what his name

Rick was still on the ground, tears in his eyes and a sobbing Carl in his arms. They had lost Stiles and the baby. Rick could only hear a ringing in his ears. When it starts getting dark he picks up his sleeping son and carries him into the cell block and into his cell. Sophia was already in there, curled up on the little Alpha's bed in wolf form. Her fur was a red and black brindle and short. She looked more like a coyote than a wolf, but still Pack. She lifts her head and moves when Rick puts Carl down, then curls up in front of him and licks at his tears with a soft whine. Carl wraps his arms around her and falls right back to sleep.

Rick smiles sadly and leaves them alone. Carl and Sophia had been through a lot and the little Omega had already approached him, asking if Carl could spend her next heat with her, an Omega's way of asking for his son's hand. He knew they didn't have much left in a selection for Mates, but Carl was happy with her, and that was all he could even ask for. Hopefully Carl never had to lose his Mate the way Daryl had.

Daryl goes back into the rec room/ dining room to find the rest of the Pack there, curled up at the tables. They were all mourning as well. With the silence and not having Carl to focus on anymore, all Daryl could hear was the ringing. He whines and whimpers as he collapses on the ground, fresh tears in his eyes. He felt no shame in letting his Pack see his weakness, his vulnerability. He knew they would understand his grief. They come up to him, trying to help, but everything felt too much. He picks up his axe and plunges into the tunnels, ignoring their calls. He needed to hit something, to vent. When the first Walker appeared, he took it out quickly. He moves on, looking for more Walkers....and hoping he finds his Mate.

.....

Glenn was digging holes for Stiles and the baby when Oscar and Axel finds him. They talk about the perimeter for a moment, then offer their help digging. Glenn shakes his head.

"Your friend," Axel hesitates, "he was a good man."

"He was family." Glenn shoots them a look, "He was our Theta and our family. That cub was going to the first one we had together."

"He was your....oh." Axel says. "We didn't realize he was your Theta too."

Glenn see Hershel at the fence and hands the shovel to Axel, then picks up the second and hands it to Oscar. "Can you...?"

"Yeah man." Oscar pats his shoulder. "We got this."

Glenn goes to see the Elder. "Where's Rick?"

"Still inside the tunnels." Hershel replies.

"I'll find him, try to talk to him." Glenn sighs. "I can't believe we lost Stiles and the cub."

"All because of one asshole."

"A part of me wishes we'd killed them all on sight."

"Those two seem like good guys."

"But Stile wasn't just a good guy. He saved all our asses a thousand times. found Sophia just as people were starting to give up hope. He's probably the only reason he got this far because he can hunt. He was just starting to heal, him and Rick, and now he's.... He was the best guy." Glenn wipes his eyes. "I'd trade any number of people for one of ours any day."

Hershel squeezes his hand through the fence and then lets Glenn go to find their Prime. Glenn doesn't really have to far to find his Alpha, he just follows the trail of dead Walkers. He finds Rick's axe on the ground, broken, then turns when he hears a growl. A wolf almost the size of the hall itself was standing there, hackle raised, and teeth clamped down on a moving Walker's severed head. He crushes it between his teeth and moves closer to Glenn, who shifts and turns onto his back with a whine, tail tucked.

Rick's wolf was large with broad shoulder and the tips of his ears brushing the ceiling, putting him at seven feet easily. He had a white under belly and a black face with a white stripe down his face and nose. The rest of him was colored like a German shepherd, which was ironic with him being a sheriff's deputy. The Prime goes over to Glenn and sniffs at his throat, standing over him and keeping him in a submissive position. Glenn lets it happen, knowing Rick wouldn't hurt him. Rick licks his neck and they both shift back to human form, the Prime helping the Asian Alpha to his feet.

"Everyone's worried about you." He tells Rick, "Carl's been wondering where you are?"

"Carl?" Rick asks, "Is he ok?"

"Just wants to see you." Glenn starts guiding Rick back towards their cell block. "I know this is your way of coping, but you still have Carl and the Pack. We need you. At least come back when it starts getting dark to eat and check in with everyone. We can't lose you too."

Rick follows the Alpha down a few hallways then stops. Next to two dead Walkers was a crossbow, Stiles crossbow. The Prime picks it up and takes the arrows from the Walkers skulls as well, cradling them against his chest. The two Alphas make it to the cell block with Rick leaning on Glenn. He collapses onto the ground before the stairs to the perch and starts crying. The Pack take one look at him and everyone shifts, curling around him in a big puppy pile. Glenn makes sure both doors were locked before joining them.

Glenn's red and tan husky coat with the black stripe was curled up next to Maggie's white and silver one. Hershel's three-legged timber wolf was lighter than T-Dog's, but both shared the same color and pattern.Daryl beep black wolf was the same size as Stiles if not bigger and he had red marking travling from is ears to his tail, Beth's fur was a white cream and mixed well with Carol's tan and Sophia's red and black coyote looking wolf. Carl couldn't shift yet, but he was curled up in the middle right next to his dad with Sophia's head in his lap.

Axel and Oscar volunteered to be on watch all night and would sleep in the morning. The others appreciated it and took the time to get some well needed rest.

....

In the morning Rick stays long enough to put Stiles crossbow in his sons nest and lock up the cell. It was hard to look at, all the pillows and their clothes arranged on the bed, the thick comforters that it was getting too warm to use now hung up on the bars. The prisoners had both refused to go up there, even when the other said it was ok if they didn't go inside the nest itself.

"Stiles was wary of us." Oscar says. "He said he wouldn't be able to nest while we were there and I'm not going to disrespect his wishes like that. I'll stay in my cell."

Axel's response was almost the same. The two men had taken the first cell on the ground floor, right before Hershel's. Then it was Glenn and Maggie's. Then T-Dog's. The last three were used for storage. Upstairs was where Carl and Sophia, Beth, Carol, and Rick and stiles and Daryl's nest were. There was a total of 14 cells in C block, and six were unoccupied.

...

Maggie and Glenn had gone on a run to see if they could find anything their Pack could use and end up finding a daycare center. They both whine but still go in; there were others that might need things later. They also wanted to get things for the baby before the herd came through, but they had been so focused on survival and then clearing the prison. They wanted to do this, even if it hurt that the stuff wouldn't be used. Maggie smashes a window open and they crawl in. Maggie start grabbing formula, bottles, diapers and clothes, placing them neatly in the bag so she could get the maximum number of materials in it.

"Maggie-"

"We didn't find a body." She sniffles, "Maybe-"

"Come here." Glenn pulls her into his arms and lets her cry. He helps put stuff in the bag, filling his own with baby books, pacifiers, more bottles, and clothes. Maggie takes the bags to the car and Glenn checks the rest of the building. He finds a few more backpacks and takes them, dumping out all the papers and leaving them empty for other things. They could always come back for more if they needed it.

Glenn finds a doll made of cotton, with a little leather vest over a plaid shirt with ripped jeans, the hair long and a dark brown. It was based off some vampire romance TV show from Before, but Glenn saw its potential. He grabs some safety scissors and a bottle of glue and cuts the hair short, just brushing the forehead. He uses his fingers to part it right and with tears in his eyes, it was perfect, he cries some more.

Maggie finds him there and when she sees the doll, the glue dried, she whines. She sits down and takes the glue, adding a dab where Stiles mole was on his lip. When that dries too, she takes her water bottle and rehydrates some of the finger paint on the little kids table. She uses brown to paint dirt on the doll and its clothes and Glenn laughs, watching her use the white to paint Merle's wings on the back of the jacket. While she does that he uses the popsicle sticks, toothpicks and a rubber band to make Stiles's crossbow and arrows. He glues it together and paints it black and dark green, then glues it into the doll's hands.

They sit and admire the Stiles doll for a bit, before noticing it was getting dark and they needed to get back. They take the doll with them. Carl or Rick might find as much comfort in it as they did.

When they get back they notice Carol coming up from the graves with Sophia, both of them crying. Each grave had a Cherokee rose.

...

Carl was refusing to eat until Rick came out of the tunnels to eat with him. He had to make sure his dad was ok. Instead he was holding onto the Stiles doll Maggie and Glenn made, scenting it. They had left it in the nest, wrapped up in Stiles's poncho and daryl's leather winged vest, so it smelled just like him. Carl had broken down when they handed it to him, and hours later his eyes were still red.

"You ok?" His dad asks, coming up to him.

"Yeah. Glenn and Maggie made it for us." He hands the doll to Rick. The Alpha takes a shuddering breath. Both of the other Alphas come by, scenting them for comfort and Rick thanks them in a tear-filled voice.

"Everyone has guns and knives but we're running low on ammo." Glenn tells him, "We're going to make a run to see if we can find some, or anything else we need."

"Didn't you guys just go on a run?" Rick asks. He could have sworn they said they were going yesterday.

"We did." Maggie tells him. "We found a daycare and..."

Rick nods. He understood. He eats with his son and catches up with the Pack, then sees the Alpha couple off and gives Sophia and Carl some chores to keep them busy before heading back into the tunnels.

Carol and T-Dog went with Oscar and Carl to clean out tunnels in the prison. Axel was in the generator room fixing them in case of an emergency and disconnecting the alarm system. If he can fix it, they might be able to get the lights, heaters, and AC going to help keep the cell block at a good temperature. They could light up the hallways and make it easy to get around.

They close and lock every door they come across, spray painting the different ways to the blocks.

Because they had more time and there was less Walkers to deal with all the doors closed they start labeling the arrows; which ones lead to the cafeteria, the infirmary, the boiler room, the generator room, the laundry room. They even found a bathroom and cleared it, locking all the doors until they were sure the tunnels were clear. That was a big win for them, especially if they could get a water system hooked up to get showers.

It was while they were labeling an arrow that they saw a door swinging open and closed.

"Should we kill them?"

"It's probably just one or two of them." T-Dog pushes at the door, "Don't look like they have much fight in them. We'll clear it when we come back. Let's split up; you know what to do."

T-Dog went with Oscar down one hallway with a set of keys and left Carol with Carl to go down another.

The Lambda shines the flashlight in a cell and seeing nothing, Carl locks it up. They move on and find another hallway with a door. They lock it too just as a few Walkers pass it by. Unable to get through the door though Carol and Carl keep going.

"Do you think he was in pain?" Carl whispers, "Stiles, when he died; do you think he was in pain?"

"No." Carol looks at the next cell, "I don't. He would have killed himself before he got bit and made one of us put him down. But I can't help but think he's alive. Something just tells me we'd have felt it harder if he died, ya know?"

"Then why hasn't he come back? It's been three days."

"Maybe he can't." Carol shines the light in another cell, "He's pregnant and some of these cells have like automated locks or broken ones. He could be stuck inside a room and unable to get out."

"If he is, we'll find him." Carl puffs out his chest, "We'll bring him home."

"Damn right." Carol smiles. They lock the last cell in the hallway and find a dead end. "Let's get back."

They meet back up with T-Dog and Oscar as the Alpha grabs some slippers from an empty cell.

"What are the slippers for?" Carl asks.

"Ya know, end of the day, relaxing." The three laugh at him. They hear a Walker and all four turn and shoot. The Walker goes down and T-Dog pulls a knife from the side of its throat.

"It's Stiles's knife." Carl reaches out and takes it from the Beta when it's offered to him. "Come on, the wound's fresh. He's here... somewhere."

They keep moving, every empty cell making them more frustrated. After almost two hours of finding nothing they end up right back where they started.

"He has to be here!" T-Dog hits the swinging door with the Walker stuck behind it. Its silent for a moment, while all of them pant from exhaustion. Then from behind the door they hear a sound... a chirp.

"What was that?" Carol was alert, listening for the sound again. She pushes at the door again and there was a yelp. Then a low growl; deeper than the other sounds and tired.

"Stiles?!" Carl pushes up against the door. The growls stopped. The little Alpha calls out again, "sti?!"

A whine. The sound of something crawling. And finally, a bark. Carl threw the door open, not caring that it hit Oscar. He drops to his knees in front of Stiles's wolf and throws his arms around the Omega's neck, sobbing.

The others pile in, T-Dog and Carol hugging him too, but when Oscar gets two close Stiles growls. The Alpha shakes his head at the others when they try to explain what had happened, and leaves throwing an, "I'll be right back!" over his shoulders.

"Oh Pookie." Carol laughs through her tears, "We thought we lost you. You didn't Howl back and we...."

"We're glad you're ok man." T-Dog pets his head. When he goes to pet stiles's side though, the Omega yelps.

Carol starts looking at the side immediately. "You have two broken ribs; did you fall?"

Stiles nods. Carol presses on, urgently, "The baby?!"

Everyone freezes, until Stiles's tail wags. He nudges Carl stomach and the little Alpha moves back some.

The little cub was curled up under Stiles's chest, between his front paws. He licks its head and it chirps and whines at the sudden grooming. Carl gasps in wonder, looking at Stiles with questioning eyes. Stiles pushes the cub towards him and the Alpha picks up his little nephew as gently as if he was holding glass. He tucks him in his arms and scents him, purring and whining his happiness. Stiles licks his tears away and tries to stand.

When he falls down with a whine, Carol remembers how long Stiles had been missing. Three days. He couldn't leave, not with the cub and the halls weren't safe to take him out by himself without weapons. He would be dehydrated and starving, with barely any strength. Just as she's about to say something to T-Dog, Oscar comes back with crackers, a can of chicken broth, with a can opener, and a water bottle.

"Alright, here we go." He sets everything down and turns to Stiles, holding out a blanket. "Can you shift back?"

With a grunt of effort, Stiles does so and Carol wraps him up as soon as he does. T-Dog hands him the water and Stiles drinks greedily.

Oscar puts some of the crackers in the broth and lets them get soggy, then uses a spoon to feed them to him. "My Mate had a drug problem, when she was in her low points we couldn't get her to eat. Me and my pups would do this to try to get some nutrients in her. Did the same thing with my mom when she got so old she couldn't chew."

Carl was playing with the cub, letting him wander around. he was still a cub and only three days old, so his eyes weren't open, and so when he started heading towards the door, Carl got up to get him. Just as a Walker appeared in the door.

"NO!" Stiles screamed. He jerks up, knocking the water and the can of broth from the other's hands. T-Dog and Oscar both raise their guns while Carol helps Stiles from where he fell trying to get up. Carl was the closest though, and with his little Cusion under him, defenseless, he acts without thinking.

He shifts for the first time, tackling the Walker and ripping its head off with a growl. He turns and picks the cub up by his scruff, scampering back to Stiles with his tail tucked.

The Omega pulls them both into his arms while Oscar and T-Dog check the hallways for more. Finding nothing but the lone Walker's body, they turn back to the others. "We have to get back to the cell block. This is too dangerous, Walkers come through here too much."

"Stiles can't walk." Carol argues. Oscar takes off the bag on his shoulders and hands it to T-Dog. Then he turns to Stiles, "Carl can carry the cub and Carol and T-Dog can carry the supplies and keep watch for Walkers. Do you trust me?"

Stiles nods and shifts back into his wolf form; Oscar picks him up and carries him on his shoulders. Carl holds the cub by his scruff, both still shifted, while the other two get in front and behind to lead. They make it to the back entrance to block C just as Rick comes through the door into the rec room where Beth was making dinner and Hershel, Axel, and Sophia were playing a card game.

T-Dog locks the door up while everyone else goes upstairs to put Stiles and the cub in the nest. With a smile on his face that refuses to leave the Beta sprints to the other end of the cell block, throwing the door open and startling everyone on the other side. Rick pulls out his gun, before realizing it was just T-Dog.

"Guys!" He was panting, smiling, and smelling like he'd just won the lottery, "We found Stiles! He's alive!"

Daryl was already on the steps, taking them three at a time, before the others cleared the door. He pushes passed Oscar and slams into the wall in front of the last cell; their nest. Carl was in human form against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and smiling with tears in his eyes. Carol was at the edge of the bed and helping Stiles drink more water. And there he was, his Mate, tired and dirty but alive.

Carol smiles at him and moves away from the bed just as Stiles sees his Alpha. He breathes a sigh of relief, "Daryl."

"Oh God." Daryl sobs. He moves to Stiles's side and buries his head in the Omega's neck, biting down with a whimper. Stiles hisses then purrs, returning the bite on Daryl's shoulder, claiming Daryl as his Alpha, Marking him as his Mate. Daryl pulls back and takes his head into his hands, kissing the Omega deeply. Stiles moans into the kiss and neither stop until they have to come up for air. By then the others are in the doorway. Stiles does a head count and then turns to Daryl, worried.

"Where's Glenn and Maggie?"

"On a run." Stiles nods. His side was purple, and half covered in bandages.

"He broke two ribs. I think I did the binding wrong." Carol looks at Hershel. Daryl gets up and moves to sit behind his Mate, bracing him while the Elder treats him. It was when he sat up that everyone notices something missing.

"Stiles, the baby?" Hershel asks gently. Daryl almost sobs again.

"he's ok." Carl steps up, "Right here, safe and sound."

Daryl notices that Carl wasn't crossing his arms over his chest but holding something bundled up in his arms. "he?"

Carl moves to put his baby nephew in Daryl arms, and when his are free he wraps them carefully around Stiles. Everyone cranes their heads to look at the little cub, and when his tiny wolf head appears, whining for food, everyone is stunned. Then Daryl starts purring and grooming the little boy, handing him to Stiles to feed. Once his is in Stiles human arms the baby shifts as well and Sophia hands him a diaper and a green onesie when he's had his fill, yawning and resting his head against his mother's shoulder. While the Theta changes him, Daryl kisses Stiles's forehead.

"he looks just like you." Daryl traces the dirty blonde hair on the cub's head. He knew it would get darker, just like his daddies, Stiles hums with a tired smile.

"I want to go outside." He tells Daryl.

"Then let's go." He helps the Omega to his feet and everyone heads out, letting stiles get changed. They go outside as a Pack, Carl holding his little nephew

with Sophia and Beth making cooing sounds over his shoulders. Hershel sits at the picnic table and Carol and T-Dog talk to Oscar and Axel about changing schedules around, so everyone can get time with Stiles and the baby, now that they knew he was alive.

Daryl stands next to his Mate at the fence, watching everyone. "Think of a name yet?"

"Thought we agreed on Ajax?"

" yep" Daryl said to him watching his mate

"What's that?" Axel points at the fence. Rick and Daryl looks down there and with a nod from Stiles he goes down to it. The Prime makes his way down to the gate and pulls out his gun, eyes connecting with the Alpha on the other side of the fence; not a Walker as her image and smell give off, but alive. She was covered in Walker guts and limping with a wound on her thigh. But what got to Daryl was the basket of baby formula she was carrying.

And the Stiles doll Maggie and Glenn made sitting on top.

Stiles takes Ajax from his little brother and watch the three down below as carl move to see what they were talking about