AN- Some changes will be made to the walking dead story line such as Daryl's back-story. Not sure I will continue this or not.

'It's a waist of time all this hopin' an' prayin' Daryl remembered himself telling the women in the woods. That was months ago, but still the words haunted him. He remembered a time when he had been one of those men to pray, but that was a long time ago he was a different person now. The world had changed so much since then he had changed so much. How could he be the man he once was? How could he still believe in god after what the world had become?

"What's your tattoo say?" Carl's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Huh?" he asked glancing over at the boy.

"The one on your hand." Carl pointed to the words written on his right hand. Daryl looked at it for a moment; it had once stood for so much it had been part of him. Justice.

"Aequitas" Daryl muttered, "Means Justice."

"Why'd you get it?" the boy questioned. Daryl frowned.

"Don't know just liked it." He lied.

"You got lots of tattoos." Carl continued, "Do they all mean something?"

"Go find your old man and bother him." Daryl growled as he stood up and walked away from the kid. He didn't like thinking about his past, his tattoos were part of that past he knew he should forget. He wasn't that man anymore he was nowhere near that man anymore. He was darker now no one in this world could stay who they were before everything turned to shit.

What would everyone here think if they found out who he really was? What would everyone think of him if they knew he wasn't Daryl Dixon brother to Merle Dixon? But yet now he was every bit Daryl Dixon more then the man he had once been. He no longer cared for god; he no longer had the dreams sent to him by god. He was no where near the man he used to be, so much of him believed fully in who Daryl Dixon was that perhaps any bit of his old self was gone now. Was there even a chance he could be that man again? No. He was Daryl now he would be what group needed him to be and that was this man, the trigger-happy hick. They didn't need Murphy the Irish man who drank too much for fun and killed mobsters on the side. At times he knew his old self began to shine through. The old him, the part of him still holding on to Murphy had caused him to search for Carol's little girl, had refused to believe she was gone. Daryl Dixon wouldn't care about some little girl he hardly knew, but Murphy MacManus would.

Murphy MacManus was gone now the accident had taking that much of him, when he had woken up he hadn't even remembered being Murphy he was told he was Daryl and that who he became for three years, until the dreams came and soon the memories. He closed his eyes as an image of her flashed into his mind he missed her smile, he missed holding her. When he had gone to jail he had just learned he was to be a father, he had missed the birth of his child, he had missed the chance to protect them. He only hoped perhaps his brother had been able to find them, protect them. He remembered the day when they separated when they had been running they had stopped with near an old hunting camp. He remembered the pain in his side he remember telling his brother to go without him. He remembered Connor leaving him saying he would be back, but both brothers knew that wouldn't be true. He had believed he would die and Connor had believed the same his brother left tears in his eyes only to make sure he got out to protect Murphy's family.

A lot could be said for Merle, but when he needed him the racist hick had been the only reason he survived. Merle kept him in the hunting camp tending to his wounds thinking he would surely die but some how he lived, but he had serious trauma to his brain when he had awoken Merle told him he was his brother, that the two of them were blood to make sure he stayed safe. He had become Daryl Dixon in every way he could he listened to Merle tell him stories of his life of their parents that weren't any good. He told him the reason for his scars were from his abusive father. Daryl had believed him. When the dreams came after the three years of living as Daryl he hadn't thought much of them. Yet images played in his head he saw a meat packing plant he saw laughter he saw family. While he loved Merle something always seemed to be missing between the two brothers his dreams had only reminded him of the feeling. He sighed the last year he had lived on and off with Merle he had began to realize the dreams weren't only dreams he started to remember his brother, he started to remember his girl. He began to question Merle, but before the world went crazy the dead began to walk and he pulled into a world he rather not be in. He travel with Merle fighting for his life when he fought along side Merle all his questions were answered he remembered every part of his past he remembered fighting along side Connor the two saints of Boston. Merle was a good man to have beside him, but he was no Connor. In the beginning he had wanted to find a way home to his family, but after living as Daryl for three years he had felt loyal to Merle. When he realized it would be impossible to go to Ireland he had decided to let Murphy MacManus fully die. He had become Daryl in full, but still haunted by the memories of his past life. In time he even began to forget Murphy he began to enjoy his life as Daryl and the memories began to fade. They were still always at the back of his mind, but even now as he sat in jail he couldn't fully forget his past no matter how much he wanted to. He knew his family was gone his girl, his child and his brother all dead he had only survived due to this group he was with he knew Connor was strong, but could he protect a woman and a small child? How old would the baby be now? Five? Six? Maybe.

"Any sign of him." She whispered as she leaned into his chest.

"Don' know why ya stay with him." Merle grunted, "He ain't protectin' you or your family."

"None." Told her as he ignored Merle, "Still no sign of him around town."

"Why would you take him out with you!" She yelled at Merle.

"Never saw him in the car." Merle shrugged his shoulders.

"He's six!" she yelled

"Ain't my problem." Merle growled.

"To hell it is!" the man she held on to yelled, "You took our boy outside the city walls and left him! You left the boy alone in the woods with the dead everywhere."

"Maybe his mother should have been watching him better?" Merle accused.

"He was supposed to be at school!" she yelled at him, "You should have brought him back the moment you realized he was with you."

"Ain't gunna turn back 'round for some kid we needed supplies." He told them glaring.

The woman buried her head in the man's chest. "You will regret leaving him out there." The man growled.

"What a pussy like you gunna do 'bout it?" Merle almost laughed. The man said nothing to the hick. He knew if he really wanted to he could kill the hick simple and easy. He wanted to, he wanted to kill the man that had lost his son, but he couldn't he had to keep up pretending who he was he couldn't let anyone know he could kill so easily, that he could shoot anyone or anything that moved.

"Ya won't make it more then a minute out there." Merle laughed, "Not with your crappy shootin' You need to be on my good side to get him back."

In that moment he couldn't control his anger, he gently pushed the girl away from him and moved forward he pinned Merle against the wall,

"I don't need you for anything." He growled, "I'm going to go out there and get my boy."

"You will die out there without me to protect you." Merle hissed, "And I ain't goin' if you don't apologies for your whores mouth."

"My wife isn't a whore." He growled.

"She will be once she convinces me to go save your boy." Merle grinned.

"Connor let him go!" she rushed forward and placed her hands on his shoulder. "He isn't worth it."

"Don't need your help bitch." Merle growled, "Not with this little man."

"Harper." Connor warned.

"No." she mumbled.

"He is the reason Liam is missing." Connor growled, "The reason." His voice broke.

"We can't believe he's gone he's a brave little boy." Harper told him, "He's everything that his father was." She whispered.

"His father's a pussy." Merle laughed

"Don't you say that!" Connor pulled him from the wall and slammed him back against it trying to get control over his anger. He had made promise a long time ago that he would keep the little boy safe and now he had broken that promise. He thought of his dying brother in his arms begging him to leave him behind, begging for him to continue on alone and keep his family safe. Five years later he betrayed his promise the little boy was lost, alone in the woods with the dead surrounding him. There was no way the boy could hold his own he was only six even if he was a MacManus.

"Connor." She warned her voice finally seemed to break threw to him, "Please don't." He knew they had to keep up pretending they were a family from Atlanta no one could know they had come from Ireland no one could know he was from Boston or who he had been there. He let go of Merle who as soon as he was free made his good hand into a fist and punched Connor knocking the man to the ground. Harper rushed to the side and knelt down next to him while Connor had to swallow his pride.

"Don't ya disrespect me 'gain." Merle growled as he walked away.

"What were you thinking." Harper asked as she helped Connor up.

"I was thinking I can't stand that man." He growled at her

"Well you have to he has to find Liam." She told him shaking her head.

"He won't find him." He told her, "I'm going to go looking."

"You can't" She told him, "Merle will next take you with him."

"I can sneak out, I will found our boy." He told her softly, "He won't come to Merle and Merle isn't going to look for him he will say he is but he won't"

"He's been missing a week." She said softly, "Connor I know this sounds horrible but what hope do we have that he's still out there."

"You said it before." He told her, "You said he's his father's son, Murph got lost when we were boy he was missing for over a week, but he found his way home at the age of five."

"Back then there weren't dead people walking around." She whispered.

"Have faith." He told her, "I will find him."

Daryl held his finger up to his mouth to make sure Rick and Glenn fell silent, he had heard something. He lifted his cross bow in the direction of the noise.

"What is it?" Glenn hissed, but Daryl ignored him he heard something, but he wasn't sure what it was. Could it be crying? He wondered he carefully walked closer to get a better look it couldn't be a walker. As he crept closer he saw something moving in the brush. He stepped forward accidently breaking a twig the figure in the bushes turned to see him and let out an even louder cry. It was a child, not a dead child a little boy who was alive. He lowered his cross bow.

"What is it?" Glenn asked

"A kid." Daryl told him.

"Are you lost?" Glenn asked the little boy nodded his head but didn't say a word. "Where is your mother and father?"

The little boy shrugged. "He isn't our problem." Rick said softly.

"We ain't leavin' him." Daryl told him.

Rick looked away then back at the boy, "I can't be responsible for one more person."

Daryl looked at the little boy, he didn't know why but something told him that he had to protect the child. "Yah won't be, I will." He growled as he walked over to the boy and knelt down. "Kid come with us we'll protect yah."

The little boy looked up at the man in front of him, the man reminded him of his dad he nodded his head and stood up taking Daryl's hand. As Daryl looked at the boy he saw the boy's eyes he had long forgotten. His eyes looked so much like Harper his wife's eyes. He picked the boy up knowing he wouldn't be able to keep up with the other men as Harper played on his mind. He knew having the little boy around would stir up old feelings of his past, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He noticed the boys eyes and now he couldn't let anything happen to him while he knew the boy had nothing to do with Harper he couldn't turn his back on the eyes that looked so much like hers. As they walked back to the prison Daryl wasn't sure what to say the little boy still seemed to be fighting back tears he knew the child must be scared so lost and alone. He wondered what happened to the boy's family.

"What's your name?" Daryl asked as they walked into the prison and he put the boy down.

"Liam." The boy sniffed.

"Liam." Daryl said softly, "You'll be safe 'ere."