Chapter Text
I woke up that morning seeing the sunshine through the window and I felt a pair of arms around me, I smiled and shifted seeing Daryl was still asleep, so I laid there for a bit admiring him. As I moved some hair away from his face his eyes slowly opened, "Mmm what are you doing?" He asked closing his eyes again.
"Looking at the man I love." I tell him and he opened his eyes again with a smile.
"Are you just trying to make it so I can't leave today?"
"Well I thought about it but I'm actually ok with it." I said and he looked at me with a bit of shock.
"Really? Why's that?"
"Cause it's you and Rick. Nothing is gonna take you both down." I say and kissed him. Then he flipped me so he was on top, "What are your intentions with me mister?"
"Gotta give you a proper goodbye." He says then proceeded to kiss me passionately and moved his hands up my shirt.
"Well proceed then." I giggle and he continues what he's doing
"Hey." Rick says as he opened the door walking into the house with Judith in his arms.
"Morning." I greeted as he set Judith down in her pack and play
"Thank you for taking her."
"Oh come on now Rick. Like I'd ever pass up the chance to have a girls day with my favorite niece." I tell him as I knelt down next to her.
"She's your only niece."
"And that's why she's my favorite." I tell him smiling and he chuckled, "Why do you seem all giddy this morning?" I asked him and I could see a blush in his cheeks
"Ah nothing, I was just thinking about the conversation with Michonne this morning."
"Oh really?" I tease and he glared his eyes at me, "Hey, I'm just saying, no one has made you giddy like that since.." I started to say but I stopped before I could say Lori's name, "...In a while." I say and he shifted
"Yeah."
"Rick, it's ok to let someone else in. You deserve to be happy too, that's all I want for you, I know Carl would too. I see how you and her are together, you look at her the way Daryl looks at me." I tell him and he looked down for a second then back up at me.
"I don't know..."
"Hey," I cut him off, "Don't hide your heart. You deserve to be happy too." I say and he smiled.
"Alright, well you two have fun, ok?"
"Oh, tons of fun. I'm gonna get her hooked on sugar, maybe get her a tattoo then she could meet a nice guy named Bill and join a biker gang." I joked and he glared at me again but I saw him smiling too, "I'm kidding! I don't even know someone named Bill." I joke again and he chuckled, "Get out of here and leave us girls to our day."
"Ok," He says and kissed the top of her head then walked to the door.
"Say bye dad." I say to Judith, and he waved then walked out
Daryl POV...
"Hey." I called to Denise as I made my way to the car.
"Yes?"
"This thing at the bottom right here. You're talking about the drink, right?" I asked pointing to the list
"I am, but..."
"It's not medical." I point out
"No, I drew a line between the important stuff and that. I just figured, if you saw it." She tells me and I looked back at the list.
"All right."
'Anything remotely medical is a priority. And food, maybe even food before medicine, and gas or batteries or books for the kids or clothes is just-- if you see it, if it just happens to, you know, be right there." She says
"You like it, right?" I asked her
"No, I don't drink pop."
"What the hell's pop?" I asked confused
"Oh, I'm originally from Ohio."
"Why you want it?" I ask
"Tara was talking about it in her sleep, I think. Either she likes it or she doesn't, but if she likes it, it'd be a really nice surprise. I'm not good with that kind of stuff," she says and I kind of agreed cause I was the same way with Kate, even though I had found something I've been wanting to give her back when we lived at the prison. I'm surprised I had managed to hold on to it all this time. "And she and Heath are going on that two-week run. I just thought it'd be a nice going-away present. Just, uh, don't go out of your way. And if it gives you any trouble..." She continues and I waved my hands up.
"I won't."
"Okay, good, 'cause it's not important. I should've said so instead of just drawing a line." She says as I start to walk away trying to end the awkward conversation.
"Got it."
"I mapped out some of the agricultural supply places in the area." Eugene told us as we drove up to the gate and he handed me a map, "Even if they've been cleaned out, my bet is that the sorghum would be untouched. Now, that there is a criminally underrated grain that could change the game with our food situation from scary to hunky-dunky. I'm talking standability, drought tolerance, grain-to-stover ratio that is the envy of all corns. Think about it."
"Thanks." I tell him and he slowly moved away from the car.
"All right. Okay." He replied and Rick slowly moved forward before driving out of the gate.
"Today's the day." Rick tells me
"Uh-huh."
"We're gonna find food, maybe some people. The law of averages has gotta catch up." He continued
"I don't know. We ain't seen nobody for weeks. Maybe we ain't gonna find nobody. Maybe that's a good thing." I said and saw him grabbing a CD, "Don't. Don't. Please don't." i pleade but he put it in anyways and it started to play as I glared at him.
Give me the downbeat, maestro.
I want to lay it on the line ♪
'Cause everything, I do, I wanna do it in double time
When I take a ride..."
"Draws 'em away from home!" Rick yells over the music
Hear me? Action-packed
Well, if your music's gonna move me
Well, I just gotta feel the b*at...
We continued driving but I stopped him as he drove past a road where I saw a barn at so he backed the car up and turned towards the barn. After he parked and we got out we walked to the big door with Sorghum written on it. Rick walked to the other side of it, "Hey, hold up. It's best to be safe. You cover it?" I asked and he grabbed his gun out. I opened up the metal door and he moved in looking on both sides of the cube van sitting there.
"Yeah, we're good. One more time?" He asked indicating to the van and I grabbed the handle
"It ain't locked." I point out and lifted the door, there was a lot of food and other things in it.
"Well, how about that? The law of averages." Rick says climbing into the van then picked up a thing of toothpaste, "Let's get this thing going, grab our gear, come back for the car later. Take another way back. See what we can see."
"Think it'll start?" I asked as I grabbed the strap for the door shutting it.
"Yeah, I do." He replied then chuckled, "Sorghum."
As we drove down another road we came across a gas station and stopped, we got out and I went to the doors checking them then saw a tipped over vending machine, "Yo, give me a hand with this. Ahem. Let's flip it over." I tell him and we start to lift but have no success
"I don't think we got it."
"I got an idea." I tell him and grab a chain hooking it to both the machine and the truck then whistle for Rick to pull forward, the machine lifts up and I stop him
"It's soda and candy. Why the trouble?" Rick asked walking back over as I reach in grabbing some stufff
"It wasn't any trouble." I tell him and suddenly someone bumps into him
"Hi."
"Back up! Now!" I warn the man holding my gun up at him and Rick does as well
"Keep 'em up!"
"Whoa, easy, guys. I was just running from the dead." He tells us
"How many?" I asked
"10, maybe more. I'm not risking it. Once it gets to double digits, I start running."
"Where?" I asked him
"About a half a mile back. They're headed this way. You probably have about 11 minutes."
"Okay, thanks for letting us know." Rick says lowering his gun
"Yeah. There's more of them than us, right? Gotta stick together. Right?" He asked looking at me and I hesitated but lowered my gun, "You have a camp?" He asked us
"No."
"Do you?" Rick asked him
"No. Sorry for running into you. I'm gonna go now. If this is the next world, I hope it's good to you guys." He said and started to walk away
"I'm Rick. This is Daryl." Rick tells him and the guy stops, "What's your name?"
"Paul Rovia." He said lowering the cloth covering his face, "But my friends used to call me Jesus. Your pick."
"You said you didn't have a camp. You on your own?" Rick asked
"Yeah. But, still, best not to try anything."
"Best not to make threats you can't keep, either." I tell him
"Exactly." He starts to run away
"How many walkers--" Rick started to ask but I stopped him
"No, not this guy."
"How many walkers have you killed?" Rick asked anyways but the guy kept going
"Sorry, gotta run. You should, too. Think you've got about seven minutes." He said and continued running
"What the hell was that?" I asked Rick
"He was clean. His beard, it was trimmed. There's more going on there."
"He didn't have a gun, either." I point out
"We could track him, watch him for a while, get to know more. See if he's really alone. Maybe bring him back."
"Nah, guy calls himself Jesus." I tell him and we hear a popping sound from behind us so we move around the building with our guns raised only to find fireworks that went off
"Firecrackers." Rick said
"He swiped your keys, didn't he?" I asked and he feels his pockets
"Oh, shit!" We ran back around the building and saw the guy in the truck start to drive away
"Sorry!"
"Shit." Rick says as we watch it drive away with the vending machine still attached.
We ran as fast as we could after the truck hoping to catch up, we stop for a moment, and I reach into the vending machine that fell off the chain and grab out the soda I found for Denise.
"This was a special request from the doctor." I tell him taking a drink then handing it to Rick
"Hey, whatever she wants. She saved Carl's life. We didn't know her, and she turned out to be all right. If there's still people out here, and they're still people, we should bring 'em in."
"What, like this guy?" I asked him taking another drink
"No, fuck this guy."
"We still got a trail." I tell him putting my backpack on.
"Let's go." Rick says and we start running again
As we continue running, I see tire marks and I point to them, I motion for Rick to crouch down and we look up the hill seeing the guy and the truck, he must have been changing the tire or something, we move through the woods to get around him without being seen. As he shuts the back Rick tackles him wrapping his arms around the guy.
"Hold still and maybe we won't hurt you."
"Sure thing." I hear grunting and saw the guy come out from behind the truck, I went to punch him but he ducked then pushed me against the truck and Rick knocks him to the ground and we point our guns at him.
"This is done." Rick said and we hear growling
"Do you even have any ammo?" The guy asked and we pointed our guns up both shooting the walker, "Okay. You gonna shoot me over a truck?"
"There's a lot of food on that truck. The keys, now." Rick warns him
"I think you know I'm not a bad guy."
"Yeah? What do you know about us? Give me the keys. This is the last time I'm asking." Rick said and cocked his gun.
"You're gonna leave me here like this?" The guy asked as Rick finished tying his hands and legs, "You're really gonna do that?"
"Eh, the knots aren't that tight. You should be able to get free... after we're long gone."
"Maybe we should talk now." THe guy says and I hold a can of soda that exploded in my bag
"Nah. Here." I tell him tossing the can at him, "In case you get thirsty." We get in the truck and Rick starts it, I put my feet on the dash and stick my middle finger up out the window, "So long ya prick!" I yelled and Rick drives away
"Still worked out. Today still is the day." Rick tells me as we eat a candy bar, and I turn the music up
"Hey, look at that." Rick points out the window
"Yeah, a barn." Suddenly there was a loud thump, and I turn the radio down, "You hear that?" The thumping continues, "I think that son of a bitch is on the roof."
"Hold on." Rick says hits the brakes hard and the guy falls off the roof, gets up, looks at us then runs, Rick accelerates and I grab the handle opening the door
"Mother--"
"Daryl! Daryl!" Rick calls after me as I chase him on foot
"We came to a conclusion, asshole! I got him!" I tell Rick as I see the walkers that were tied to the trucks break free, the guy runs to the truck opening the door getting in but I grab him and we struggle, "Come here, you little shit!" Suddenly I hear a gun cock, and I look at him as he aimed my gun at my face.
"Duck." He tells me and I did then he fired the gun killing a walker that was coming up behind me
"Thanks." I tell him and punched his face, "That's my gun!" I said grabbing it then grabbing him, "Come here!" I start to pull him out of the truck as it rolls backwards and we fall to the ground, the door hits him in the head knocking him out and the truck goes into the water, Damn it
"You all right?" Rick asked me coming over
"Yeah. Law of averages. That's bullshit, man. Let's go check them cars, get the hell out of here." I tell him and start to walk
"What about the guy?"
"What about him?" I asked
"Well, he helped you."
"Maybe." I tell him
"He ever pull a weapon on you?" He asked me
"Fine. Let's put him up a tree." I said and grabbed the guys arms dragging him
Rick was driving the car, and I was in the back with the guy, just then Rick jerked the car and the guy's head landed on my shoulder, I shrugged him off and gave Rick a glare "He took a pretty hard hit. Denise needs to look him over." Rick tells me
"Yeah."
"You wouldn't have gone through with it. You wouldn't have left him." He points out
"I would've, right up in a tree. I would've."
"No. I know. Almost as soon as we got to Alexandria, you got it. You saw-- you... and Michonne, Glenn, you all tried to tell me. So shut up." He says and jerks the car again causing the guy's head to once again land on me, I shoved him off and glared at Rick again, "'Cause I'm finally listening."
Kate POV...
"See that bright one? Yeah, that's the North Star. It's at the end of the Little Dipper. Yeah. If you get lost at night, just find that star." I heard Carl say to Judith as they sat on the porch looking up at the night sky while I cleaned up in the kitchen with the window open and I smiled listening to him. He was such a great big brother, just like Rick is for me, there was no stronger bond between siblings.
"Hey." I heard Michonne say to him and I look out seeing her walk onto the porch.
"Hey."
"You have a good day?" She asked him.
"I guess so. I'm gonna take her in." Carl told her and stood up holding Judith.
"Carl. I saw what you did. With Deanna." She says and I looked back up at them.
"Yeah?"
"You should've left her or killed her." She told him
"No, that's stupid."
"What's stupid is you being out there when you don't have to." She says and I agreed silently because they didn't know I was listening.
"You did the same thing. You didn't-- you and Spencer didn't have to go out there, but you did." He argued.
"That's different."
"It's not." He told her
"I wasn't gonna leave her out there like that. You wouldn't." He said and there was a brief pause as I heard Michonne sigh, "You wouldn't. I know it. I couldn't kill her."
"Why not?" She asked him
"Because-- be--"
"You could've killed her." Michonne said
"No, I couldn't. I wouldn't."
"Were you playing some sort of game out there? Did you think that--" She started but Carl cut her off
"No!"
"Then why?" She asked again
"Because it should be someone who loved her, someone who's family, and I-- I'd do it for you." He told her and my heart broke as some tears formed in my eyes, "And Aunt Kate. I would." He added and I closed my eyes, Carl had such a big heart that hadn't been destroyed by this world, but the fact that he would be willing to put me or Michonne down if we ever turned made me happy and sad at the same time, because he was right, it should be someone who's family.
"Come here." Michonne said and I opened my eyes seeing her pull him into a hug, "Me, too." She says and I wiped my tears away as they came inside.
"Hey. You hungry? I can heat ya up something." I asked Michonne as Carl headed upstairs to lay Judith down.
"No I'm good, but thank you." She says and I nod then finished up the dishes, "How much did you hear?" She asked and I looked at her confused then she pointed to the open window.
"Oh, busted." I chuckle and she smiled, "All of it. It breaks my heart hearing him talk about that. After... after what he had to do back at the prison with his mom, I never wanted him to have the need or want to put someone he loves down again." I said hanging my head, "He's still just a boy."
Michonne walks over to me and pulled me into a hug, "I know, and I agree. He has a point though."
"That's what sucks about it." I said and we pulled apart, "Thank you, for being there for him, Rick and Judith. It's nice having someone care for them like family."
"Thanks Kate, they... they are family to me." She says and I smile at her because I notice a blush on her face but before I could say anything Carl came back downstairs.
"She go down ok?"
"Yeah, must have had a long day." He smiled
"Yeah we had tons of fun, and it was nice just being me and her. Thank god Merle went hunting."
"I get it, he cares and wants to keep you safe when Daryl isn't here." Carl told me.
"Yeah, but it gets to be too much sometimes. I already have one protective older brother, don't need 2." I laughed as they both smiled, "Well, you both have a good night. I'm gonna head on home and wait for Daryl." I pull Carl into a tight hug and kissed his head, "I love you so much buddy."
"I love you too Aunt Kate." He replied and I blinked away tears before looking at him.
"Get some sleep." I ruffled his hair then smiled at Michonne before leaving the house.
Daryl POV...
"You know, I was thinking... back before we went out to the quarry." I say to Rick as he drove up to Alexandria, "The morning after Reg and Pete. You said we shouldn't be looking for people no more. You were right."
"No... I was wrong. You were right." He told me and flashed the lights on the car to get them to open the gate.
Me and Rick carried the guy over to the infirmary and knocked on the door, I shifted him while waiting for the light to come on and thankfully it did, I was about to drop this guy on the ground, "Sorry to wake you up." Rick told Denise and Tara as we stood at the door.
"Who is this?"
"Come on, man, he's heavy. Oh, that thing, uh, didn't work out. It's this asshole's fault. Sorry." I told her shifting my eyes to Tara quick.
"Lay him on the bed."
"All right, take a look at him. He ain't staying, though." I tell her as me and Rick bring him inside and set him on the bed.
After Denise checked him over and made sure he was all good, me and Rick brought him to the cell that Morgan was working on. I placed a glass of water next to him while he remained unconscious then Rick set a note in front of it, "We'll see." He said and walked over to me, "It is pretty stupid of us to go out there, isn't it?"
"Yep. Do it again tomorrow?" I asked him opening the door.
"Yep."
"Kate?" I called walking into our house, there was a silent pause before I heard her feet walking down the stairs.
"Hey stranger." She smiled, God I love that smile, "How did it go?" She asked and I couldn't respond right away cause I looked down at her wearing just a t-shirt, "Daryl?" She asked waving her hand in front of my face snapping me out of my thoughts, "Hey, welcome back." She says and I pulled her to me into a kiss as she wrapped her arms around my neck kissing me back. This woman sparked so many things within me, I couldn't imagine what my life would be like if I never met her, "Well that's a fine hello there." She smiled again and I kissed her again.
"Didn't go as planned in the end." I said as we broke apart.
"What do you mean?" She asked sitting on one of the kitchen counter chairs and I sat in the one next to her.
"Had a van, filled with food and other things. A guy ran into us at another spot, called himself Jesus." I told her and she laughed which made me smile.
"Jesus? He called himself Jesus?"
"Kind got the look of it too." I add and she laughed again, "Anyway, me and him got into a scuffle after he tried taking the trunk from us but it ended up in a lake."
"Damn." She sighed and I placed my hand on her bare knee, "Well, hopefully tomorrow will be a new day. What happened to the guy?"
"He got knocked out by the truck door. He's in that cell Morgan is working on."
"Guarded?" She asked
"Yeah, Abraham took the first shift."
"Gotcha. You hungry? I took some leftovers from mine and Judith's dinner today I can heat up for ya." She says and I got off the chair standing in front of her, before she could say anything or react, I scooped her up and carried her out of the kitchen, "Excuse me mister but what are you doing?" She asked with a smile.
"I ain't hungry for food." I tell her and carry her up to our room then kicked the door shut.