Author's Note:

Hello everyone! I know it has been a long time and I promised more coming soon and did not deliver. I have had a lot going on, but I am for sure back this time and have a lot in store for you! I made this chapter a bit longer than the rest and it has a lot of Kida/Daryl time, so hopefully you all can forgive me for waiting so long. I will be trying to post a new chapter once a week from now on and I will be working on a Glenn/OC story very soon. So, keep an eye out for that as well! Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Walking Dead, the characters, or anything the brilliant mind of Robert Kirkman and the producers of the show created. I only own Kida, Charlie, and Adrienne.

Chapter 9

If Andrea hadn't been keeping track of the days on a beat up calendar in Dale's RV, no one would know the day. No one would even know how much time had passed since the world went to shit. The group was still working together to keep things going and to keep the camp safe, and they'd managed to make it two more weeks without incident. Of course, with the exception of the Peletier family. Everyone knew Ed was mistreating his family when no one else was looking. The problem was, no one could prove it when no one was looking and Carol denied everything. Ever since that day at the pond when Kida attacked Ed, he'd kept his distance. He didn't nag the women anymore during laundry time and he didn't so much as say a word to Kida under any circumstances. She was more than alright with that arrangement.

Shane was still sneaking off with Lori at night, but only Kida and Daryl knew that dirty little secret. It was blatantly obvious what was going on and it came as a huge shock to her that no one else had realized it yet. It was Daryl who had insisted she keep her mouth shut and not tell Glenn, T-Dog, Adrienne, or Charlie. She knew he had a point, since it would stir up drama if it got out and around camp, but it was killing her not to tell Adrienne at least. She wasn't a gossip by any means, but she and Adrienne kept no secrets from each other under and circumstances. It had always been a mutual understanding between them.

Kida's friendship with T-Dog had taken a wonderful turn once they found out who each other really was. He'd taken on the big brother role to her, and she was eternally grateful. She'd never had siblings, the closest she'd had were Charlie and Adrienne. She had to admit, having T-Dog around made things seem a little less awful. She, Glenn, Charlie, and T-Dog had become inseparable around the camp. It was a very rare instance that any of them would be seen without at least one of the others. The only exception came when Kida spent her time with Adrienne, who had become close with the other women of the group and the children. She was beginning to adjust more, which made Kida and Charlie less worried about her. Shane had even calmed down a bit and let his ego deflate a bit. Things were no longer tense between him and Kida anymore, except the fact Kida knew what he was going with Lori.

The only thing that was beginning to rub people the wrong was just how often Kida and Daryl found themselves near each other. Ever since he'd dragged her away from Shane and they discovered his and Lori's secret, things had changed between them. He wasn't exactly kind, the Dixon's certain weren't known to ever be kind, but he didn't treat Kida like he treated most others. He'd usually offered her the meat he'd cooked from his hunting game first, he'd taken over watch for her anytime she'd ask to slip away for a bathroom break, and she'd even managed to make him crack a smile once or twice. The rest of the group was beginning to notice- especially Merle. The mutual dislike between Kida and Merle had been well known to everyone since both groups had decided to merge and they'd kept their distance on most occasions. Seeing his little brother interact with her had led him to make harsh and unnecessary comments. Even then, Daryl didn't stop talking to her in passing or offering up the meat to her first.

It was Kida's turn to take watch for the day. She was tired from the late night shift before, but Dale insisted switching her for the last shift that night instead. He'd made the comment about the bags that were forming under her eyes and claimed she needed a good night of sleep for once. She didn't disagree, and this had gotten her out of laundry duty. She took off her flannel and tied it around her waist before tying her hair up into a messy ponytail and putting on her baseball cap with the word "police" on it. Shane had managed to keep his around as well and everyone else made jokes about them when they'd worn them on the same days. For a brief second, she reminisced about her old job. It was emotionally exhausting and she dealt with rough shit on most days, but she still missed it. She missed the world in general, not the shithole it had become. Before Dale could come around beckoning her to set up shop on top of the RV, she exited her tent and made her way over there with her favorite rifle hanging over her shoulder. Dale tossed his binoculars up to her and decided to join T-Dog for inventory to make himself useful.

It was getting really hot out during the days, sometimes almost unbearable. In no more than twenty minutes Kida already felt beads of sweat forming near her hairline and the back of her neck. She wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her flannel that she'd left tied around her waist and lifted the binoculars to her eyes. She checked every fifteen minutes for any sort of activity such as walkers or other survivors. Usually there was nothing, and this time was no different. A perimeter breach would mean a whole mess of trouble for the group, especially if it started to happen frequently. Placing the binoculars back down, she picked up her bottle and took a swig. The water was already hot, causing her to grimace and toss it back down with the rest of her pile.

"Kida!" she heard Charlie shout from below. She stepped toward the edge of the roof and looked down to see him and Glenn, their backpacks on and guns in their hands.

"What are you doing, Charlie?" she asked cautiously. She already knew the answer.

"Well, we need more supplies. More than just Glenn can handle by himself so…." He trailed off.

Kida's eyes darted over to Glenn who let out a nervous chuckle and shrugged. She knew he was right, Glenn had been going on his own too often ever since he and Charlie had gone to the city for the first time and he was not coming back with as much as the group really needed. She knew it was only a matter of time before Charlie would be wanting to go with him again and she knew it was only a matter of time before Glenn asked. The only people he trusted on runs were Kida, Charlie, and T-Dog. "Fine. Be careful Charlie, I mean it."

"Oh thanks for your concern for me," Glenn said sarcastically, rolling his eyes for effect. This caused laughter from both Charlie and Kida.

"BOTH of you be careful. Score me some Cool Ranch Doritos," she told them with wink and wide grin.

"You want those AND more spaghetti-o's? Alright then princess," Charlie said with a smug smile. He knew she hated being called a princess.

"Do it or I'll kick your ass later," she retorted.

Glenn laughed a bit louder than he should have and pushed Charlie toward the car. Kida watched as they loaded their bags and weapons in the back and made their way out of camp. She even watched them disappear toward Atlanta through the binoculars, at least until she couldn't see them anymore in the distance. Glenn had been in and out of Atlanta by himself three times in the past couple of weeks and he and Charlie made it out just fine the first time they'd tried. She knew they'd make it back alright, but she still couldn't help but worry more and more each time. Glenn tried to hide it from the group, but they knew Atlanta was getting worse and worse as the days went on. If they couldn't get in and out anymore, they'd have to move camp somewhere else. No one was ready to even think of that yet. Not with how well things had been going so far.

After a few more regular perimeter checks through the binoculars, noon had hit and it was Shane's turn to take over watch. The four hours had passed pretty quickly, all things considered. She handed off the binoculars to Shane and climbed down the ladder. She was greeted at the bottom by Adrienne, who had made some lunch for her. With a quick and gracious thank you, she headed back to her tent. Much to her surprise, she was stopped by Daryl. Usually he and Merle had taken off to do hunting by this time, but she hadn't seen Merle around at all since the night before.

"Hey, I thought you were out hunting," she told him.

"Nah, haven't gotten a chance to yet. Merle's lazy ass is asleep," he told her.

"Its noon, how is he still asleep?" Kida asked. Daryl shrugged and let out and inaudible grunt, and looked out to the rest of the camp. The women were finishing up with their lunches and on their way to fold the laundry they'd hung up hours before and Adrienne sat with the kids, no doubt working on school material.

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to go," he told her. Her eyes widened with shock. Daryl never went hunting with anyone other than Merle.

"I'll just slow you down," she told him honestly. She was good shot, but she'd never been hunting before. Using guns was too risky as it was and she didn't have a crossbow like Daryl did. "Or scare away all of the animals," she added with a small smile.

"We still have some meat from yesterday. Just wanted to catch some squirrels, maybe a rabbit or two. If you slow me down I'll cut you lose and you can come back and find something-" he glanced around camp before fixing his eyes on the women taking the laundry down, "womanly to do."

Kida's jaw dropped in fake horror at his words and she jokingly shoved his shoulder. "Give me a few minutes to eat and get myself prepared. I'll meet you by the clearing."

"Five minutes," he grunted. He turned and headed back toward Merle's motorcycle and began to rummage through his pack that was slung across the seat.

When Daryl had said five minutes, he literally meant five minutes. Only a good fifteen minutes had passed since Kida had entered her tent to eat her lunch and prepare for hunting and they were already in the middle of the woods. He moved fast and he was determined- it was interesting for Kida to see. She'd never been hunting with Daryl, but she and Glenn always joked about what hunting with the Dixon brothers would be like. So far, he'd put all of their ridiculous theories to shame. Once they made it to the middle of the woods he finally slowed his pace and held out a hand to stop her in her tracks. He held finger to his lips to signal that he needed silence and he tiled his head toward a nearby tree. Kida scanned the tree quickly and saw two squirrels chasing each other, hopping from branch to branch.

Daryl slowly pulled a small bag from his back pocket of his jeans and handed it to her before aiming his crossbow toward the tree. The squirrels, completely oblivious, continued to chase each other and essentially ignored them. They both paused for a brief moment and stared at one another. Kida knew Daryl was going to shoot anytime, but she wondered for a second which squirrel he would take. There was a plump one sitting on a lower branch, and in her mind she mentally placed a bet on that one. The squirrel on the higher branch lunged toward the plump one the same time the plump one decided to jump to the higher branch. Daryl took that opportunity to shoot one of his arrows and by some miracle he'd hit both in midair. The landed on the ground at the base of the tree and Kida's jaw dropped as Daryl went to retrieve them.

"Hold out the bag," he told her, sliding the squirrels off of his arrow and holding them out to her. Kida listened and bagged the squirrels for him, shaking her head in the process. This did not go unmissed by Daryl. "What are you shakin' your head for?"

"You're insane! Not in the literal sense, though the jury is still out for that one," she mumbled. A mixed look of confusion and annoyance crossed his face. "I meant with the shooting. Your shooting is insanely good. I've never seen anyone do something like that before." He shrugged and they continued on.

About an hour after the double squirrel kill, they found a small stream. Daryl took that opportunity to clean his arrows and Kida sat for a moment to count their squirrel bounty thus far. She had to admit, she was more than impressed. In just an hour they'd hit the jackpot with eight squirrels. The bag was filling up quickly, but she knew they would even start to head back until it was completely full. If they could manage a few more squirrels in the next couple of hours, along with the meat leftover from the night before, they'd all be eating a decent meal. It wasn't easy feeding about thirty people. In fact, Kida didn't even know how many people were in the camp anymore. Glenn had found two survivors on one of his runs the week before and brought them back and raised their numbers. She just knew it was getting a little cramped at camp and supplies were running lower and lower every day. A big run with more than just Glenn and Charlie would have to happen soon.

"What are you thinkin' about?" Daryl asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Just counting. Eight squirrels in an hour. I'm impressed."

"I've done better," he grunted. Kida rolled her eyes and snorted. The man clearly didn't know how to take a compliment. "Gonna need more to feed the camp."

"We still have at least a couple of hours before we need to head back. We can get more, assuming you and your angel of a brother haven't destroyed all of the little squirrel families around here." Kida noted Daryl become a bit stiff and uncomfortable when she mentioned Merle's name. "You alright?"

Daryl shook off his wet arrows and put them back with the rest of his quiver. He slung the strap of the crossbow over his shoulder and glanced out toward the trees. "Gonna head over there, try to find some more. Maybe a rabbit," he said as pointed toward a small gap of trees. He avoided the subject.

They trudged through the woods and Kida spotted a few more squirrels up in the trees. However, Daryl didn't even acknowledge them. At least not from what she could see. She found it extremely out of the ordinary, but she chose to keep her mouth shut. When he passed a rabbit, which he had specifically mentioned at the stream that he'd wanted, she became slightly worried. Ever since she'd mentioned Merle he'd been very distant and out of it. She knew he wasn't at all one of those guys that liked to discuss their feelings and what not, so she had no idea how to go about getting whatever the hell was the matter with him out of him. Eventually, it bugged her enough to speed up her steps and step in front of him to block him.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice calm.

"What's what?" he retorted, his voice clearly annoyed.

"You've ignored at least three squirrels and a rabbit that you of all people could have easily killed. Ever since I mentioned Merle, you've been silent and off your game," she told him.

Daryl shifted uncomfortably, showing that he was clearly not wanting to have this conversation. He let out an annoyed huff and readjusted his crossbow on his shoulder. "Merle's gonna be pissed when we get back. Surprised he hasn't come runnin' through the woods hollerin' like a maniac yet," he told her. He knew Merle hated her. No woman had ever spoken to him like she had on more than one occasion. Merle had dealt with plenty of angry women in the past, but none of the same women had treated him like Kida had on more than one occasion. She got under his skin. Daryl hated her at first too, but he realized it was only because Merle's jackass had pissed her off. He had respect for the woman in front of him. She didn't take his shit, and that was more than he himself could do.

"So what? I can handle Merle," she told him. That was exactly what he was afraid of.

"S'not that."

"Then what is it? Are you afraid he'll be pissed off at you?" she asked.

He snorted and stepped around her, slowing his pace to walk alongside her instead of in front of her like he had been before. "I ain't afraid of nothin'," he grumbled. "Just don't like dealin' with him when he's all fired up like that. He's gonna be aiming that rage at the both of us," he told her honestly. To his surprise, she shrugged.

"Don't matter. He snoozed, literally, and he losed," she said with a joking grin.

"Losed ain't a word," he told her with a small chuckled.

"Ain't ain't a word either, Dixon," she reminded him. She shook her head and let out a laugh that even made Daryl crack a genuine smile. "Let's get back. We've been out for about two and a half hours and it'll take a while to get back. Don't want Shane on my ass again. Merle will be enough, and then Shane will jump down my throat for causing even more problems" she told him.

Daryl shrugged and turned the direction that led back to camp. He quickly spotted another rabbit and shot it before Kida even realized what happened. He pulled he arrow out of it and placed it in the bag that she'd held with the squirrels. She smirked and slung the bag over her shoulder.

"Told you I was getting' a rabbit before dinnertime."

They'd both underestimated how angry Merle would be. They both stepped out of the woods, the bag full of their game still slung over Kida's shoulder, and Merle made it to them quicker than she'd ever seen him move before. He snatched the bag from her and threw on the ground, making the rabbit and squirrels make a sickening thud before the scattered on the ground in front of them. She'd barely paid attention to the shouting match going on between the brothers as she kneeled down to scoop them back up. She'd heard a lot of "bitch" "whore" and "why the fuck" thrown around before Shane inevitably made his way over. Even when she tried to ignore Merle and tune him out, she'd still get reprimanded.

"What the hell is going on?!" Shane demanded, angrily stepping between the arguing Dixon brothers. He casted a glance at Kida and shook his head- instant annoyance crept over her.

"I'll tell you what! My baby brother here didn't wait for me to wake up before trottin' round these woods with Officer Tit Bags here," Merle shouted, gesturing toward Kida.

"Don't call her that," Shane and Daryl said at the same time. The glanced at one another before turning their gaze back to Merle.

"You were asleep and I offered to help. Pretty much forced it," Kida lied. Daryl shot a confused look her way, but she chose to ignore it. "Everyone else had their jobs for the day and I decided to offer my help to Daryl instead of waking you up to do it."

"Don't ever think your whore ass can take my place. Did you at least give him a nice little taste of the goods for lettin' you slow him down and deprive the whole camp of a good dinner?" Merle seethed, a disgusting grin on his face that could rival the ones that cross Ed Peletier's face from time to time. That was enough to send Daryl and Shane both over the edge while Kida stood there stunned.

"Don't you EVER-" Shane shouted as he turned toward Merle. Kida grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back while T-Dog and Morales stepped between everyone to calm the group down. Everyone from the camp was watching.

Daryl stepped around them and grabbed a tight hold of Merle's shirt, dragging him away from everyone else and into the woods. From the brief glimpse Kida managed to get of his face, he was angry. Even more-so than Merle had been when they'd arrived back at camp together. Kida looked at T-Dog and he gave her a sympathetic look before draping his arm over her shoulders and leading her toward the RV. Shane, without a word, took the bag of animals from her and made his way over toward the supplies. The crowd dispersed with quiet whispers and went back to their activities, or whatever they were doing before the nice little show they were given.

That night, neither of the Dixons attended dinner. Kida made a plate for Daryl and offered to take it to him, but Morales stopped her and delivered it to him along with another plate of food for Merle. The air was tense around the fire and the conversation was only filled with small talk. Glenn kept glancing at Kida, but didn't utter a word. It took all of three seconds for T-Dog to fill Charlie and Glenn in on the festivities when they'd made it back from their run. Charlie had interrogated Kida as soon as he heard to make sure she was alright, but Glenn still hadn't said a word to her about any of it. It was weird, but she was also kind of thankful that she didn't have anyone else pestering her about it.

Dale kept true to his word and set himself up on top of his RV for the late watch shift, the one Kida normally took. She made her way into her tent with Adrienne, but Glenn interrupted them before they could have their nightly talks. He politely asked if he could steal Kida away for a few minutes and Adrienne was too tired to argue. She'd be asleep by the time she'd come back anyway. He led her over toward where they normally had the fire for dinner and they sat down on a log. It was quiet for a moment, but Glenn quickly broke the silence.

"What's going on with you and Daryl?"

Kida snapped her head in his direction with wide, confused eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone sees something. He doesn't treat you like he treats the rest of us. He doesn't even really talk to anyone but you and Merle. Unless he's making asshole comments to us," he told her.

Kida took a moment to think before answering. "Nothing. We're friends. Nothing happened out there today, if that is what you're asking. He hunted, I carried a bag around full of dead animals. We talked a little, but nothing serious and life changing," she told him. She didn't think it was that big of a deal, but everyone else seemed to be frazzled by it.

"Just be careful Kida. He's dangerous and he's aggressive," Glenn told her. She could hear the protectiveness in her voice, and she was grateful for it. She loved Glenn, he was becoming like family to her.

"You're wrong. He's misunderstood. I know how stupid as that sounds, especially coming from me. Merle is the one to worry about. If Merle wasn't around, Daryl would be very different toward everyone. Just please trust me. And don't pass on your suspicions to anyone else. I'm here telling you now that there is absolutely nothing going on and there is nothing to worry about." She glanced toward Daryl's tent and sighed. "He probably won't be speaking to me anymore after this afternoon anyway. Not if Merle has a say."

"I really don't like Merle. Especially after what he said to you."

"You heard about that too?"

"T told us everything," he said honestly. Kida groaned. "Don't worry about it. If he says anything to you again-"

"You won't do anything, Glenn. Don't mess with Merle Dixon. He's the aggressive and dangerous one. I'm not worth you getting killed by some ignorant, redneck asshole. Alright?"

"Whatever you say… Officer Tit Bags," he said. He tried to keep a straight face, but in the middle of 'tit bags' he broke and starting cracking up. Kida slapped him, a little harder than she'd meant to, and he laughed even harder.

"I hate you," she told him, standing and making her way back to her tent.

Glenn jogged to catch up to her, still laughing, and before she zipped up her tent he winked and said: "You can't hate me. We're all a family now!"

Kida shook her head and zipped up the tent securely. She pulled her gun from her waistband and placed it by her pillow- just in case. They couldn't be too prepared these days. She glanced over at Adrienne and surely enough she was asleep. When she got fully adjusted and comfortable (or as comfortable as she could get) she found herself getting sleepier. It had really been a long day. Before she closed her eyes, she played through the events of the afternoon in her head: the hunting, the time with Daryl, Merle…. One thing was for sure- she had no idea what was in store for her the next day.

What did you guys think? Leave a review and let me know! I have a special surprise in store for you guys in the next chapter and I will try to have the new chapter up by Tuesday :D