The Truth Will Out

Jesus thought he had left his past as Malcolm Bright buried in the remains of New York. He thought wrong.

Fandom: Prodigal Son, Walking Dead

Tags: crossover, Jesus was Malcolm Bright, pre-Daryl/Jesus/Rick, spoilers for up to episode 11 of Prodigal Son, Paul is good with kids and they like him as well,

Chapter 8

Paul came back to awareness in waves, each time a little more of the world bled into his consciousness. Low throbbing pain in his shoulder was a constant each time and pressure on at least one of his hands was another, but that was the good kind of pressure. At least that was what Paul's sluggish mind figured and Paul hoped that was right.

Paul became more aware of his body and the world with a calloused hand in his and a warm sheet tucked up around his chest. Paul moaned softly as he forced his eyes to open, squinting into the sunlight that lit up the room he was in.

"-ul, Paul, can you hear me?" Daryl's rough, accented voice cut through the fog that had settled over Paul's mind like a layer of frost.

"Come on Paul, we wanna make sure you're okay." Rick's voice was coming from the other side of the room and Paul blinked a few times as the two men swam into focus.

"Hey," Paul's voice was raspy and his throat ached with disuse and hopefully not from screaming from a night terror.

"How are ya feeling?" Daryl asked, voice soft as Rick rose from his chair to grab a bottle of water. Paul gratefully sipped from it when the other man held it up to his mouth.

"Sore, shoulder hurts… Wait! Carl! Is he okay? What happened?" Paul's memories caught up with him and panic filled his veins, but it calmed when Daryl squeezed his hand. Paul blinked at how fast his panic had left him at the simple touch. If he had been touch starved back in New York, it had nothing on what he was now in this New World.

"He's fine, you protected him long enough for us to track John back to the house he had been using," Rick replied, something unexplainable in his eyes as he looked at Paul as he sat back in the chair next to the bed.

"Good, that's good… When I saw Carl I had thought the worst." Paul admitted as he sank back into the pillow behind him, feeling the quick burst of adrenalin fading now that he was reassured that Carl was safe leaving him feeling the ache in his shoulder.

"It was Carl's idea when he spotted that bastard tailing us, he let himself get taken so we could follow him to you," Daryl explained he had hated the idea as much as Rick but they knew it was their best shot of finding Paul quick enough.

"Yeah, that's never allowed to happen again," Paul grumbled and Rick cracked a smile feeling glad that Paul himself enough to feel protective of his kids as he usually did.

"Are you okay? Doc set your shoulder, you may have to wear a sling for a few days when you feel up to getting out of bed, but other than that physically you're fine." Daryl said cautiously.

"You mean you want to know how I'm doing emotionally?" Paul knew dancing around a subject when he saw it and winced allowing his face to shut down for a moment when he lifted his good hand up to run through his long hair, but coming in contact with his shorter hair.

"He dragged me back into my past in a way even my encounter with my father didn't manage. The only way I got past the trauma of the first time was thanks to my family back in New York, but… They're gone now, that I know for sure…" Paul swallowed heavily as he forced back the images of the last times he saw his team, his mother, his sister, everyone.

"We know we can't and won't ever be able to replace your family, but we all will be here when you need us. You're part of our family now Paul." Rick took Paul's free hand in his so both he and Daryl were holding one of the man's hands.

"…Thank you, both of you… That means a lot to me, more than you could imagine…I think… I think my family from New York would have really loved you two, loved all of you." Paul's voice thick was emotion as he tightened his fingers around Rick and Daryl's.

"I have no doubts we would have loved them as well," Daryl promised and Paul found himself giving a genuine smile at the two men.

"Hey is Paul awake yet?" Carl's head poked into the bedroom and a wide smirk appeared on his lips when he saw the three men holding hands.

"Hey Carl, sorry our training lesson got cut short," Paul offered up before he laughed when Carl hurried into the room and gave him a gentle hug, relief evident on his face.

"Don't even worry about that! I'm just glad you're okay!" Carl exclaimed.

"Judy is going to be upset her favourite plaything is short now," Carl flicked a strand of Paul's hair out of the older man's face with a snicker.

"Well I better get on growing it back then," Paul chuckled fondly at the thought of the youngest Grimes who would no doubt pout at the lack of long hair to play with.

"I'm going to go tell the other's you're okay," Carl said as he left the room, leaving the three men alone.

"If you want, there is a place here in Alexandria for you… If you want it." Rick was hesitant to let Paul out of his sights for a while and he knew Daryl felt the same.

"…I think I'd like that… I'll need to check on Hilltop every so often, but having a… Home again would be nice." Paul ducked his head shyly, warmth bubbling in his chest at the offer.

"Well then, let me say it first… Welcome home, Paul." Daryl said and Paul beamed at the two, feeling more like himself in a long while. He finally felt like he had found a place in this New World where being Paul Rovia and Malcolm Bright meant being the same person for once and Paul finally felt like he himself ha comes to terms with that fact and something in his very soul felt like it had settled in a way he had never felt before.

With his hands in Rick and Daryl's and the two men at his side, the future had never looked so bright.

A/N: Thank you everyone for sticking with this fic! I hope you enjoyed it! At this time, I have written all the idea's I've had for this crossover so this sadly the last chapter! Thank you for reading and your wonderful comments!