Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just took them out to play and had so much fun I don't want to give them back! :P
Notes: Huge thanks to all the readers and reviewers! You guys rock! Keep the feedback coming it makes my day! ; )
What the Hell, Ima give you one more, cause I'm a giver or somesuch... Shiny? :)
(bonus points if you get the reference...)
Second Note: My Bad! This Chapter changed/updated around 11am my time because I realized I uploaded a previous draft to the doc loader and it was missing some edits/wording changes. It's slightly longer now, not many other major differences; but if you read it before it IS slightly different now...you're not imagining it! Oops! :)
Chapter Nine
(Daryl's POV)
He's coming back down the ladder when he hears her.
He keeps walking at first, ignoring the sound positive that she must be talking to Carol; that they're both still up at this late hour waiting for him to return finally.
Carol has been doing that lately; she's grown more agitated with his trips as the days stretched into weeks, more worried each time they go out that one of them won't make it back. It's become an expected ritual for him to find her downstairs; or wherever she is when he returns and let her know he's back. It eases the empty ever-present ache in his chest to see her smile softly at him when he stops just long enough to tell her he's back usually before trying to catch a few hours of restless sleep before going out again. She never asks what he's found. She already knows just by looking at him.
After the last two days alone in the woods searching for any sign of either of them; having to face Rick upstairs and tell him there was still nothing, witness the despair on his friends face turning away before he can watch Michonne comfort him. A part of him would welcome the distraction of talking to Carol tonight; really talking as they haven't done in weeks he realizes suddenly. Course a large bit of him wants nothing more than to collapse onto his mattress upstairs and sleep 'til noon sometime tomorrow.
He's rounding the corner in the near dark down at the bottom level. There's just enough light to see the propped open door, the rough outline of the furniture with the kerosene lantern Carol keeps on the wall to see by. It's an awful waste of fuel but it's set low and she knew he was supposed to come back today; must have left it burning so he wouldn't crash into something and wake the dead; figuratively speaking.
Her voice has grown steadily louder; but it remains no more than a muffled whisper he can't distinguish individual words from. He pauses turning the lantern off on the wall no longer needed it's light since he's headed for bed after this and the hallway won't be in use until daylight hours tomorrow.
He can see her the moment he rounds the corner into the back hallway. She's sitting in the middle of the floor halfway down the long hall partially hidden in the dark shadows just outside the circle of light cast from the second lantern on the wall.
The sight makes him halt mid-step, or maybe it's the realization that she's alone. Her back is to him, and for more than half a skipped heartbeat he thinks she's talking to herself. Made herself an imaginary friend—kids still do that shit right?
Except something about Mika having an imaginary friend after what happened with her bat-shit-crazy sister Lizzie makes his gut twist. No matter how innocent it might be—burn me once and all that.
His stomach turns in distress at the thought of potentially having to tell Carol that the youngest sister might not have escaped the horrors of her sister's death without some heavy emotional scaring like they originally thought. As long as it's not outright psychosis they can hopefully deal; hell Beth came back from trying to slit her wrists, Andrea tried to blow herself up; and God knows for a while there even Rick had run for Mayor of Crazytown. But this will hurt Carol and that pains him.
He hears the small muffled burst of static from down the hallway, realizes she's playing with a toy and starts to breathe again. He moves down the hall once more ready to tell her to get her butt to bed; ask her if Carol is still awake first… though she must not be at this late hour since he hasn't seen her yet. He'll have to talk to her tomorrow morning.
He's tired and long past ready for bed, his insides loosening in relief that it's just those silly Walkie Talkies Mika, Carl and Fin were always carrying around and not something more sinister…
"Fin? Fin, are you there?"
And just like that he's frozen in the hallway once more; holding his breath all over again. Waiting to hear her answer; desperate for her to reply just so he can hear her voice one more time…
"Fin? Please… Are you there? Is Carl okay?" The static burst behind her voice, roars louder than his heartbeat drumming in his ears.
"Fin, are you there? You Promised." He rubs at his eyes exhausted listening to the static burst and then nothing. He's about to speak up, tell her it's just wishful thinking, that they should both give it up she's not there; isn't going to be there.
Hell It's been six weeks it should be obvious by now: Girl's long gone…
His chest aches, constricts too tight too breath. Then the static bursts again in the darkness just as he's opening his mouth to speak and his heart stops.
"Yeah, I'm here Mika. Carl's okay, he's resting still."
Just the sound of her voice and his chest is exploding, all the air kicked out of his lungs in a painful rush.
The green light of the Walkie is now visible in front of her; clasped tight in her hand just inches from her face while he watches her hold the only lifeline to Fin in her hands.
"I'm glad he's okay, I miss you,"
"I miss you too." God hearing her voice, she's alive. It soothes and burns at the same time; he's been out there nearly every other day for weeks since she left him that damn letter saying she wasn't come back…
Mika's next words hit him like a slap in the face. "They're still searching for you; everyone is really upset, especially Daryl. He misses you. I know he does because he's really grumpy all the time now."
What the Hell.
He glares at the tiny blonde in the darkness.
Damn meddling kids.
He'll show her Fucking Grumpy…
He stalks towards her ready to snatch the God Damn Walkie out of her hands and give them both a tongue lashing to remember when she speaks again stopping him just short.
"I miss him too." And it's not so much the words but the way her voice breaks on them, has gone all thick and syrupy like she's fighting tears suddenly. "I miss all of you, but this is the way it has to be. They'll give up eventually; they won't find us it's okay."
"You should come back…Why do you have to stay away? They were freaked out at first but it's better now, they all miss you. He misses you the most."
The static bursts for a moment but there are no words after the sound. Like she pushed the button but somehow forgot to speak; or couldn't he realizes when just the beginning of a gasping breath filters through the air before being cut off in a burst of static again.
His stomach twists behind his ribs, chest aches, imagining her crying somewhere alone.
"Just come back Fin, please?"
"I..I can't…It's not that simple Mika," Her reply is thick punctuated by a few unsteady breaths a few moments later. "When people find out what I can do; it scares them. Hell sometimes I scare myself… I told you; they'll never take us back, not after what I did."
"You're wrong, he loves you, and when you love someone you don't care if they're a little different."
"Like Lizzie?" Even from this short distance in the dark he can see Mika's physically recoil from her sister's name. "People care Meeks, Lizzie was a child; I'm not. If I come back they'll shoot me: Carl too. Or worse, you don't understand how people react when they're afraid. This isn't a fairy tale; life doesn't work like that. You can't tell anyone you're talking to me. Promise me you won't tell them."
"I promise," Mika sighs. "But you're wrong. You are Fin, I know it."
"Go to bed Mika before someone sees you or you kill those batteries."
"Okay, goodnight Fin,"
"Goodnight Mika."
Mika switches the Walkie off twisting to stand up and sees him at the end of the hallway freezing mouth dropping open. "Uh…" She watches him walk to the half open door at the end of the hall with widening eyes, watches him rapping on its solid surface with his knuckles and popping his head inside.
Carol looks up at him still half asleep from the cot in the corner. "Hey your back…What is it? You find anything?"
"Yeah, I found Mika in the hallway talking to Seraphim on her Walkie. Did you know about this?" He tries to keep his tone light, not quite successful.
Carol jerks up from her cot instantly awake; and thankfully full dressed he notes jerking back out of the doorway so she can pass, scowling up at him so hard her eyes almost cross. "How can you seriously ask me that Daryl? Honestly…"
Mika is still sitting in the middle of the hallway, walkie clutched tight in her fist staring at them both wide eyed. She flips the nob on the top of the Walkie as they approach. Changing the channel he realizes belatedly so they can't take it from her and turn it back on; so Fin won't know they found out she was talking to them…they'll have to figure out what channel they were using to reach her… Maybe Carol knows.
"How long have you been talking to her Mika?" Carol kneels in front of her instead of staring down at her keeping her tone more gentle then he could manage. "Do you know where Fin is Mika? Because Daryl is trying really hard to find her, and if you can tell us where she is…"
"She had to save Carl so you wouldn't shoot him." Mika cranes her head around Carol staring him down, glaring at him actually—and Dear God kid learned that look from Fin he just knows it.
Carol draws her attention again, voice soft and soothing. "Mika…did you know what Fin could do?"
Mika nods solemnly staring back at her.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Because it was her secret, and it wasn't hurting anyone. She didn't tell on me, so I couldn't tell on her, we promised."
"I already know Mika," Carol's hand brushes her hair back gently while Daryl frowns, completely lost in this conversation and growing more annoyed.
"You know?" Mika looks completely stricken, like she might burst into tears.
"Yes, I heard you talking to Fin when we came back here and I didn't have to guess; I already knew Mika, and it's okay. I don't hate you I promise, that's not even possible. Just like it's not possible for us to leave Carl and Fin out there alone; we need to convince them to come back here."
"I've tried! I've tried for days and she won't listen! I told her Daryl loves her and she has to come back and that they're looking for her, but she doesn't believe me."
"Where is she kid?" Carol darts her eyes to him glaring at his tone.
"I don't know!" She twists her hands over the smooth plastic box under her fingers staring up at them in turn. "She never says anything but Carl is sleeping."
Carol twists to look at him face drawn tight. "Do you think Carl might not be sleeping?"
He doesn't like that look. "Whadda mean?"
Her eyes dart to Mika like she doesn't want to say it in front of her. "I'm just saying what if Carl isn't asleep…"
He glares at her. "So What Now You think she's lying about him being alive?!"
"Hey I'm just asking! I want to believe that Carl is alive just as much as you do..."
"Carl is Alive!" Mika jumps up walkie falling off her lap clattering to the floor batteries scattering across the concrete floor. "He's sleeping! Fin said he's Sleeping! He's Not Dead He's Sleeping!"
"What the Hell is going on down there?!"
Carol levels her gaze at him. "So…Rick's awake."
"Yeah." Any hope they may have had of keeping this between them for at least the night; trying to decide what to do now is gone.
This will be a fun conversation.
Mika bursts into tears behind Carol clutching the backless Walkie now missing it's batteries in her hands again.
"Don't cry kid. I'm sure Carl is fine, let's all go upstairs and see if we can't work this out."
:: Walking Dead ::
They know! Now what?! Off I go to watch Jayne's Town...heh