Disclaimer: So, I don't own this. Unfortunately. Like, really unfortunately. What's also unfortunate is that I didn't watch it last night! I'll be able to watch it tomorrow which is far too long for my liking =(
A/N: Wow, there's just so many updates coming to you guys! I lurve this chapter =P You guys have got this story over 100 reviews, which I was totally not expecting! Thanks so much!
A/N 2: Okay, and I also have a poll up on my profile, and then I'll be putting up a new one within the next few days if you would all be so lovely as to answer them =)
A/N 3: Oh, and before I forget! Who wants this rating changed to M? ;D
Chapter Nine: Together
Incredibly aware of everyone's eyes on me, I took a seat beside Daryl, giving him a small smile. He nodded, eyes glinting in the firelight, and dug into his food.
Glancing up, most people diverted their eyes, but Dale gave me a soft smile, brows high as he looked between me and Daryl. I shot him a wink and turned to my meal, grinning as the old man chuckled to himself, turning to Amy and leaving us be.
I couldn't stop running. If I did, they'd most definitely catch me and I really didn't want to be anyone's lunch. Chancing a glance behind me, I could see nearly a dozen or more walkers breaking through the branches and tearing through the forest after me.
My leg, still stiff and unused to the pressure, was burning, as were my lungs, and I desperately searched for a tree to climb. Hitting one with a low enough branch, I launched myself up into it, I hauled myself into the tree, pushing myself further up it on the off chance they could climb.
Luckily for me, they couldn't, and I breathed heavily, sweat dripping from my face, as I stared down at the clawing creatures below. They growled and snarled, so inhumanly human that I had to look away, glancing around the forest for any sign of the others. What had happened to them, I couldn't say, but I prayed that they made it away from camp before all hell broke loose.
Suddenly, the branch I was standing on began to buckle, loud cracks filling the air around me as it slowly snapped under my weight. Wide eyed, I scrambled for another branch, clawing for one of the heavier ones above me, but it was no use. Without a thought, I was on the ground, body aching and stinging from the impact, and the walkers quickly closing in. Where was my gun? Damn it!
They didn't give me a chance to scramble away; one caught my leg and sunk in, the others quickly following, grabbing and tearing where they could. I screamed and struggled at the searing pain, trying desperately to make an escape, but one dropped to the ground beside my face and ripped into my cheek.
Shooting up from my sleeping bag, I breathed heavily, hand to my chest in a vain attempt to calm my racing heart. Cursing to myself, I ran a hand through my short wavy locks and looked over at the silent, slumbering boys on the other side of the tent. Jake twitched and rolled over, but other than that, they were unaffected by my nightmare.
Standing, hypersensitive to every little sound, I tensely exited the tent and took a deep, mind-clearing breath. It was still early morning, the sun not even up yet but steadily on its way as the sky changed to a muted, pale blue, and I made my way to the empty fire pit.
Passing the RV, I started when Jim peered over the side and queried silently, "Are you okay, Cat?"
Already on edge, I gave him a small wave and nodded, "Yeah; just couldn't sleep…"
"Don't wander too far from camp, okay?" he commented, concern meshing with warmth, "just holler if you need anything."
"Right, thanks," I nodded, slowly and silently making my way toward the quarry, feeling insanely better with the S&W at my hip after that dream. Sitting on everyone's favorite boulder, I stared out over the water, watching the half exposed moon catch the water and sparkle in the dark.
It took a while to calm down some, but the soft, gentle lapping of the water against the shore was working wonders to calm my nerves. I had never been one to really look into my dreams, seeing as they were the most random and weird things I had ever experienced, but that one's stark realism just got to me.
Rubbing my hands together absently, I tried not to dwell on it, but I wanted to keep it in my mind that it was possible for walkers to make their way up here. I didn't want to get complaisant, just in case something like that happened to happen.
Suddenly, something across the lake caught my attention and I reached for my weapon, heart in my throat. I wasn't too far away to keep from calling for Jim, but I didn't want to throw the camp into a panic, either.
Watching and waiting, I sighed a breath of relief as a raccoon slowly crept through the bushes and made his way toward the water, something in his little black hands. He crouched, only the white on his tail and face really visible in the darkness, and began to wash off his prize. Taking my hand from the gun, I watched him, wondering how big of an effect this invasion was having on them. Were they fast enough to outrun the walkers? They were probably better suited for fighting or fleeing the predators than we were.
The raccoon lifted his head suddenly, looking in my direction, and skittered back into the black woods, fruit in hand, immediately disappearing from sight.
Turning to see what had drawn its attention, I gave Daryl a warm smile, "Mornin'."
"What're you doin' up so early?" he questioned quietly, leaning against the boulder and staring up at me on my perch, "yer never up 'fore dawn."
Leave it to Daryl to be aware of everyone's habits; or was it just mine own he paid attention to? Sniffing, I looked back in the direction the raccoon had fled and replied, "Eh, just a dream…"
He grunted, following my gaze, and repeated, sounding more than a little skeptical, "Just a dream."
"Well, I didn't say it was a good one," I replied quietly, "actually, I'd really rather forget it." I could feel his gaze on me, silently prodding and, while he probably didn't want to hear about it, he wouldn't stop me from getting it out.
"I was alone in the woods and there were a bunch of walkers," I replied slowly, "had to climb a tree – which I actually did pretty well since I never have climbed a tree before." He snorted and shook his head, but let me continue, "Then the branch I was on broke and… well, it wasn't very pretty… Don't know where everyone else was; probably back at camp."
"That sucks," he mused bluntly, earning a laugh from me, before shooting me a smirk, "don't think a bunch o' walkers are gonna be makin' their way up here soon. Anyway, sure as hell wouldn't be chasin' you into th' woods…"
Before I could question him, he made his way toward the quarry, peeling off his shirt as he went. Brows high on my forehead, I watched him kick off his worn, dirty boots and start unhitching his belt. It was then – when I could tear my eyes away from his solid, well-built form - that I noticed the towel he had brought down with him.
Clearing my throat and hoping it sounded less apprehensive than I felt, I queried, "You do this every morning?"
"Yeah," he replied, kicking his pants off and diving into the cool water in his boxers. When he resurfaced, he rubbed his face with a hand and questioned, "Why? Feel like joinin'?" Even from here, with the moonlight reflecting off of his glistening face, his smirk was evident.
Heart flopping, I slid down from my spot and kicked off my boots. Shimmying from my shorts and tank, I took a running leap into the water beside him, sending a spray of water into his face.
Resurfacing, I laughed at the glower he was sending me and replied, "Sure." The water, no longer warm from last night, send icy chills through me, ones that were offset by the warm, pulsing ones Daryl's gaze was causing.
Shooting a glance toward shore, I honestly hoped Jim wouldn't make his way over to investigate all the noise. I really would rather not get interrupted again.
Daryl moved silently toward me through the water, causing me to swim backwards with a challenging smile on my face. He quirked a brow and accepted, lunging forward as I dove out of the way. Laughing, I watched him scowl before diving and disappearing from sight.
Swimming toward the shore, I suppressed a scream as he grabbed me around the waist and surfaced. He chucked me a few feet and chuckled at the glare I shot him when I surfaced.
He remained motionless as I swam up to him, looking him over and watching a water droplet race from his soaked hair down along his jaw and onto his chest. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me to him, dipping his head and catching my mouth with his.
Closing any distance between us, I ran my hands up along his chest and into his hair, never breaking the kiss. He moved his mouth from my own to my neck and I closed my eyes, legs wrapping around his waist, and leaned into his hot kisses.
Cupping his face in my hands, I caught his mouth once more, our tongues battling for dominance there in the rapidly brightening morning. Moaning his name into his mouth, I fisted his hair in one hand, heart and mind racing.
He cupped my backside, teeth grazing my neck once more, my name muffled against my skin. Letting out a blissful laugh, I buried my face into his neck, forgetting for a moment that the world had gone to hell and just enjoying Daryl frickin' Dixon.
WDWDWDWDWDWD
My fingers were beyond wrinkled as I floated on my back, fruitlessly trying to will myself out of the water. Daryl was scrubbing any excess dirt from his skin, running his hands through his already mussed up hair.
That blissful smile was still on my face and, though we hadn't actually done anything more than partake in a super hot-n-heavy make out session, I was more than pleased. I don't think either of us particularly wanted to stop, but I asked him and he obliged. Though the thought of us having sex in the water was incredibly sexy, it just seemed… wrong… to do it in everyone's water supply/bath. Damn, I cockblocked the two of us…
"I'm goin' huntin'; thought I saw some deer tracks last nigh' but it was gettin' too dark t' go after 'em then," he commented, making his way toward both me and the shore. He grabbed my arm and began dragging me toward shore.
Swiping at his arm, I flipped over and swam after him, growling, "Don't go all caveman on me, Daryl…"
"Didn't seem to mind it before," he retorted with a grin, releasing my arm and stalking onto shore. He scooped up his towel and dried himself down, tossing me the towel once he was done with it.
I caught it and dried myself off, scooping up my clothes and diving back into them. Grabbing my boots, I made my way to his side, draping the towel over my shoulder. He had waited for me beside the boulder, falling in step with me as we returned to camp.
"Wanna learn how t' hunt deer?" he questioned, light eyes flitting over the campsite, glancing briefly at Shane and then Jim, who was handing his binoculars and rifle over to Dale.
"I can't," I replied with an apologetic frown, "I promised the kids I'd teach 'em some more today. Never thought I'd see the day kids are that excited about history… Jeez, when I was in school everyone but me hated history."
"Think they just miss havin' somethin' normal," he replied with a shrug, rubbing his jaw.
"Beer and pie," I laughed, "when are you goin' hunting?"
He glanced at the sky, judging the time, and changed direction, toward his tent. Trailing after him, I took the time to enjoy myself and watch him walk. Nice abs, nice ass.
"Few minutes," he replied, "better t' just go early, when they're still out…" He climbed inside the tent, retrieving a few things, including his crossbow and a backpack. Zipping it back up, he turned to me, "If I can find one, it might take me a while t' track it down. Could be a day or two 'fore I come back t' camp."
Well, I definitely didn't like the idea of anyone leaving camp, especially the guy I was sort of dating, but if anyone would be fine out on his own for a few days, it would be him.
"I'd tell you to be careful, but I know you will," I commented, quirking a brow and smiling, "want my gun?"
"Only if I wanna scare anythin' off," he replied, though he smirked and glanced back toward camp, "I'm gonna get goin', Cat…"
Stepping forward, I kissed him softly, but just as deeply as our others. He responded, before pulling back and disappearing into the wilderness.
WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWWDDWD
Okay, it had been three days since anyone had seen hide or hair of Daryl, though I was trying not to let it get to me. He would show up sooner or later, though I couldn't convince anyone else of that, especially Shane. He was convinced – and absolutely pissed – that Daryl had left the group, deciding to rough it out on his own.
At least I wasn't the only one to doubt him on that one. The girls were assured that he wouldn't abandon me here and the rest figured he at least wouldn't leave his truck and motorcycle behind. The latter was oh so reassuring.
And, just another thing to worry about; the Atlanta group had yet to come back. It had been almost a week and I couldn't help but think things had gone horribly wrong. Amy was beyond panicking and it was getting harder and harder for her to keep from lashing out at anyone, including Dale. The minute Andrea and Danny came back, I assumed they were in for a good reaming out.
"So we've got the battle of Freeman's Farm, remember?" I questioned, looking over the children – only Sophia and Eliza were busily searching through their notes; the boys had pursed lips and furrowed brows, trying to recall the information, "and then Bemis Heights? When'd they take place?"
Sophia must have found it first, because her hand shot up in the air and she waved it around. Laughing, I called on her, glad to see she was trying to break out of her shell; of course it was hard with her father breathing down everyone's neck and getting increasingly annoyed with all of us.
"Freeman's Farm was September 19th, 1777," she replied, giving in to Eliza for the other question.
"And the other one was October 7th," the young girl replied with a bright, toothy smile, "was that right?"
"It was; great job girls," I answered with a thumbs-up, "so after both battles, on October 17th, we have…?" The girls dug through their notes, but to no avail. "Ha, I didn't tell you; okay, October 17th was the result of the two battles; Saratoga. The British surrendered to the Continentals; the biggest contribution this battle made was getting the French involved."
The kids, even the boys this time, wrote that down and I continued, "So, just to recap; the battle was between Horatio Gates, who had been a British General prior to the war, and Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne…"
Suddenly, a loud, echoing horn blared through the air, causing all of us to drop what we were doing and jumping to our feet. Jogging over to the long dirt trail leading to and from camp, I stood beside Jim with wide eyes, watching a sporty red and black car zooming up in our direction.
"What the hell is that?" Shane growled, shotgun in hand, completely ready to put it to use.
The car came to an abrupt halt in front of us and my hand went to my S&W on the off chance it needed to be put to use. Glenn and Danny climbed out, the former pointing to the car with a broad grin, saying something that none of us could hear over the blaring horn.
"Turn it off!" Shane growled as the kids covered their ears, he, Dale, and Jim hurrying up to the sweet car. I glanced over at the woods, wondering if the sound would be enough to draw any walkers in the area.
They popped the hood and Shane dug around in the engine, finally yanking some wires and silencing the clearing of the obnoxious siren. Ears ringing, I eyed the two young boys in disbelief, beyond glad to see him back safe and sound, but wondering how on earth he had managed to make it up here without drawing any walkers in.
"What the hell were you thinkin'?" Shane growled, slamming a hand on the metal beauty, "this thing prob'ly attracted all the walkers in the frickin' area!"
"It wasn't our idea," Danny defended the two of them, palms out to placate the irate sheriff's deputy, "it was the helicopter guy…"
"Helicopter guy?" I queried, brow furrowed, "what helicopter guy?"
"We met him in the streets," Glenn replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly; obviously none of them, including this helicopter guy, had considered the consequences. I'd love to hear the story though.
"Where's the others?" Lori questioned, "Jacqui, Morales?"
I made my way to the two boys, hugging Danny tightly and giving him an obnoxious peck on the cheek, "Glad to see you're okay, kiddo."
He gave me an unimpressed look before beaming, "Glad to see you are, too, Kitkat… It's been crazy the last few days…"
"I can only imagine," I replied with a laugh, shoving him toward Amy, who was positively bouncing with excitement, "tell me about it later." I gave Glenn a hug while he tried fruitlessly to defend himself against the barrage he seemed to be getting.
He gave me a surprised smile and jerked a thumb toward the vehicles bouncing up the dusty, dirt path, "There are the others…"
My van was at the back of the pack, and as soon as they made their way into the clearing, the people began pouring out. Morales shot me a grin and ran to his wife and child, while Andrea raced over to Amy, gathering her in a tight hug. Riley, Tory, Mike, and Jake were hugging Danny and he ruffled the boys' hair.
T-Dog gave me a one-armed hug when he walked by, giving me a grim smile. My stomach dropped; it was one of those looks. Something had happened, though hopefully no one had gotten bitten; but I figured Glenn and Danny would have said something if that was the case.
Another man followed Jacqui into view, dressed in an officer's outfit of all things. Looked like a sheriff. He was thin, with stubble lining his jaw, and had light blue eyes. His hair was dark, and damp, and he looked a little worse for the wear; if he had been in Atlanta by himself, though, I wouldn't doubt he had a rough time.
He gave me a small smile and nod, "Hello."
"Hey, helicopter guy," I quirked a brow.
He chuckled weakly and offered a hand, "Rick Grimes."
Brows high, I stared up at him, beyond floored. His brow furrowed in confusion at my expression, but I couldn't get past the idea that Rick Grimes was alive and there would be hell to pay when he found out his wife and his best friend were together.
"Cat, I got some bad news about Merle," T-Dog frowned, staring at the ground with the guiltiest of expressions.
Scratch that; there would be hell to pay when Daryl found out something happened to his brother. Shit.
WDWDWDWDWDWDWD
So! Zank you vonce again vor reading zis! =D If you could, please review cuz I adore hearing all of your responses! Ahh now we can get into the show! I've been waiting for this and I've been soooooo waiting for Daryl's response to Merle being left behind, cuz *SPOILER ALERTTTT* it's gonna cause some big problems between him and Cat! Anywhooo…
Dalonega Noquisi: Thanks so much! I'm anxious for the next chapter; it's gonna be crazy! So glad you're liking this :D
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Readergirl66: Oh I definitely shall =P Thanks!
Gurl3677: Ahh, I know, right? *swoon*
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MichelleJoy: Thanks! Haha, hopefully you liked their relationship in this chapter!
WolfAngel75: Teehee thanks! If you felt giddy after that one, how'd this one treat you haha?
Grim1989: Yes! I almost flipped out! Stupid Andrea! :[ Haha, I think I'm gonna turn it to M XP And no I haven't, but I'm definitely looking forward to it!
Nelle07: Haha yes, poor Cat and Daryl!
xXx Tinkies xXx: Haha YES! I was so happy with that haha! Glad you're loving it and thanks so much!
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Loquaciouslylethality: Haha yes! I was excited for it! And I so certainly would be kissing that man ;D Thanks so much! And thanks! I think he's definitely drool-worthy too! I need to work on that one too…