The first night was the worst night. Dealing with the fact that her brother was truly gone, and not on one of his many adventures settled onto the woman's shoulders. In the long run, Isabella always knew deep down that if Ben hadn't made it back to the farm yet, he was gone. Despite this, she preferred to live her everyday life imagining that her brother was off, living his life on some wild adventure. Living his life to the fullest, before walking down the hill towards the farm to be welcomed home with the open arms of his older sister and his young niece.

Ben had always been a free spirit. He loved to book one way plane tickets to anywhere he could go, before coming home after he felt like he had learned and consumed everything he could. The nights that he would come home, Ben, Isabella and Ginger would sit together on the front porch catching up. These were Isabella's favorite nights. Her and her daughter wrapped up in a warm blanket where they would listen to Ben tell them in full detail every new thing that he saw and experienced while he was away.

Ginger was laying in Isabella's bed now, sleeping off one of the worst days of her young life. While Isabella sat on the chair beside her bedroom window, looking out to the small crackling embers of the fire that the group had tonight to make their dinner. After Isabella had sat her daughter down with Daryl to break the news about uncle Ben, her uncle Hershal had disappeared, so Glenn and Rick went to go find him. Beth had gone into trauma shock after seeing the walker form of her mother being killed before her very eyes. After the initial shock, Isabella didn't know who said what to the young fragile girl, but that was the day that Beth Greene tried to take her own life.

The day was chaotic, and it did not go well for anyone. Everywhere she turned it seemed like someone needed something from her; all while trying to console her grieving daughter. It wasn't until everyone had gone to sleep, that Isabella allowed herself a minute to sit. She watched over her daughter that night, anxiety bubbling up in the pit of her stomach. Isabella's biggest fear was something happening to her daughter, and during the time since the outbreak had started, she felt as though they were safe on the farm. That was until she found out about the walkers in the barn. It is hard to trust the people that are surrounding you, when they are putting themselves and your daughter in an unsafe situation.

Isabella decided finally, she couldn't sit in this chair anymore and quietly made her way out of the bedroom. Down the creaky stairs and out of the front door to sit on the porch swing. It was here, where she was out of earshot from her daughter that the woman let the tears that she worked so hard to keep down, finally fall. The woman held back her tears all day long, before the waterfall of tears fell from her eyes. The woman hiccuped through her emotion, before seeing a car pull up to the house. She quickly wiped away her tears before sitting up straight trying to get a better look at the approaching car. Once it got closer and the engine cut, she could see Lori and Shane both exiting the vehicle. The woman sighed before settling back down into her spot, watching as the two went off to their separate tents without saying a word to one another. Isabella didn't know for sure, but she knew that something was wrong with those two. Something that she couldn't quite place, but she quickly noticed the off handed glances that they thought no one saw and the quick passing conversations.

Isabella sighed, wiping away any evidence that the tears were here to begin with. The zipping sound of a tent door caught her attention. The woman looked out to the furthest tent where she saw movement coming from, Daryl. The man was quick to notice her sitting on the porch swing, letting out a sigh himself as he made his way towards her. "You really want to be out here alone? After everything that happened today?" Daryl questioned, once he was close enough to her. Isabella looked to the man, but the look behind her eyes was distant. He knew she wasn't all there, probably wasn't ready to talk about anything right now anyways; but he had to try.

"It's the only time it's quiet around here. When everyone's in bed." Isabella whispered, her voice wavering slightly. "Don't have to be a strong mom when Ginger's asleep." she told him, Daryl sitting down beside the woman with a grunt. "Don't gotta be tough with me." Daryl told her. The woman could hardly nod her head in response, just looking over the dark fields before them.

"You know, I hated my uncle for being my last resort for many years." Isabella said softly. "When I got pregnant with Ginger, I was just shy of turning nineteen. My parents kicked me out, saying they couldn't look at me after knowing all I was doing at university was sleeping around instead of keeping up with my studies. When I came home after I graduated I had nowhere to go. I had been in contact with Maggie and she knew everything that happened when I fell pregnant. I had Ginger while still in school, I was out in Michigan. I can't tell you how hard it was to balance a baby and night shifts in a hospital." Isabella let out a dry laugh at the thought. "My uncle opened his home to us, he didn't need to. Yet everyday I was here for the longest time I pushed him away. I was a real pain in the ass." It was Daryl's turn to let out a chuckle now. He knew Isabella could be a spit fire when she needed to be, and he could only imagine a young twenty year old, single mother trying to make her way in the world.

"Needless to say I cleaned up my act pretty quick when I realized how good I had it. No rent, no chores, I didn't have to pay for food. All I had to do was give my girl a good life and bust my ass at the hospital in town." It was weird, talking about how life was before the world fell to shit. "I don't hate my uncle for not telling me about those things in the barn. To be fair he probably knew I would be the first to kill every single one of them. I hate him for putting my daughter in danger like that." Isabella looked up to Daryl, needing to know that what she was feeling wasn't wrong. Daryl nodded his head in agreement, if he had known about the barn sooner he would have taken care of it a long time ago.

"I always had hope that Ben was still out there, y'know?" Isabella continued, her voice cracking as the tears welled up once again. "He was so excited to be an uncle. My parents told him to pick a side - mine or theirs. He picked mine. Ben followed me to the ends of the earth, and I loved every second I had with my brother. He was the most free person I ever knew. Always calling from somewhere new, yet half the time he only called to talk to Ginger." She didn't even feel the tears when they started to fall. Daryl nudged his shoulder against hers, making the woman look up at him. He shrugged his shoulders slightly, a silent way of telling her it was okay. Isabella placed her head on the man's shoulder, allowing herself to feel some form of comfort after the day's events.

"Your brother sounds a lot better than mine." Daryl finally said, looking out to the fields just like the woman beside him. "Older brother?" Isabella asked, making Daryl nod his head. "He was a prick." Daryl muttered. "In juvie or jail most of my life, not around me too much." He told her, making Isabella nod her head.

"Ginger always wanted a sibling." Isabella said, laughing at the thought. "I don't think she understands that having a sibling means she has to share my attention." Daryl laughed at that too. "Yeah, that munchkin is never too far from you huh?" he retorted. "She's my best friend, she was all I had left before you came around." Isabella admitted, Daryl looked down to the woman in shock. "I understand." Daryl replied softly, not knowing how to react to someone saying that he was that important to them. "Bella, you two are the best thing I've ever found in all my shitty years on this earth." Daryl admitted slowly, not knowing how to approach the situation.

Daryl was never one to believe in miracles, but Ginger and Isabella were the closest that he had ever gotten to one. A woman who never batted an eye at the scars that covered his body, and a little girl that chased him around no matter where we went - making sure that he was never alone. Daryl had never felt so wanted, or needed, even when he had been surrounded by a group of people long before meeting the pair. Isabella reached down slowly, and locked her fingers around Daryls. The man didn't move, he didn't even flinch when he felt her touch but instead he returned the small gesture. "My daughter really loves you, you know that right? Like no way I have ever seen her love somebody before." Isabella whispered. "She will follow behind you for the rest of her life if you let her." Daryl could only offer a small smile in return.

"I told you both, I will protect you for the rest of my life Bella and I mean that." Isabella nodded her head in agreement. "I know you will." Isabella replied softly. The two stayed the way they were, just like that until the sun started to rise, just peaking itself over the horizon. The sky was now painted with a soft hue or orange and pink. The grass was dewy and cold from a night in the darkness. There were only a few more weeks left before the days got colder, and the morning dew would turn into a thin layer of frost that would melt away in the mornings instead.

"I don't have anything else to do anymore. No more girl in need of finding, so why don't you show me those hunting skills your daughter told me so much about?" Daryl asked, looking down to Isabella which made her nod in response. "I can do that." the woman agreed, nodding her head in agreement.

"I haven't been out there since you trouble makers came around, and flipped my life upside down." the woman said with a laugh.