A/N. This starts from the return of Rick and co. and goes until I says so.

I got a lot of requests for a full length, so we'll see, I'll give it a go.

There are a lot of bonding-dad moments, because Carl and Rick need to bond.

And of course there will be Beth/Carl romance and a lot of Carl angst.

.

Living Hopeless

It was then that they arrived, after days of waiting. Carl opened up to let the group in. The group that had started out as four but was now minus two. Carl noticed right away as his father clasped him in a hug. Hershel and Beth were busy supporting Glenn and Maggie. Michonne lurked around in the background.

Carl pulled away. This was no happy reunion. There was one person he expected to be there that wasn't. "What happened to Daryl?"

Walkers… but then Carl just couldn't imagine it. Daryl wasn't the type to get bit. His reflexes were too sharp or something because it just didn't seem possible.

"They took him." Carl could notice that slight tremor in his father's voice. Another one he couldn't protect. Another one that went down on his watch.

"Who? The people who took Glenn and Maggie?"

Rick nodded slowly. Carl swallowed loudly.

"So when are we going?" At the quizzical look his father shot him Carl continued, "To go get Daryl."

Rick's somber expression grew even more somber. "We're not."

Carl couldn't understand that. Daryl would go to rescue them, they had just come back from rescuing Glenn and Maggie… it couldn't have been that Daryl was less important than Glenn or Maggie. All that effort Daryl spent on looking for Sophia and now they were acting like he wasn't worth a damn. "What do you mean 'we're not'?"

Rick rubbed the back of his forearm over his sweating forehead. "It's a suicide mission, Carl. We barely got out alive this time." Daryl was on his own, as much as Rick hated to admit it.

"But I found people. They entered the prison. They could help."

Surprise was an understatement of what registered on Rick's face. "You what?" He said quietly, as if what he heard must have been a figment of his imagination, his mind playing tricks on him again.

"A group, they entered in the back way. One of them was bit. Here, come with me."

Rick finally seemed to accept it after seeing them, and Carl took a step back as he conversed with the other older guy, who said his name was Tyreese. Carl let them talk for a moment before he interjected. "We've got someone who was captured. We need you to help us get him back."

"Carl!" Carl hated it when his father got that tone of voice. He was beyond getting into trouble now after all he went through. His mother was dead so why bother pretending they had a happy little family unit like old times? Why pretend that his dad actually had any authority over him?

"What?" Carl didn't even bother to mask his annoyance. "We need help to get Daryl. Wasn't that what you said?"

"It wouldn't matter how much help we had. They have people Carl, and weapons, much more than we have. We can't go back."

"Daryl would go back for you," he said coldly, "if it was you trapped there." Carl strode away back to their cell block.

As he went he could hear his father in the behind him saying, "Sorry about him. We lost another one of our people. I suppose you know how it is."

Carl was loading up his pistol, hat crooked and breathing heavily when he got back to his cell. He knew where to go… where the walkers were. Not so many that it was dangerous but enough that he could blow off some steam.

"Hey Carl."

It was Beth, at the door to his cell, looking happier than she had for days. Didn't she get it? Daryl was gone and he wasn't coming back.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

Beth was taken aback by his hostile tone. She continued softly. "Don't you want to come and see Glenn and Maggie? Glenn's a bit worse for wear but dad's taking care of it."

"We're not going to get Daryl back. We're just leaving him there."

Beth paused there, waiting for a couple of seconds to pass before saying, "I'm sorry."

"It's B.S. Daryl always volunteers to go after people and now we're just forgetting about him?"

Beth guessed it wasn't just Daryl fueling his anger. His mother… the father who was rarely around anymore… taking responsibility for his newborn sister. He had a lot to be angry about. She stepped forward. Carl was looking at her with that expression, exasperation mixed with defiance. She reached out a hand to his face and wiped at a smudge of dirt there. "I know."

"No you don't." He pushed her away and stormed out of the cell and then out of the cell block. Pistol loaded, not looking back. She had Maggie back. He was glad about Glenn but Carl wanted everyone back. That's what made him angry. It wasn't just Daryl. It was everyone that kept dropping. He was alone in this world. Him and Judith. Who knew the fate of anybody else?

.

Read… Enjoy… Review.

If you liked - review, because they really do make the difference whether I continue or not.