the kids were here, and she came here to find them, but was unable to.

A few minutes later you, Murray and Joyce were in the car speeding the car down the backroad behind the festival barely looking at where you were driving while you scanned the area for Hopper.

"Where is he?" Murray questioned.

"I don't know! Keep looking, I'll do another lap." You said once you reached the end of the festival.

Spinning the wheel, you turned the car around 180 degrees and sped back down the road you were just on until Hopper suddenly sprinted out from behind the back of one of the amusement rides.

"There!" Murray shouted the exact moment you saw him.

Slamming on the brakes, the car came to a rapid halt in the middle of the dirt road. Hopper ran over and jumped into the backseat not bothering to open the door of the convertible, and you took off down the road in the opposite direction of the festival.

"Alexei?" Hopper asked, glancing between you and Murray before looking over at Joyce in surprise at her presence.

You shook your head silently and Hopper's expression dropped before a Russian suddenly started speaking through the walkie talkie that he was holding.

"Hey, translate." Hopper instructed handing a walkie talkie to Murray.

Murray took the walkie without a word, and you realised that Hopper must have gotten it from one of the soldiers. Did that mean the terminator guy was finally dead? God, you hoped so.

The person kept speaking in Russian through the walkie but whatever they were saying, Murray clearly didn't like.

"What is it?" You asked hesitantly, glancing over at him before focusing back on the road as you drove.

"The kids are at the mall." Murray began to inform before he glanced over his shoulder at Hopper and Joyce. "The Russians are closing in on them."

"Not on my watch." You declared putting your foot down on the gas as you spun the car around in the direction of Starcourt Mall. 

-

Next Chapter

MASTERLIST pinned to profile

Changes - Joel Miller Imagine [The Last of Us]

Title: Changes

Pairing: Joel Miller X Reader

Word Count: 2,158 words

Warning(s): gunfire, murder, awkwardness, abandonment

Summary: [Episode 6] (Y/n) thought that Joel and them were finally making some steps forward in their relationship... in a few ways. If only progress didn't run the constant risk of going backward.

Author's Note: I have a friend that asked if I had written The Last of Us fanfiction... I am adding to the collection for their sake... totally not my own.

PART TWO HERE

PART THREE HERE

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Working with Joel was strange.

There were these times when he was completely closed off. Gruff and abrasive. Acted like he had never smiled a day in his life. I would affectionately call him Oscar to Grouch at those times. In my head. The last time I said that one out loud, I'm pretty sure he had to use all of his self-restraint to keep himself from shooting me.

But there were other times when the shell cracked. He would smile at me. He would actually participate in my admittedly stupid banter. He was sweeter. Not a lot, but enough for both of us to relax.

I sometimes thought that I clung to those "other times" a little too tightly.

That was why I stuck around him for so long. Those looks behind the curtain were enough to get my attention. I held onto them as much as possible. It was like holding a burning candle and watching the flame dim until you could find another match.

I tried to believe that I wasn't seeing things that weren't there.

But that would have been too easy.

I had to face the possibility that there was nothing there between us.

That realization came like a slap in the face.

We had gotten a truck and supplies from Bill and Frank's compound. The three of us were hidden away in the woods, far away from the road.

Ellie was asleep.

I was sitting next to Joel. I had always had trouble sleeping, even before the apocalypse. The constant threat to my life didn't help.

"You should rest."

"Don't tell the chronic insomniac to sleep," I replied. "It's like telling a psychopath that they're a psychopath."

I looked over just in time to watch his eyebrows furrow. "What?"

"It's very upsetting," I explained.

"Right," he mumbled. "I will never get how your mind works."

"Keeps me interesting," I shrugged.

I leaned my elbows on my knees as I watched Ellie a bit longer. I took a deep breath.

"It feels weird how protective I feel over her," I said quietly. "It hasn't been all that long, yet I feel like I'd burn the world down to keep her safe."

Joel hummed in response.

"You are so talkative," I mumbled. "It's one of your best qualities."

"I've been saying that for years," he replied sarcastically. I scoffed.

"I think you're obsessed with the gruff, mysterious reputation you have going on."

"I would've changed it if I could," he explained. "Damn thing made it so you're stuck to my side, why would I choose to hold onto it?"

"Oh, hush, I've grown on you."

"Like a tumor."

I chuckled at the sarcastic response. "Asshole."

"Keeping up the reputation."

I rolled my eyes as I turned my head to look at him. He looked at me.

Maybe it was the silence. Or the loneliness of the whole thing. Or some stress spilling over into the current moment. Maybe it was just something about the woods. Something around us made me braver for just a few moments.

And those few moments were all I needed to push myself over and pressed my lips to his.

It was nothing more than a peck before he pulled away from me. Abrupt and sudden. Like a scared animal.

I felt a sliver of pain slide through my heart as I turned my attention away from him, looking straight forward.

"(Y/n)," Joel said.

I didn't respond. I felt dizzy from my own stupidity.

"Me and you... we're two people that happen to do jobs together," he muttered after a while.

I nodded, trying to ignore the embarrassment that wanted to come out as projectile vomit right about now.

"That's it-"

"I got it," I cut him off. "I... I'm sorry."

He cleared his throat. "You should-"

"Get some rest. Yeah."

There it was. That shell.

I should have just grown accustomed to it.

We continued on like nothing had happened. It was all work. Nothing more than that. We just needed to get all of the work done.

I held onto that as we drove off the next morning.

It was easier to focus on Ellie than it was to think about Joel.

She was a smart kid. Smart and resourceful and brave. She was ready to kick ass at the drop of a hat. I admired her. Maybe that was part of why I was so protective of her.

It was especially easy to ignore my embarrassment when the chaos broke out around us in Kansas City.

The truck crashed through some old store. The gunfire followed soon after. We had gotten Ellie some hole in the wall. Safety.

The silence after the gunfire was almost scarier than the sound of the shots. It was the adrenaline. The fear meeting caution. It was like a closed soda bottle getting shaken up.

I heard the door slam open before I saw anything move. A guy tried to pin Joel to the ground.

Shooting him was the easy part.

Getting my hands to stop shaking after was the worst. I let out a loud sigh.

I heard Ellie climbing out of the wall to check on us.

"You alright," I asked her. She nodded. I took another deep breath.

Joel had pulled himself off the ground by then. He was just staring at me with this shocked look on his face.

"What about you," I asked.

"I'm good," he nodded. "Thanks."

"We'd be kinda screwed if I let you die," I replied. "Just doing the right thing."

There was a long pause as the tense air seemed to dissipate. I barely managed to drag my eyes from Joel.

"Head back in there," I told Ellie. "Look for a door for us to get through."

She nodded.

It wasn't until she was gone that I turned to Joel again. "You sure you're okay? You got a... look."

There was no response from him.

"Joel?"

"Ellie, turn around," Joel said, still looking at me. I glanced back at the wall, chuckling a bit at her little face poking out.

"Why," she asked.

"Just do it," he muttered.

I heard the dirt and gravel shift under her feet as she grumbled and spun around on her heels.

I raised an eyebrow at Joel. "What is it?"

He grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. I stumbled a bit as he awkwardly kissed me. I grinned against his lips as I balanced myself and kissed him back.

I pulled back first. I smiled before stepping away a bit. I saw a grin pulling at his lips as I did.

"You can turn around, Ellie," I chuckled.

"Did you guys kiss," she asked as she did, popping her head out again.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I shrugged as I walked over to her. "No idea at all."

"You're full of shit!"

"Am I? Joel, am I?"

He shook his head. "Not at all."

Ellie looked between Joel and me. She finally scoffed and rolled her eyes.

It felt like something had changed. Shifted.

And I liked it. I really, really liked it.

After the heartbreak in Kansas City, I expected that shell to build itself up again.

Joel wasn't romantic. I knew that much. But I found enough comfort in how his hand touched my back. It was barely there, but it was enough. I offered him a sad grin.

Three months.

Three months after that change initially happened.

We developed some patterns.

We found ourselves in a camp. A commune of survivors that made a life for themselves. A new beginning. It gave me a moment of pause. A small shimmer of hope that I felt silly entertaining.

Ellie and I ended up following Maria around while Joel caught up with his brother. It was nice. Knowing that he found him again.

We were put up in some house to shower and change. It was in amazing condition. Unfair, honestly.

I stuck next to Ellie as much as I could.

We snuck out of the movie they were playing that night. She was reading from some old diary. I was looking at the old photos and posters. It was a museum. A perfectly preserved image of the past.

Joel walked in a while later.

He stood in the middle of the room. Tense. I stepped over to him. I didn't want to cross any lines, but my brain was yelling at me to grab his hand or touch his face or something. Do something to bring him back down to earth.

I stood halfway between him and Ellie.

"Why are you here," Ellie asked from her seat.

"I came here to talk to you."

"No, why are you still here," she corrected. "If you're gonna ditch me, ditch me."

"No one's ditching you," I shook my head, looking at her for a moment before turning my attention toward Joel. The guilt was etched into his face. "Isn't that right, Joel?"

"I heard him," she spoke up. "Talking to his brother while you were focused on the lights and shit. 'I have to leave her. You have to take her.'"

I clenched my jaw. "Goddammit, Joel."

"I stood up for you today because I thought..."

Ellie trailing off broke my heart.

"I made this decision for your own good," Joel spoke up. "You'll be way better off with Tommy."

"You didn't think to talk to me about this," I asked.

He ignored me, "He knows the area better than I do-"

"Do you give a shit about me or not," Ellie slammed the diary down as she snapped at him.

"Of course, I do."

I looked down and let them argue.

I knew where I would be at the end of all of this. The only question was whether or not Joel was going to join me.

"Then, what are you so afraid of?" she stepped closer as she spoke. "I'm not her, y'know?"

I tensed.

"Maria told us about Sarah and-"

"Don't," Joel stopped her. "Don't say another word."

"I'm sorry about your daughter, Joel," Ellie walked closer to him. "But I've lost people too."

"You have no idea what loss is."

"Everybody I have cared for has either died or left me. Everybody, fucking except for you!"

I barely moved forward as she went to shove Joel backward. He didn't flinch.

"So don't tell me that I'd be safer with somebody else because the truth is I would just be more scared."

I touched her arm.

"You're right," Joel said. "You're not my daughter. And I sure as hell ain't your dad. Now, come dawn, we're going our separate ways."

"Joel," I muttered, following him out. He slammed the door shut. "Let's talk about this. Because that should have happened long before you made this choice."

"There's nothing to talk about," he replied.

I scoffed.

"Be ready to go in the morning."

"Joel, no."

"Our job's done."

"She's terrified," I said. "We're probably the most stable things that she's had in years. I'm not gonna abandon her. She's a kid-"

"She's not a kid, she's cargo. This was a job and now the job is done. Let's go."

"You're gonna look me in the eye and tell me that you actually still think that?"

"What did you expect to change?"

I froze.

The last thing I wanted to do in that moment was cry in front of him. But I couldn't help the burning behind my eyes. After all that had happened... all we had been through... the kisses... I thought that it was safe to assume that things were different now. That something had shifted in his mind.

"Have a safe trip, Joel," I muttered, blinking away any tears that tried to fight their way out.

"(Y/n), come on-"

"Job's done, right," I asked. "And nothing's changed?"

He paused.

"You said it before... we are just two people that sometimes do jobs together. Well, the job's done so you don't have to worry about me being 'stuck to your side all the time' anymore. You can finally get rid of me. Go do whatever the hell you want. I am going to make sure that kid isn't completely abandoned."

"(Y/n)-"

"Have a safe fucking trip, Joel!"

I walked back inside and slammed the door shut behind me.

I looked over at Ellie, who was standing in the middle of the room with tears in her eyes. It broke my heart. Damn near shattered the thing.

I stepped forward and yanked her into a hug. "I'm not going anywhere, got it?"

She hugged me back.

"I am not leaving you," I repeated, finally feeling the tears fall as my voice became shaky. "I'm going to stay right here and keep you safe. For as damn long as I can. Got it?"

She nodded against my shoulder.

"We're gonna figure this out, kid."

I just hoped that time would prove that I wasn't lying to her.

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Author's Note: I know it takes him all of like a minute to turn his ass around, but I needed the dramatic cut off. Let me have this one.

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↝a/n: reader is indeed a badass in this. A dumb one- but a badass nonetheless.

↝pairing:Daryl Dixon x fem!reader

↝warning: death, murder, weird guys, set after Negan shows up, Alexandria, fear of losing a loved one (Daryl and reader, separately),, reader endangers herself, pigs (men),cursing, slightly proofread, idk it's kinda graphic ngl, reader is kinda crazy but who isn't in twd universe?

|| Disclaimer: I do not own Daryl Dixon, or any character from The Walking Dead. I only own y/n and any characters I create with my own brain. ||

↝⎙ 8.16.24

Note: Kate is reader's friend

“You ain't goin' out there.” Daryl said nonchalantly, bringing the lighter up to light the cigarette hanging between his cracked lips.

Taken aback, you could only stare at him. Watching as he leaned against the porch railing, looking at you with a calm look in his eye.

It's almost like he believed you wouldn't walk outside the gate of Alexandria. Like you would listen to him. You weren't about to argue about what you can and can't do, especially when a man is on the other side.

Huffing, you stomped past him, back into the house.

After Daryl finished the cigarette, he stood to his full height, turning to open the door. He grunted when the door wouldn't open.

“Seriously?”

You heard him on the other side, but didn't care. Kate was out there. Who was Daryl to tell you to stay in the safe zone, to not look for someone who would be out in the woods looking for you the second they heard you were missing? You knew it was dangerous, but that was the chance you were willing to take for a friend.

“Open the door.” Hiding the last bit of supplies, you twisted the lock, letting him open the door. Ignoring the glare he was sending you, you made your way to the bedroom, exiting with a blanket and pillow. “Are ya kiddin'? What, 'm I in the doghouse?”

“No,” you scoffed, throwing the blanket on the couch, and began to make it comfortable. “I'm not sleeping in the same bed as someone who thinks I can't take care of myself.”

“I didn't say that.”

“You implied it.” With that, you finally looked him in the eye, daring him to say another word.

Huffing, he made his way to the bedroom, slamming the door.

You stood in the darkness for a moment, thinking everything through, whilst also listening as he walked around the room, before the mattress springs creaked, letting you know he flopped on the bed. You give it 20-30 minutes before he gets up and tries to apologize, like he always did. You'd turn him down, of course, and he'd finally leave you alone for the night. Then you'd make your run for it.

Sticks and leaves crunched under your feet, the quiet of the night having the hair on your arms stand straight up. Light illuminated ahead of you, the flashlight held tightly in your grip, knife in the other hand. The backpack you were quick to pack only had a few things, but they were important. A pistol you stored with you at all times sat on your belt (only for emergencies), small first aid kit–in the hindsight you do find Kate– but she's hurt, a can of whatever was out on the kitchen counter that you didn't get the time to actually look at-it was probably a can of peaches or something-, water, and the thin blanket you kept sprawled across the back of the couch.

Hearing voices from the distance, you quickly cut your light, catching the smell of a fire, along with the sound of the crackle of wood and drunken laughter. You took your chance with your surroundings, putting your trust in what was blindly in front of you.

You managed to sneak closer, now being able to see the group from between the trees. They sat around the fire, cackling about God knows what, blood and grime coating their skin in a thick layer. They passed a bottle around the circle, taking a big swig to numb their reality. Looking around them, they set up an alarm type thing with empty cans connected to wire and string, something your group has done many times, especially when you were without a stable housing system.

Stained tents were close together, nearly side by side with how small the alarm system was. “She's a beauty.” One man snarled, standing to wobble toward one tent, unzipping it, bending over, and reaching into it.

He struggled for a minute, nearly losing his footing, before he straightened up, dragging the body over to the other guys. They whooped and hollered, passing the bottle around again.

The guy who pulled Kate out of the tent started playing with her matted hair, a nasty grin on his face. Your nails dug into your hand. There were 4 of them, all of which had an advantage for having Kate. Even if you were to attack them, they would probably kill her without a second thought.

She snarled, pulling at the rope that bound her hands behind her back. “Ain't she?” He bent down, closer to her ear. She pulled a disgusted face.

One guy cackled, loving her reactions for a sickly reason.

The handle of the knife nearly left a permanent indention on your palm, the skin beginning to sting.

Maybe if you brought something like a bow you could catch them off guard. But you didn't, alright?

You have a knife and a pistol.

“I think it's time to turn in, fellas.” Another guy stood, stretching his long, skinny limbs. The other guys mumbled an agreement, beginning to retreat.

Kate was dragged toward the fire by the original guy, “can't let you out of my sight, can I, pretty girl?”

Kate uttered a 'fuck you'.

The guy stood back from snuffing the fire pit with dirt, moving to lean over her. His hand caressed her cheek, dirt smearing. “ You have a mouth on ya, doncha?"

The knife slid across his throat in one quick motion, a garbled sound was put to an end as the knife punctured his skull quickly after. You laid his body down gently, glancing at the tents as you moved to Kate.

She silently watched you with wide eyes. To her, you just appeared out of the darkness, leaping over the wire and taking her and the guy by surprise. If anything, she didn't recognize you at first. You looked scary, crazed, even. Your eyes held a fiery she'd only seen a handful of times since the apocalypse started.

Finally untying her hands, where rope was tied in a tight knot, leaving her wrist red and raw, you heard rustling came from one of the tents, followed by, “I gotta take a leak.” Kate quickly scanned the dead body, taking the knife off his person.

You quietly blended in to the woods, running as fast as your limbs would let you. You could hear cursing from the tents. Far enough away, you slowed down, coming out of the woods. Kate heaved, rubbing at her wrist.

“What are you doing out here?”

“Rosita came back from the supply run, and she said you were taken.” The two of them had gone out early that morning, in search of something-anything to satisfy Negan.

“That was dangerous. Those were Negan's men.”

“They're disgusting.”

She couldn't disagree. You didn't see what they did before, or hear what they said. She was thankful for that. If she were to tell you, you'd turn around and go slaughter every one of them.

Coming to an abandoned, dead car, you settled in the driver's seat, helping her wrap her wrist and any small cuts she had on her body.

You offered her the can of peaches, opening it up with your knife for her. She took it, her stomach growling as soon as you uttered the word 'food'. She chugged the water. You watched.

You had known her before the apocalypse. She had it made, never having to starve or wait all day to eat, always having the comfortable bank account to just be able to buy whatever she was feeling at the moment. You had watched first hand as her life flipped upside down. Reckon she thought the same about you. Deep down, you knew she would've gone looking for you if the roles were reversed.

“They took everything we found, which wasn't much but still. I was going to drink that alcohol.” She broke the silence, slightly pouting her busted lip out. Your lip twitched, not quite finding the amusement in your body. “Surprised Daryl didn't come with you.”

“He didn't want me coming.” She nodded, understanding where he was coming from. “They were going to look for you in the morning, but a lot could happen between now and then. I couldn't risk it.”

“You're reckless.”

“You could've died,” you countered. Maybe you were reckless and stubborn, you didn't care at that moment.

The door suddenly swung open, a gun cocking as soon as the cold metal touched your temple. Kate yelped as she got dragged out, falling out on the broken asphalt. “You think you could do that shit and get away with it?” Alcohol wafted in your nostrils, hot breath fanning across your ear and neck. “Get out.” A harsh hand gripped your arm, pulling you out. He grabbed your knife, pocketing it before you had the time to use it. You could only see two out of the three surviving men from before. The other one was probably still at their camp, keeping an eye out.

The grip on your arm tightened.

Daryl stumbled out of the woods, hearing commotion on the old, worn down road. He saw the car, the men, your silhouette.

He saw the man in front of you, getting in your face. The darkness of the night didn't do anything to show your facial expression. But Daryl knew you, knew how you were holding your ground.

He loaded his bow, watching as a punch landed to your left cheek.

You fell to the floor, quickly shuffling closer to the car. You grabbed the jagged metal of the old can of peaches you had mindlessly discarded, swinging around and dragging it across his face, nicking your palm in the process, but you didn't care.

Daryl jogged closer, arrow ready to shoot, now aimed at the man holding Kate.

Before he could release the arrow, you grabbed the gun that was recently pointed at your head, swirling around to shoot the other guy right in the face, despite his scared protest, before aiming it at the man holding his face at your feet, cursing you, belittling you.

Daryl stood, stunned.

In the span of a minute and a half, you had killed two men without flinching.

—

The door to your bedroom creaked, Daryl stumbled out of it. He stood behind the couch, shirtless, his pants hanging low on his hips. His face was set in a scowl, his distaste about having to apologize evident on his face. “Ya know you're a badass. Ain't no secret. Didn't mean it like that, ya know that.” You grunted, giving him a taste of his own medicine. You were turned away from him, laid out across the couch as you glared at the wall through the darkness. The backpack laid under the couch, everything ready.

“Say somethin'.”

You turned on your back, looking up at him. You knew he was leaned across the back of the furniture, searching for your face in the darkness, you did the same. “Fine.” Your words held no truth to them, only evident annoyance.

He sighed, straightening his back. “It's dang-”

“It's dangerous, yeah, I know. Which is exactly why we need to look for her. There's no telling what has already happened to her, especially with Negan's men out there.”

“A group is goin' in the mornin'. First thing.”

You stayed silent. At least they were trying, and being smart about it. But you weren't using your brain, only your heart. She means too much to you to lose her. She's all you have left of the normal life, before all this.

“You gonna come to bed?”

Maybe you were being unreasonable.

“No.”

Daryl shuffled back to the bedroom, letting the door shut harshly behind him.

Three minutes later, you were quietly opening the back door and wiggling out. You blended into the night, walking around Alexandria without anyone noticing. You ran by the people on watch, making your escape. You ventured into the woods, Daryl's words in your head. You were a badass. Maybe not a smart one when it comes down to being rational, but a badass nonetheless.

Daryl shuffled out of bed, his throat feeling dry. His feet patted against the cold floor, hand coming up to rub at his eyes.

He stopped when he caught sight of the couch. You were probably asleep. Anger wore you out easily, he had noted very early on.

“Look, I know you're pissed at me, but I'm just tryin' to keep ya safe. I can't lose ya.”

The vulnerability was evident in his voice. Usually, you would comfort him, knowing he doesn't show his emotional state to just anyone.

It was true, he couldn't lose you. He fears he might actually go insane without you.

Ever since you two moved into the house of Alexandria, a fire burned in Daryl.

A fire that told him he could lose you at any moment, but also told him that he had to make it where he couldn't lose you. To try everything to keep you safe.

Negan was out there, in the shadows, waiting. He was waiting for one little slip up. He wasn't one to be merciful. Yet another threat on your head.

Daryl leaned forward, bringing his hand to find your body warmth, something to soothe him before he spirals. “Honey?”

He was met with cold silence.

—

“Well shit.”

You swirled around, gun aimed to kill. Daryl dropped his arm that held the bow, raising his other in surrender. A grin tugged at his lips, pure pride at seeing you take care of yourself like that.

•2021-2024 by xoxo-sarah on Tumblr•

•My work is not to be translated, copied, modified, and/or reposted on any other site without my permission. [I don't give permission!]

Always Mine.

After a one night stand leads to a pregnancy, Tommy longs for a relationship with the child that’s out of his grasp.

This was requested by a lovely anon, I hope i’ve done you proud.This is a GIF IMAGINE. (All gifs belong to their rightful owners).

Word count: 3900      Warnings: Swearing, mentions of drinking/sex/loss. 

11th February 1914, The Garrison.

It had been Arthur that night who had insisted on going to the Garrison, determined to drag Tommy out of the heartbroken slump he had been in for six weeks straight. It had been six weeks since he’d lost his Greta, six weeks since he last held her hands in his and felt even a tiny bit whole.

There was whisky, and music, smoke, and ash. Arthur with his hand wrapped round the barmaid and a cigar in the another. John, who had barely even drank before, had found his place in a poker game in the back den. Every one had found their place but Tommy, whose eyes kept wandering over to the blonde in the corner- her face the same deflated expression as his.

Keep reading

THE SCARS WE SHARE | daryl dixon

❝i looked for you…at the start. why’d you leave without saying goodbye?❞

summary: you were the only good thing daryl had in his life. bonded by similar trauma, you suffered abuse at the hands of your stepmother, just as daryl had suffered from his own father. when you finally decide to escape your abusive home life, you’re forced to leave behind your best friend in the process. now with the world in an apocalyptic state, you’re left wondering if daryl was even alive.

pairings: daryl dixon x f!reader.

warnings: smut, violence, blood and gore, unrequited love, best friends to lovers, mentions of s/a, mentions of abuse, use of deadly weapons, fluff, angst, slow burn-ish, strong language, kidnapping, coercion, seasons 5-11, 18+, minors dni.

playlist: already gone - kelly clarkson | hanging on - emilee moore | through the trees - low shoulder | skin - zola jesus | home to you - fka twigs | words - skylar grey | two is better than one - boys like girls | back to december - taylor swift | how to save a life - the fray | for the love of a daughter - demi lovato | confessions of a broken heart (daughter to father) - lindsay lohan.

©darylmydix. please do not repost.

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IM BACK! Watch the trailer for my new fic Safe and Sound coming on Friday

After months of dating in secret, Eve Shelby and Alexander Herrine’s lives are torn apart when their families declare war on each other.