Rick makes his way down the stairs and into the unfamiliar basement. The walls are made of concrete and the air is frigid and cold. He sees him right away, his Daryl, and he hightails it straight to him. He's briefly aware of Maggie heading towards the opposite side of the room, towards where Glenn is, but Rick pushes that out of his mind. He's got Daryl in front of him and he's got to make sure everything's okay with him before he can think straight.

Rick falls to his knees in front of Daryl, arms going out to reach for him. He's covered in cuts and bruises, blood drying as it drips down his skin, and Rick's stomach heaves. Daryl's been through hell, it's clear to see with just a simple glance at his skin, and it sickens him to think about. Rick can smell the scent of multiple Alphas on Daryl and he can see the evidence of a sexual attack, but he doesn't bring that up right away. Right now his first priority is to make sure Daryl's okay.

Rick rests a hand on the side of Daryl's neck and is taken aback by just how cold his skin is. He's freezing, Rick can tell, and Daryl's body starts to shiver violently. "Daryl," Rick says, hoping to wake Daryl from his unconscious state. "Daryl."

Daryl's eyes flit open and Rick feels a sense of relief wash through him. Daryl's okay. "Rick?" he asks, voice raspy, and Rick can tell it's probably been a while since he's used it for anything but screaming. That thought alone makes Rick's blood boil and he has to fight back the urge to hunt down every last one of the bastards who hurt his mate.

I'm here. You're okay," Rick says, hands smoothing down Daryl's neck. "It's okay."

Love you," Daryl says, breathing starting to fade. "Love you so much, I'm sorry. So sorry-" Daryl says, before his eyes roll back in his head and he collapses.

Rick doesn't get what's happening at first but it isn't long before he can see the signs of something horrible happening. He screams Daryl's name, starts to shake him awake. This can't be happening, this can't be fucking happening. He found him, he found Daryl, and now he's supposed to be okay, that's how this kind of thing works.

But Daryl's not responding, Daryl won't open his eyes, Daryl isn't making a sound, and suddenly Rick knows he's gone. Daryl's gone, he's lost yet another mate, and his chest hurts so badly he can't even move. His breathing gets rapid and Rick's damn near inconsolable in a matter of seconds.

Rick hears footsteps rapidly making their way down the stairs and Rick recognizes the familiar frame of Bob. He pushes Rick out of the way, tries to get to him in time to do anything, but Rick knows it's too late. He can already feel their bond severing itself and he's never been in so much pain before, both mental and physical. Daryl's gone, Daryl's fucking gone, and Rick doesn't know what to do.

He collapses suddenly, loud sobbing shaking his frame as the emotions crash over him, and Rick buries his head in his hands. He briefly realizes he should probably be quiet, not make in loud noises so he doesn't wake the alphas in the house, but Rick can't get himself under control. What's he going to do now, what's he supposed to tell the kids? Daryl was his mate, his true mate, and now he's gone and-

Rick jolts awake, chest hurting so badly he's surprised he can even breathe properly. Overwhelming panic washes through him and his mind starts moving so fast he can't keep up with it. But then he's hit with familiar scent, Daryl's scent, and he realizes it was just a dream, another horrible dream. He'd dreamt Daryl had been killed, murdered by the governor and his men. But no. Daryl is safe, Daryl is here, Daryl's asleep in his arms and everything's okay.

Daryl's still sleeping, face nuzzled into the warm spot where his shoulder meets neck, and Rick's never been so content in his life. He's been having these nightmares almost every night since Daryl had been taken from him but he hasn't told anyone about them. Daryl's having a hard enough time as it is, he doesn't need another thing to worry about.

It's not long after Rick wakes that Daryl follows suit. He slowly blinks open his eyes and Rick's got to say he's missed this more than he's willing to admit. He gets why Daryl's been staying away from him, he'll never push him into doing something before he's ready for it, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss sleeping next to him every night. Even if this is only a once in a while thing, he'll take it.

"Mornin'," Rick says softly, pressing his lips gently against the side of his head. Daryl doesn't pull back, doesn't do anything that would signal Rick he's not ready for this, and Rick can't help but feel good about that.

"Mornin'," Daryl repeats. He moves a finger up Rick's arm, following the invisible trail with his eyes. After a few seconds Daryl looks up at Rick. He can tell Daryl's struggling with something, something big, but Rick's patient and he'll wait as long as it takes for Daryl to be comfortable again.

Whatever Rick was expecting, it's not this. Daryl surges forward and presses his lips against Daryl's. The kiss is soft, gentle, but it's something. It helps to calm Rick down and lets him know that everything is going to be okay, especially after the nightmare he had last night. "I'm sorry," Daryl says softly, once he's pulled away from Rick's lips. "I'm so sorry."

Rick's confused, Daryl has no reason to be apologizing to him. "Why? You haven't done anything, you have nothing to be sorry for, Daryl, absolutely nothing."

"I've been a mess these past two weeks," he says, ducking his head against Rick's shoulder to hide his face. "I've been pushing you away and I know it hurts you, I hate seeing that hurt look on your face. I'm sorry."

"Daryl," Rick says, carefully forcing Daryl to look at him. He doesn't want to push Daryl into something he's not comfortable with, but he's not going to sit here and let him beat himself up about things he can't control. "Don't apologize, I'm not mad at you. I get it, I totally get it, and I'll make sure you get whatever you need. If you need space, I'll give you space. This is your call. You're in charge here Daryl, we work at your pace."

Daryl's quiet for a while, contemplating Rick's words, before he answers again. "Will you come hunting with me today, please?"

Rick's not the least bit surprised Daryl's asked him to go hunting. That was his fall back, what he did when he needed to clear his head, and it would surely give him the alone time he needs to talk to Rick about whatever he feels like talking about.

"Of course," Rick says, soothing Daryl's worry away with his hands. "Just the two of us."

Daryl smiles at that. "Good." He's about to open his mouth again but Judith starts crying, letting them both know she's awake and wants attention. "I'll take her," Daryl says as he rolls out of bed, slipping on his boots. "Give you a break."

Rick smiles and slips out of bed after him. He's got no problem with taking care of Judith, but Daryl hasn't spent as much time with her as he'd like to these past few weeks and Rick can tell he's itching to spend more time with her. "Sure Daryl," he says, running a hand over Daryl's arm, "whatever you want."

A few hours later, Daryl and Rick are alone in the woods. They've been out here for almost an hour but haven't found anything yet. Rick suspects it's because Daryl's too wound up to really hunt but he doesn't say anything about it.

Rick can tell Daryl's nervous, he's not as alert as he usually is and it's clear to see his mind keeps wandering to other things. Rick watches Daryl for a few minutes, picking up on all the little signs that lets him know things definitely aren't alright with Daryl. Eventually he realizes Daryl's gonna need a little help bringing up the topic so he decides to give Daryl the break he needs to start talking.

"Let's take a break," Rick says, sitting down on a nearby log. He doesn't mention anything about talking, even though it's clear that's exactly what Daryl wants to do. Rick can't push him on this subject, Daryl's got to be the one to bring it up or it'll never be genuine.

"Okay," Daryl says, sitting down next to Rick. His body is tense, he can't sit still, and Daryl's chewing on his thumbnail, something he does when he's agitated.

Still, Rick doesn't say anything. He takes out a water bottle and holds it out to Daryl. It takes some coaxing but eventually Daryl holds it to his lips and takes a few sips. There's a few more minutes of silence before Daryl finally starts talking, and once he does he can't stop.

"I was excited," Daryl says, gaze trained on the ground. "Nervous, but excited. I'd never shared a heat with anyone, at least not willingly. My dad used my omega status to pay off debts to the Alphas he owed money to after I presented. They never fucked me, Dad didn't want a pregnant omega, but they did enough to make me never trust another Alpha."

"For years I was on suppressants, even after you claimed me. What we did was good, it was great, but I wanted more. I went into heat, and I was supposed to spend it with you. We were gonna spend it together, maybe have a pup, and everything was going to be good. That was our decision, that's how it should have went, that's how it was supposed to go." Daryl clenches his hands together tightly, fingernails digging painfully into his skin. "I should have known better, nothing ever goes right when it comes to me."

Rick closes his eyes, trying to block out the feelings of guilt he has. He still blames himself for what happened, no matter how illogical that is, and he thinks he probably always will.

"When I was down there," Daryl starts off, licking his lips. He doesn't reiterate what he means by 'down there' but Rick's pretty certain he know what he's referring to. "You were the only thing that kept me sane, the only thing that was able to keep me calm. I was… I was terrified, Rick, but you helped me, probably helped me more than anything else could have." Daryl sighs, runs a hand through his hair.

"All I had to do was think about you and I was able to calm myself down. You were my anchor, Rick, the only thing that helped me hold out. The Governor wanted me to beg, wanted me to beg for him to take me. He tortured me hoping that I would start begging, but I didn't. I held out, and that never would have happened if it wasn't for you. I fought back, I put up a fight, but it wasn't enough." Daryl stands up and starts pacing.

Rick's not sure what he's supposed to do, so he just sits there with his hands clasped. Thinking about what the Governor did to Daryl kills him, enrages him, and he reckons if the bastard wasn't already dead Rick would go and hunt him down himself. He tells himself no matter how hard it is to hear something like this it's got to be ten times worse for Daryl to tell him and that helps to keep him calm.

"I didn't want him," Daryl says, looking over at Rick. "I only wanted you, only you. I didn't let myself stoop as low as begging for him, not even when my heat got so out of control I could barely see straight. It was hell, absolute hell. I was in heat, the first heat I had had in years, and I needed relief so fucking bad you won't even believe. But I never begged for him, not once." Daryl's pacing even faster now, wearing a trail into the ground under his feet

"When you came, all I wanted to do was cry. I wanted you to wrap me up in your arms and tell me that everything was going to be okay. Yeah, I realize I acted like a pussy. But I was just tired, tired of everything. I was tired, hungry, and sore as all fuck. I wanted to go back to the prison and lay with you, forget about everything that happened," Daryl says, stopping so that he's standing in front of Rick.

"But, then we went in that house and I saw the faces of the men who touched me. They all did, used me as much as they wanted, and I couldn't stand the thought of looking at them. They disgusted me, made me feel sick. You were standing right next to me, the man that I love with everything that I have, my mate, and we walked right past the men who I had had sex with just a few days before. I felt tainted, disgusted, and I didn't want you to see me like that," Daryl says, and it's easy to see how much this is bothering him.

Daryl's quiet, he's not talking and he refuses to look at Rick. After a few seconds, Rick stands up. "Daryl," he says, taking a step towards him. "Daryl please look at me."

"I did what I did to protect the prison, to protect the people I love," Daryl says, looking up at Rick. His eyes are red and it's easy to tell he's struggling with some sort of emotion. "You get that right? I didn't- I didn't want it, could never want anything like that. He wanted me to beg, but I didn't. I fought my instincts, I didn't give in, I was strong." Daryl's voice breaks and he turns away from Rick once again.

"The only reason I crawled onto the breeding bench was because they held a gun to Glenn's head, because he threatened Judith and Carl and everyone at the prison. I was protecting my family, I had to protect my family. That's my job, that's what I do. I protect the people I love. Please, please tell me you get that. I can't," Daryl stops, pinches the bridge of his nose and bows his head. "I can't take it if you don't get that."

Rick's never seen Daryl like this, scared and on the verge of breaking down. He's acted so strong since the rescue, nearly untouchable, and Rick's surprised it's taken him this long to break down like this. Daryl's damn near sobbing now, hiding his face like there's something he needs to be ashamed of, and the entirety of it breaks Daryl's heart.

"Daryl," he says, resting a hand on the side of his face. "What happened to you was not your fault. I don't blame you, I could never blame you. I don't know what it's gonna take for me to get you to realize that, but it's the truth." Rick can tell Daryl doesn't believe him so he tries again.

"Listen to me Daryl," Rick says, forcing Daryl too look up at him. "You want to look strong in front of everyone at the prison, make yourself look invincible, and I get that. You don't want to look weak, don't want to look like what happened in that basement has affected you, and I'm totally cool with that. You do whatever you need to do to heal, that's all I care about."

Rick's hand is still on the side of Daryl's face and he takes the time to rub his thumb over his neck, trying to calm him down. "But don't do it in front of me, don't put on this front that makes you look stronger than you are. You're struggling because you were attacked, and I know that nothing I say is gonna make that better. I just want you to know that you can break down in front of me, I ain't gonna judge you for that. Don't hide how much you're hurting from me. What happened to you? That doesn't change anything that I feel. You're my mate, my lover, Daryl, and nothing that any sick bastard does to you will change that. You're mine, and I'm yours, same as always."

"I don't get how you could possibly say that," Daryl says, pulling away from him. "I feel disgustin', tainted, and I don't understand how you could want to be near me."

Rick's heart breaks when he realizes just how horrible Daryl feels about this whole situation. He wants to go back in time, prevent any of this from happening, but he can't and that kills him. He's about to say something else, anything else that could get Daryl to understand how he feels, but he's cut off by Daryl's next words.

"I'm tainted, do you even realize that? I had sex with who knows how many men. The governor strapped me into a breeding bench and then let his men have their way with me. The first heat I've had in years, the first heat I was going to share with you, and it gets ruined by a bunch of fucking knottheads." Daryl says, pulling away from Rick so he can start pacing again.

"I was fucked by multiple men in the middle of my heat, do you know what that means?" Daryl says, voice getting louder the more worked up he gets. "I could be carrying the pup of a man who raped me, the pup of someone who isn't you. That's practically cheating. How can you even look at me, how can you stand to be in the same room as me, knowing that I've been with other men?"

Daryl looks so dejected, so defeated, Rick's heart physically hurts. He doesn't know how he can possibly fix this, how he can possibly convince Daryl that what happened to him doesn't change his opinion of him. Rick opens his mouth, about to say something, but once again Daryl cuts him off.

"There's a good possibility your mate is carrying some other person's pup, and you can't tell me that that's not gonna set your alpha instincts off." Daryl's voice sounds so broken Rick can't stand it. "Alphas don't like being around other Alpha's pups, regardless of who the other parent is. How could you still want me, knowing that there's a good chance that something that could belong to the governor is growing inside of me?"

"Daryl," Rick says, stepping up to Daryl. He puts his hands gently on the side of his neck, rests his forehead against Daryl's, and slowly starts to calm the man down. He's relieved when Daryl doesn't try to pull away from him. "You're my mate, my true mate, and that means the world to me. I love you, every single part of you, and if you get pregnant because of this, we'll deal with it. I'll go along with whatever you want, it doesn't matter what.

"You've already had so much taken from you, this decision is yours and I'll support it. If you get pregnant and want to keep the baby, I will fucking raise the shit out of that kid. Because anything that comes from you deserves to have the world handed to it on a silver platter. I'll raise it as my own and I swear to you that I will never let it think it's not loved because it isn't biologically mine. If you find that you can't keep the baby, I'll help you come up with some alternative solutions, Daryl. You're not alone, you don't have to do this by yourself."

"I wanted to have a pup that was mine and your blood, that's all I wanted," Daryl says after a minute of silence, finally looking up at Rick. "How can you possibly want to be with me now? I mean, look," Daryl says, pulling down his shirt enough to expose his collarbone. "Not only am I tainted, but I'm marked as well. I'll have this for the rest of my life, there's nothing Hershel can do to get rid of it."

Rick has to admit, he's slightly taken aback by what he sees. He hasn't seen Daryl's upper chest since the attack and had no idea he had a mark like that on him. It'd been too dark in the basement to see properly and Rick had been too focused on Daryl's face to notice he had had such a derogatory word carved into his skin. The skin is red and inflamed, but he can clearly make out the words that are carved there.

Rick feels rage well up in him, uncontrollable rage, and he has to resist the urge to strike out against the nearest tree. The last thing he wants Daryl to think is that he's mad at him, because that's the furthest thing from the truth. He's pissed, pissed beyond belief, but not at Daryl. At the men who thought it was okay to do this to the person he loves. The idea of Daryl carrying the mark of another man sickens him. Not because he feels like his omega has been claimed by someone else, Rick would never think something like that. But because it hurts Daryl, makes him feel unwanted and unloved, and Rick just wants to erase the entire mark.

Rick doesn't say anything, just rests his face against the words on Daryl's collarbone for a few seconds before he pulls away. He rubs gently at the agitated skin before he looks up at Daryl. The words don't mean a thing to him, they certainly don't make him feel any differently than he does and he needs to make sure that Daryl realizes that. He doesn't say anything, just gently runs his hands over Daryl's skin, and Rick can tell by the reaction that Daryl gets what he's trying to say.

"If that's still something you want one day, we'll go for it Daryl," he says softly. "It's not completely off the table. This, all of this, is your call, I'll gladly take the back seat on this one. Whatever you want, whatever you're comfortable with, we'll do. Because you deserve at least that much. You suffered a severe trauma and have had so much taken from you the past few weeks, it's time you start making your own decisions. You deserve the absolute best Daryl, and I swear I'm going to help you realize that."

Daryl doesn't say anything, just rests against Rick's chest. His head comes to rest on Rick's shoulder and Rick wraps his arms around him, slowly stroking his back. They stand like that for a while, Rick's not sure how long, but he knows that eventually they're going to have to pulls apart.

"Thank you," Daryl whispers after a while, pulling back so he can look Rick in the eyes. "Thank you, you always know what to say."

"Of course," Rick says, wiping at Daryl's eyes gently. This is the most intimate the two of them have been in a while and Rick's so glad they're starting to patch things up.

"We should probably go," Daryl says, looking up at the sky. "It's getting late, the prison will start to worry if we stay out too late."

Rick nods and starts heading towards the prison. Daryl walks next to him, hand brushing over his every few steps. After a few minutes of them walking in silence he feels Daryl reach out to grab his hand. Rick doesn't say anything, but inside he's beaming.

It's a step in the right direction. Rick tightens his grip on Daryl's hand and together the two of them make their way home. It's definitely not perfect, but it's getting there and that's all that really matters to Rick.