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nebulablakemurphy · 9 months

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Way Down We Go (Part 1)

Daryl x Fem!Reader

Summary: Y/N and Daryl follow a dead end that leads them to wash up on the shores of France. While their daughter takes an impromptu trip to the big city, in hopes of saving her childhood friend.

Word comes in the evening, Maggie was raided. They took all the grain, supplies and Hershel.

“What do you mean they took him?” Carol says, keeping her voice down, so that her granddaughter doesn’t catch wind.

“Exactly what I said, Carol. They scaled our walls and took my son.” Maggie hisses, through gritted teeth. She hasn’t slept in days, hardly in the mood for small talk. Dog comes trotting down the stairs to say hello. “Where’s Y/N?” That’s why she’s here.

“She and Daryl had a lead, wasn’t supposed to be this long of a run but…”

“How long’ve they been gone?”

“Two weeks,” Carol admits, “going on three.”

Maggie nods, “you’re here with Sophie?”

“Sophie’s here with Sophie.” The girl in question, waltzes into the room. Scaring the living shit out of both the older women. “I’m eighteen now, no more babysitters.”

“What about Dog?” Carol arches a brow. “If we’re going on a recon mission, we need a dog sitter.”

“What kind of recon mission?” Sophie wonders. Is it my parents?

“Hershel was taken,” Maggie informs her. “I have a map, I’m gonna follow it. Stop for backup along the way.”

“I’m in.” Sophie waves a hand. “Let me run Dog over to Judith and grab my guns.”

Carol presses her lips together to conceal her grin. Her granddaughter is a piece of work, but she couldn’t be more proud.

————————————————————————

“I’m pregnant.”

Two little words changed Daryl’s life forever.

“Ya sure?” That’s all he can think to say at a time like this.

“Yeah.”

“We keepin’ it?”

“Would that be ok?” Y/N asks, wringing her hands.

“I’ll be here.” Daryl nods.

He wasn’t the type of person to fantasize about meeting someone, getting married or having kids; white picket fence didn’t seem like the life for him. He never believed in love, not really. The only kind he’d seen was violent, loud; a screaming match, a lash from a belt. Then suddenly love was real, and he was in it. With a girl who might’ve been more afraid to admit it than he was.

Y/N grew up watching her father beat the ever loving shit out of her mom, for the smallest of things. Sometimes, the things he was angry about had nothing to do with her. But Ed always found a way to justify it. Carol had Y/N fresh out of high school, she didn’t really have a choice but to stay with him. At least that’s what she thought back then. One daughter turned into two and she was stuck.

In a lot of ways, the whole apocalypse thing saved Carol. Saved her from who she was and who she was going to be if she didn’t get out.

“They say if you grow up with an angry man in your house, there will always be an angry man in your house.” Y/N tells Daryl one night, out of the blue.

Daryl grunts, around a mouthful of food. “Let me know when ya find ‘em, I’ll kill ‘em.”

And that was it. Y/N let him in. Let him close. Daryl let her know him in a way no one else did, or ever would. She traced his scars, with careful fingertips. But her scars were harder to navigate, no telling when Daryl might skid across one he couldn’t see, buried deep beneath the surface of her heart.

Eventually he learned what was safe and what was off limits. The subjects she would broach with gritted teeth and tears in her eyes. Love scared her, terrified her even; but it was real and she was in it.

The second that little girl was in their arms, the world shifted. Anything and everything revolved around her.

“Daryl?” Y/N whispers, as not to wake him if he’s sleeping. It’s her watch and technically nothing has happened.

“Hmm?” His chest rumbles beneath her head.

“I think we need to keep moving.” She leans up slightly to stare down at him, on his back with one arm tucked under his head, in their makeshift bed.

“Sum’ happen?” He blinks at her.

“No, but something feels off.”

“Ya mean how they never got a straight answer ta nothin’, an’ more interested in where we came from than where we’re goin’?” He says, tapping restless fingers against her lower back.

“Yeah.” Y/N breathes, keeping their conversation private.

Daryl nods his agreement, “a’ight. We’ll head out in the mornin’.”

There’s rustling outside their sleeping quarters. A tarp strung up between two trees with a tore up sleeping bag underneath. The crunching of leaves, snap of a twig beneath the sole of a shoe. They’re not alone.

————————————————————————

Now this ‘backup’ they’re stopping for, is on a wanted poster. He looks the same as he did seven years ago, when he left. Negan.

“This is the backup?” Sophie scoffs, grabbing at the paper. “Wanted by the New Babylon Marshals, for murder… Must be a change of pace for him.”

“What do you mean?” Maggie asks, her eyes still trained on the road, as she presses down harder on the gas.

“Being wanted,” Sophie quips.

Carol lets out an involuntary chuckle.

Maggie does not seem as amused.

“What makes you think he can help anyway?”

“The men who took Hershel…they whistled. Just like he used to. Scaled our walls, stole from our rations, just like Negan. They know ‘em.” Maggie is sure of it.

Finding Negan is easier said than done. But eventually they track him down in some shady motel, behind a dive bar. Money isn’t worth much these days, but still, there are things that people want.

Negan runs, that’s what he’s good at. He’s got a girl with him, probably around Hershel’s age. They run them down on the side of the road. Maggie jumps out, holding a knife to his throat.

“Thought you were better on your feet.” Maggie remarks.

Negan only smiles, “good to see you too.”

“We need your help.” Sophie jumps out of the cab, wasting no time on whatever this is.

“Well I’ll be damned. Is that little Sophie?” Negan squints in her direction.

“Don’t call her that.” Carol brushes off her pants, “she’ll bite your head off.”

“Where’s the folks?” Negan asks.

“Out.” Sophie snaps.

“When the cat’s away, the mice will play. Huh?”

Part 2

#way down we go #the walking dead daryl #daryl imagines #daryl dixon #daryl x you #twd daryl #daryl fanfiction #daryl dixion x reader #daryl dixion imagine #daryl x reader #daryl x y/n #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon x y/n #carol petelier #maggie rhee #negan smith

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ageofaquarius130 · 10 months

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is there a support group i can join for people who’ve been atomically changed by Way Down We Go. i finished that fic 6 months ago and think about it at least twice a week

#same with mirror of ecidyrue but that goes without saying #drarry #way down we go #harry potter x draco malfoy #draco malfoy x harry potter

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ficnation · 10 months

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Chapter 5: The Quarry

Series: Way Down We Go || Season 1 Word count: 2,8k+ Pairing: Rick Grimes x Female! Reader; Shane Walsh x Reader; Daryl Dixon x Sister! Reader Warnings: usual twd themes A/n: I’m sorry that this one is shorter. It’s kinda a filler chapter just so I can set the scene and get back into this series. I still hope you enjoy it! <3 If you’re not on the taglist but you’d like to be added let me know!

𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐖𝐄 𝐆𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 || 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑

It all happened so quickly that you could barely remember how you found yourself lying in the back of the pickup truck, pressing down on the gnarly wound on your side with all the force left in you. The blood kept running down your body, seeping into the seat and leaving a nasty stain that’ll probably stay there, forgotten for the rest of your days.

“Ya ain’t bleedin’ out in my car, Baby,” Daryl declared confidently, but his voice reached your ears, muffled by the constant ringing in your head.

You felt lightheaded and could barely think—speaking wasn’t even an option. You let out a quiet grunt in response, eyes almost rolling to the back of your head when the car swayed and bumped on the uneven road. The pain was unbearable, the worst one you’ve ever experienced in your life, but to be fair, you’ve never before been impaled by an arrow. Just the thought of it made the situation you found yourself in just a few hours ago play back in your head.

You could hear the groans of the undead again. You could feel the air thickening and the persistent pulsing of adrenaline in your veins. And when the infected surrounded you, the forest became their playground—a dangerous maze for your group of three.

Daryl ran over to you, grabbed Merle under his other arm, and helped you drag him forward while the latter yelled over and over again how you were all fucked and dead already. His words only made you clench your teeth, tears blurring your vision while you hauled him forward as fast as you could.

You remembered how at some point, you were too tired to get going, so Daryl took all of Merle’s weight onto himself, telling you to get your rifle off your back and shoot. You quickly realized that there were too many of them and the car you left behind was your best shot at escaping.

While you put yourself together and killed off a few stragglers that got too close, Daryl doubled back toward the camp without a word, and you followed in his steps, watching his back.

Going back to the clearing only seemed to worsen your situation. You found yourself stuck between two groups of infected in the middle of the night.

The last thing you remembered was wrestling on the ground with one of those creatures and Daryl getting pushed by another one of them just when he released an arrow to take out the creeper that was trying to rip you apart. The arrowhead pierced through your side at a weird angle but didn’t go all the way through.

You had no other choice, no weapons left. With one hand holding the straggler by the neck at arm’s distance, your other one encircled the arrow in a tight grip, and you pulled it out with a scream. The undead trashed around when it smelled the blood, lowering its jaw toward your stomach. You took the chance and yanked its head back, stabbing the sharp point through its eye with the last drop of your power before everything went black.

“How long has she been like tha’?”

You clenched your eyes shut tighter at the familiar drawl. Your head throbbed painfully, and you were afraid if you opened them, you’d not only have to deal with your asshole brothers but also with the blaring sun that warmed your skin. God, you felt like dying would be less painful and much easier than what you were currently going through.

“Doesn’t matter. She ain’t dead.” You recognized Daryl’s annoyed mumbling.

“I wish I were,” you responded with a raspy voice. You decided to rip the bandaid off, so you opened your eyes wide, wincing from the sudden brightness. “Where are we?”

You blinked fast, trying to get used to the light before you let your eyes wander around the pickup. Daryl was still behind the wheel while your older brother sat in the passenger seat with his boots propped on the dashboard and one arm lazily hanging out of the window.

“Doubled back to Atlanta,” the archer answered, keeping his eyes on the road. “Heard on the radio, they’ve some kind of a shelter there.”

You tried to sit up and look through the window to get an idea of how far you already got, but it only resulted in a painful hiss before you slid down onto your back. It hurt just enough to make you forget about trying again. You lifted up your bloody shirt to assess the damage. The wound on your side was bandaged up now, but you could still see a large splotch of dried blood on it. It must’ve been a while since it was dressed.

“Did you cauterize it?” you asked curiously, your fingernails scratching the flaking blood off your skin but nowhere close enough to the wound for it to make you wince in pain. You’d have to take a long bath in a river to scrub it all off.

“Did we?” Merle looked around the car, surprised by your question.

“Ya didn’t do shit. I cauterized it,” Daryl growled out, rolling his eyes. He glanced in the rearview mirror at you. “Ya were passed out, most likely didn’t feel a thing.”

You nodded gratefully at him. “So…” you drew out, looking curiously between your brothers, “What’s the plan? Last time we doubled back somewhere, it bit us in the ass.”

“We don’ need no plan. We’ve survived without one long enough,” Merle protested, his voice booming.

You rolled your eyes when he gesticulated wildly, almost smacking Daryl in the face. Your younger brother eyed him like he’s lost his mind. How did this guy avoid the massive hangover after the stunt he pulled in the woods? He seemed to be the luckiest of you three, coming out of any situation without a scratch while fate kicked your own ass mercilessly.

“Not sure.” Daryl pulled his bottom lip between his teeth—one of the many nervous habits of his. When you were younger, you used to smack the back of his head when he did that, making him chomp down on it and groan in pain. It always worked. “We’ll see when we’re there. Maybe—”

“Last time I was in the city, it didn’t seem safe. The streets were swarmed with cars and those things,” you butted in before he could finish the next sentence.

It was the truth, but the bigger reason for your resistance had little to do with the undead and blocked streets. You didn’t care if the shelter existed or not. Atlanta was your prison. A prison that you broke out of, and you desperately clung to any reason not to go back there. You took a deep trembly breath, slumping against the seat further when you let it out. You weren’t brave enough to protest more, but you were sure as hell ready to do anything to avoid stepping foot in Atlanta.

The drive to your destination was unnecessarily long and tiring. You spent most of it lying across the backseats, trying to fall asleep, but the constant swaying of the vehicle only made you more aware of the wound on your side. You gave up with an annoyed snarl, making Daryl look back at you in worry.

For the rest of the ride, you busied yourself with trying to stay still. It was a task that turned out to be more difficult than you expected. Your mind was running a thousand miles per hour, and you could do nothing to stop it. You were far too close to the city for your comfort.

Daryl slowed down the car when you reached the blocked main road to Atlanta. Merle stuck his head out the passenger’s window and whistled slowly, almost amazed.

“Ain’t no way we’re gonna squeeze through,” he remarked.

“How much gas? Maybe it’s not too late to find a safer place to stay the night,” you butted in, hope already stirring in your head. You wanted to be as far as possible from this damned city.

Daryl glanced up at the gauge, squinting in the evening sun. “Not enough to go on a road trip now. Tank is almost empty.”

A heavy silence fell over the three of you as you tried to figure out the best solution. You didn’t have many options to choose from. If you tried to push through, you’d have to abandon the car, and there was no way your injury would let you take more than ten steps by yourself—and ten was already pushing it.

Daryl shifted his shoulders and looked out into the distance. He sighed and scratched the stubble on his cheek thoughtfully. Then, after another few seconds of contemplation, he turned around toward you.

“Ain’t no way yer gonna walk by yourself?” Merle interjected, firmly inserting themselves into the conversation.

“No fucking chance.” You snorted, shrugging your arms hopelessly. “I can’t even sit up.”

Daryl nodded, then glanced back towards his brother. Merle seemed lost in thought, leaning against the truck’s door handle. He shrugged as well, seemingly indifferent to the situation. That was helpful; if he didn’t open his mouth, you had a better chance at convincing Daryl to turn back.

“Well, what do ya think we should do then?” The archer asked, sighing deeply. He had too many backup plans to decide which one would benefit you all or at least give you a chance to survive.

You considered your options carefully. Option one was to abandon the car and try to hitchhike to Atlanta, hoping that you wouldn’t bump into a horde along the way. The second option was to find gas and get back on the road to find some kind of refugee shelter. And the last one was to find a peaceful place nearby where you could get some sleep, eat something and then decide what to do in the following days.

You paused for a moment before answering, choosing your words and the tone of your voice carefully. “Let’s look for a safe place nearby, okay? Then tomorrow, we’ll decide what to do next and see if we can pick up some gas from those cars.”

“Works for me. I’m fuckin’ exhausted,” your older brother agreed, stretching out his legs and kicking them up on the dashboard. He groaned in relief, slumping down against the seat. Merle’s mere existence was giving you a headache.

You didn’t think your younger brother would agree with you from the jump. Damn, you wouldn’t blame him for being skeptical. Your gaze landed on his face, trying to decipher the emotion he was hiding behind those Dixon blue eyes. His eyes remained narrowed in deep thought. You could almost see the whirlwind spinning in his head.

“Aight... Let’s drive,” Daryl murmured finally, turning the ignition on again. He eased forward, pulling the car in reverse before he began driving off into one of the side roads.

This time you’ve won. You exhaled in relief, letting your head fall back against the seat.

As soon as the car came to a complete stop, Merle unbuckled his seat belt and hopped out onto the dirt. You sat up carefully, moving as slowly as possible. You looked out at the sprawling landscape of the quarry, the lake in the middle surrounded by large stones and trees from every side. It could be a good place to stay for a while.

Daryl hopped out of the driver’s seat to open the back door and help you out of the car. Once you were on your feet, you took in the marvelous view. The water shimmered in the evening sun, creating a sparkling effect on the lake’s surface. It was so peaceful, almost like the end of the world you once knew had never happened.

Daryl walked ahead, scoping the area for any potential threats. Merle stayed with you. He leaned against the side of the vehicle, looking around curiously as he whistled a tune under his nose. Your eyes were wide open, keeping a lookout for anyone or anything that could be lurking nearby. You wanted to trust this place so badly, but the world was now too dangerous to be ignorant.

When Daryl finished his stroll, the two of you huddled together near the water, unsure of what to do next. You cautiously lowered yourself onto one of the sizable boulders surrounding the lake, the wound on your side not letting you forget about it even for a second. It was a constant reminder that you were not safe, no matter the serene and peaceful scenery around you.

You wondered whether staying here would be a mistake, but the exhaustion and pain from your previous ordeal left you with little choice. You knew you all needed to rest.

Merle, however, seemed to have other plans. He kept his distance by leaning against the car with a stubborn expression on his face. “If you ask me,” he said loud enough for the two of you to hear him, “we should keep movin’.”

“Yeah, and get attacked by the undead and die?” you chimed in, not quite ready to argue with Merle but having already grown tired of his negativity. He had no right to dictate what was safe and what wasn’t; he let a group of the infected stumble into your camp just because he was drugged out of his mind. You and Daryl could’ve paid with your lives for his slip-up.

“We had a plan,” the man grumbled before Daryl interrupted him.

“She ain’t wrong, Merle. Stayin’ here is the safest of our options right now,” he agreed. Your older brother huffed, seeming unhappy with the decision. God, you wanted to punch him again so badly.

“Man, I don’t get you. You agreed with me when you saw the blocked road. What changed?” you asked, throwing your hands in the air in exasperation. You quickly regretted it when the wound on your side throbbed painfully, making you gasp. Daryl looked at you concerned, but you waved him off wordlessly, your hand reaching to hover over the injury.

“I changed mah mind, so wha’?” Merle responded, folding his arms defiantly across his chest. You were quick to join him, crossing your own arms in an act of defiance as if that made you a true member of the Dixon brothers’ little gang.

“It’s close to the water and far away from any roads,” you argued, trying to make him see reason. “We won’t find a better place anywhere nearby.”

“Yeah, this is jus’ a small-ass quarry. We need a real camp and some damn food.” Merle still wasn’t giving up, sounding increasingly annoyed.

You snorted at his words. “Food won’t magically appear out of thin air.”

“We don’t have enough gas to keep drivin’ back an’ forth,” Daryl reminded him.

You stayed silent, letting your brothers deal with the situation. Your body desperately needed sleep, and your mind wanted nothing more than to escape the chaos of your environment. You just wanted some rest, no matter the location.

Merle scoffed, shaking his head. “I know that I ain’t stupid. Jus’ let’s go find a better place, ’kay?”

The archer rolled his eyes at his brother’s persistence. “What if this is the best we can find?” Daryl raised an eyebrow. He glanced around, surveying the surrounding landscape and trying to find the flaws that his older brother saw in it.

“What if it ain’t?” Merle crossed his arms, glaring at him. He then looked at you, searching for support and finding none. You decided to join the fight now.

“We’re not taking any fucking risks today. I didn’t live through this,” you spoke up suddenly, pointing your finger at the wound on your side, “just to die tonight because the gas ran out, and we still had no place to stay. No fucking way.”

Both brothers were surprised by your outburst—you even surprised yourself. They raised an eyebrow, waiting to see if you’ll continue your angry speech.

Merle perked up, ready to fight your words, he opened his mouth to counterattack, but Daryl cut him off before he could say a word.

“Can ya, for a change, shut up? Yer annoyin’ me,” he snapped at the older man.

Merle’s scowl grew as he figured out he was outnumbered and wasn’t changing your mind anytime soon. Yet, he refused to back off, wanting to have the last word. He got in Daryl’s face and sneered at him.

“I’m tired of yer attitude, Darylina. I told ya we just need to find a better place.”

“We ain’t goin’ anywhere.” Your younger brother held his ground, and you had to admit you admired him for it. You’d have probably faltered if Merle did that to you.

“Fine. Just know, if anythin’ happens, it’s on ya,” the older man grumbled before he stepped back from Daryl and jumped into the car, slamming the door behind himself.

@yttricuz @twdeadlysins @donttelltheelf-x @jessica-mikaelson18 @spidergirla5 @depressedfrog2 @kpopandharry @daryldixonstorm @clemscult @lonewolf471 @btsiguess-kpop @notquitecannon @the-daily-multi-fandom-post @xhannahbananax03 @sourwolf-sterek32 @wonderful-writer @huffledor-able541 @phoenixblack89 @yolobloggers @sexyseabass @sweetpotatospock @witch-of-letters @capsiclesdoll @kingtwhiddleston @incorrectcapsicle @queentorresstuff @witheringblooddemon @hopefulatrocity

#The Walking Dead #The Walking Dead AMC #the walking dead fic #the walking dead series #rick grimes x reader #shane walsh x reader #Rick Grimes #Shane Walsh #the walking dead x reader #twd #shane walsh x you #rick grimes x you #rick grimes series #shane walsh series #dixon! reader #way down we go series #wdwg #way down we go

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kannabelestranged · 1 year

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"Over the next few hours they do a bit more damage to the room, but Harry can’t feel that badly about it when Teddy is sprawled out next to him, mostly asleep, absently chewing on his ear as the sun starts to rise."

From Chapter 25 of Way Down We Go by @xiaq

Could not get Harry's ear to Teddy's mouth without someone's anatomy looking extra funky, so Teddy gets a paw to chew instead.

#fanart #fic art #harry potter #teddy lupin #werewolf #werewolves #drarry fic #ao3 #way down we go

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cirilee · 1 year

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little preview of a trailer animatic i started working on - its more backstory time for poppy and jerry :D

pray for me, i wanna do the whole 4 minutes :'D

#animatic #way down we go #logan trailer #storyboard #original characters #oc animatic #cirileeart #nurse poppy #jerry #tw nudity #poor labrats .. :'(

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short666bread · 2 years

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Ok so. I have been sitting on this for a little while, and was planning on waiting to post it, but I am ridiculously impatient! This is the first crossword puzzle I’ve ever made! I spent a few days bashing my head against a wall trying to make it newspaper style with radial symmetry but it was impossibly hard to keep all the answers/hints on theme, so maybe next time...

Way Down We Go by @xiaq is one of my very favorite fics, so if you haven’t read it, you should, and if you have, you should reread it because some of my clues are a bit niche (I had. So much fun making them)! I’m kind of actually v proud of this so: 🥺 please play my crossword puzzle 🥺 If you do, you can send me 1-4 emojis and I will draw you a little doodle based on them as a prize! and I will love you! Forever!

#way down we go #Drarry #drarry fanfic #fic rec #harry potter #draco malfoy #crossword puzzle #I am going to be so insufferable about reblogging this #I just want ppl to play my little game that I made TT

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xwpseaweird · 5 months

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Jet Li in Kiss of the Dragon (2001)

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Pretty much what the title says, a tribute to Jet Li and Kiss of the Dragon. I've been wanting to make a video this film for awhile. I hope you enjoy :)

#jet li #kung fu movies #bridget fonda #fan #fanvidfeed #edit #vid recs #early 2000s #way down we go #kaleo #Youtube

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ossanana · 2 months

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Kommissar Rex tribute.

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Rex and his two dads.

#kommissar rex #inspector rex #rex chien flic #alex brandtner #gedeon burkhard #christian böck #heinz weixelbraun #my edit #tribute #way down we go #kaleo #don't repost on another social media without autorisation #Youtube #hudson & rex

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flordeamatista · 8 months

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Way Down We Go Masterlist

#way down we go #way down we go poll #bucky barnes x reader #ari levison x reader #andy barber x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #andy barber fanfiction #ari levinson fanfiction

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cherys-tones · 6 months

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Reading Way Down We Go by xiaq and listening to 1989 (TV) whilst staying hydrated is my ideal plan for the weekend. This is probably my only chance to devour as much fanfiction as I want and can and I would not waste this opportunity.

#HP fanciton #Drarry #Way Down We Go #1989

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nebulablakemurphy · 9 months

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Way Down We Go (Part 2)

Summary: Y/N and Daryl follow a dead end that leads them to wash up on the shores of France. While their daughter takes an impromptu trip to the big city, in hopes of saving her childhood friend. Warning: cannon typical violence and Dead City/Walking Dead/Daryl Dixon spoilers.

Part 1

“Where ya rushin’ off to?” Bryan smirks, his knife held at Y/N’s throat.

He seemed like an alright guy when they first started traveling with his group. Not so much now.

“We don’t want no trouble. Just lookin’ for our friends.” Daryl says, calmly. His crossbow is aimed, poised and ready, he might make the shot. But he won’t risk it, not with her standing right there.

“I thought we were friends, pretty.” He cooes, into Y/N’s ear.

Friends don’t creep around each other’s tents in the middle of the night to spy on them. “We appreciate your hospitality, but we really need to keep moving.” Y/N tells him.

“No.” The man shakes his head. “Take off your shoes. Stay a while.”

Daryl keeps his eyes trained on his mark. “I don’t think so.”

“It’s a real shame it had to end this way.” The other man clicks his tongue. “I really did like ya.”

“Please, just let us go.” Y/N pleads.

“Tell your boyfriend to drop his bow.” The man demands. “Then we’ll talk about this. I’m sure you can be very persuasive.”

Y/N huffs, “he’s not my boyfriend.” Stomping down on his foot as her elbow lands in his gut. Knocking the wind from him.

Bryan loses his balance and the knife comes down, slicing her leg in the process.

“Get ta tha boat.” Daryl says, holding Bryan at the point of his arrow.

They need to be out of here before his real friends show up.

“Bon Voyage, asshole.” Y/N growls, pulling herself upright.

————————————————————————

They leave the girl, Ginny, back at Hilltop. She’ll be safe there. She doesn’t speak, not since her father was killed, Negan took her in.

Then Maggie, Carol, Negan and Sophie high tail it up towards Manhattan. Stealing a guy’s boat and taking him hostage to sail it. Turns out, he’s one of those Marshals, looking for Negan. Together they broach the entrance of the dead city.

“Never thought I’d get this close to seeing Lady Liberty in the flesh.” Negan huffs, staring out at the ruins.

“Not from ‘round here?” The girl, trailing behind him, inquires. Not that she really cares, but there’s not enough history between them for her to hate him the way Maggie does. And the silence is deafening.

“Virginia, born and raised. You?”

“I was born in a prison.” Sophie raises a shoulder, her Y/H/C hair shifting in it’s ponytail.

“Ain’t that some shit, kid.” Negan remarks.

“It was hardly a prison by then, try compound.” Carol interjects.

“It was a prison, Grandma.” Her parents used to tell her stories about it. How she was named after her mother’s little sister, who didn’t live long enough to see it. Sophie was the second baby born there, almost a year after Judith. They’re both grown now. Adults by all accounts of the old world. Still, when she wants to do anything even remotely dangerous, Carol follows…or her mom…or her dad. “But tomato, tomoto I guess.”

Y/N and Daryl are…different. As parents, they were fair, never came down too hard on her. Her father is an outdoor cat who learned to survive indoors. Her mother is the opposite.

They met at the first camp Rick’s group ever had and the rest is history. To this day they grumble when people ask what they are to each other, or assume that they are together, or worse; married.

They are Y/N and Daryl. That’s all.

Growing up, Sophie always thought they were in love. At least in the way she perceived love to be. Her father would come home after a long day and cling to her mother like it was the first and last time he’d see her for years. Sometimes her mother would cling. But it was rare and often meant that something was wrong.

He let Y/N drive his bike on occasion, hollering all the while, “watch where ya goin’, girl!”

Otherwise her father is a quiet man, her mother is more outspoken. And though Daryl Dixon is more than capable, Y/N Peletier never hesitates to put anyone who messes with him in their place.

They each lost two siblings to this world. One by blood, another forged in the fires of the apocalypse. Merle and Sophia both turned, a pain Y/N and Daryl both understood.

When Y/N lost Glenn, there was something to bury. A way to lay him to rest, with the promise of caring for the family he left behind. Daryl still blames himself for it, even though Y/N never did.

When Daryl lost Rick there was nothing left. No body, no closure…he spent weeks, months, years looking for him. Trying to get back a piece of what he lost. Daryl blames himself for that too.

Leaving their only child behind was not a decision they made lightly. But Sophie is old enough to make her own choices and she’s never been a risk taker. Staying in a place that’s familiar, versus abandoning it for the great unknown was a no brainer.

Which only adds to the irony of her current situation. Sophie and Carol on a mission with Maggie and Negan himself, to rescue Hershel from some guy called the Croat.

Sophie knows that without Hershel, Maggie will lose herself and her mother will lose them both. Severing the final tie between Y/N and Glenn that she’s clung to for all this time.

She would start chasing ghosts too.

————————————————————————

Aaron told Daryl a long time ago, that he could tell a good person from a bad one. Daryl doesn’t know if that’s true anymore, but this last group was not good people.

“I ain’t yer boyfriend, huh?” Daryl attempts to distract Y/N as he tends her wound.

“Boyfriends and girlfriends break up,” she bites out.

“Could marry me.”

“Daryl…” Y/N balls her hands into fists. Fighting the urge to push him away, as he applies pressure to her thigh, to stop the bleeding.

“Damnit, girl, stop movin’.” Daryl growls.

“Fuck,” she shakes her head. “We’re fucked.” There goes any chance of getting home.

“Why don’t ya say it a little louder, maybe it’ll help.” He lets up slightly when her hand rests over his.

Her lips pressed together to contain the sound of her suffering.

“Lemme see.”

Y/N removes her hand and his. The muscles of her afflicted leg spasming of their own accord. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“Yer gonna live.” Daryl murmurs, prodding around the gash. “Needs stitches though.”

Thunder cracks down, booming behind dark clouds in the overcast sky.

Y/N can’t help but laugh as the first drops of rain hit her upturned cheek. There’s a storm brewing and they’re stuck bobbing in the middle of nowhere.

“Now we’re fucked.” Daryl grumbles, under his breath.

“Did you mean it?” Y/N wonders. “What you said?”

“Ya want me ta beg?” This isn’t the first time he’s asked her to marry him.

“No,” she decides.

“No?” He rears back. She always reasons her way around it, that’s never bothered him. There was some understanding that they’d spend the rest of their lives together.

“No, to the begging,” Y/N clarifies, “yes, to…the other thing.”

Daryl huffs a laugh, “took ya long enough.”

“Shut up,” Y/N scoffs.

Twenty years well spent.

————————————————————————

Bang!

The sound is odd, too loud to be a gunshot, too quiet to be an explosion.

“Tha hell?”

A walker, then another. Hitting empty cars that litter the streets beside them.

“This way!” Maggie calls as they run for cover.

“Walkers are falling from the sky now?” Negan roars, in disbelief.

“The high rise buildings…they must’ve heard us and walked right off the edge.” Carol reason, following the others to safety.

There’s more walkers, piling up at the glass doors behind them. They need to move. There’s an opening with a scaffolding, just across the way. They’ll have to make a run for it.

“We should go now,” Sophie insists. “Clear the bottom floor, can’t just stand here with our asses hangin’ out.”

Part 3

#way down we go #twd fic #daryl x you #daryl imagines #daryl fanfiction #the walking dead daryl #daryl dixon #daryl dixion imagine #daryl x y/n #daryl x reader #daryl dixion x reader #twd daryl #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon x y/n #negan smith #maggie rhee #carol petelier

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