CHAPTER 9

- Kate -

Later that night, Kate and Glenn stood on the guard tower entrance to the prison. Daryl and Maggie had left almost immediately to find formula for the baby. A girl. It was dark now and they were waiting on their return. Axel and Oscar had been dutifully killing walkers through the fence since Daryl had delegated that chore to them before he left.

After Maggie and Carl had appeared with the squalling baby, Rick had collapsed and Daryl took the lead. Rick retreated into the depths of the prison with an axe and hadn't emerged since. Glenn had tried to go after him when he wasn't back after an hour or so, but Rick wasn't leaving and Glenn said he was acting out of his mind. Hershel, Beth and Carl headed back to C Block to try and comfort the baby.

Glenn and Kate dragged the four walkers that had been killed in the block earlier out and started to dig graves for T, Lori and Carol. Eventually Oscar and Axel had come to offer their help and Glenn and Kate found themselves waiting anxiously for Daryl and Maggie's return.

"Almost like old times, me and you hanging out." Kate offered weakly. "Too bad everything sucks. Glenn, what the hell happened?"

"It was one of the prisoners." Seeing the confusion cross her face, Glenn quickly added, "Not Axel or Oscar. One of the ones we thought was dead. I guess he managed to escape. He broke the lock on the gate, turned on the alarms. Daryl, Oscar and Rick came across him in the generator room. Tried to take Rick's head off with an axe. Oscar shot him."

"What about T & Carol?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but she had to ask.

"We found what was left of T inside. Walkers were still on him. There wasn't anything left of Carol, just her scarf next to T-Dog. Daryl found it."

"Oh my God Glenn." Kate covered her mouth as she started to cry. After all they had been through, the things they had done, the precautions they had taken and like that, in a blink of an eye, almost a third of their group was gone.

"Back at the quarry camp..." Kate said thickly, sniffling, "T-Dog was the first one to really make me feel welcome. He had that huge church van, I remember he was telling me he knew we'd be alright. That God had brought us together for a reason. We used to play checkers in the back of the van, I swear he let me win everytime."

They both laughed, remembering the first few days they'd spent together as a group. It had kind of been the three of them in the beginning. It was probably because they bonded over being alone. None of them had any family or friends with them. They had to look out for each other.

About an hour later, after Axel and Oscar had joined them at the fences, they heard the roar of Daryl's bike and he and Maggie came into view, blasting through the open gate before Oscar quickly closed it behind them. Glenn and Kate hurried down the tower steps and out into the yard as Daryl drove the bike to the upper yard. Kate and Glenn met them there and Glenn and Maggie held each other for a long time while Kate and Daryl looked at each other awkwardly.

"Any luck?" She broke the silence with a dumb question, knowing Daryl wouldn't have come back without food for the baby.

"Daycare - got some formula, bottles. It ain't much, but it'll do for a couple of days. Buy us some time. How'd it go here?"

Maggie and Glenn had broken apart and the four of them made their way to the sliding door to C-Block, Axel and Oscar behind them. Hershel and Glenn decided earlier the men had earned the right to stay, at least in the common area for now.

"Rick is still inside somewhere. Glenn tried to go after him."

Daryl shook his head. "Poor bastard."

As they got closer to the cellblock, they could hear her cries. Daryl entered first and immediately scooped the crying baby from Carl's arms. Maggie called her sister to her side and started emptying the bag to make a bottle with the supplies they had found.

Daryl stood with the fussing bundle in his arms, swaying a little as if he'd done it a million times before. Beth handed him the bottle of formula and Daryl spoke softly to the infant as she found the bottle and began to drink. Daryl's face broke out in a rare grin. He looked around the room and his joy was infectious. They all smiled as the man they all thought was least likely to have a soft spot for babies, rocked their newest family member in his arms.

Kate felt her heart swell. It wasn't with the lustful thoughts she had been experiencing towards him, or even the silly idea of a crush. After today that would feel inappropriate, but instead it was the realization of a deeper feeling she had for him. One she had been fighting, unknowingly, for a while. Standing there in their dark little home, watching him beam at the baby girl, she knew she loved this man.

The next morning came early for everyone. Even if they could've slept after the events of the day, the baby woke every couple hours. Kate, Beth and Maggie took turns, sometimes all getting up at the same time. Carl was a devoted big brother, he woke up as often as they did. Glenn and Daryl took watch, both of them finding this a better choice than baby duty. Rick remained in the bowels of the prison and all they could do was hope for the best.

When Daryl came in for breakfast, he found Kate at their make-shift kitchen, shaking a bottle of formula.

"How's little ass kicker doing today?" He asked, using the nickname he'd bestowed on the nameless baby the night before.

"Pretty good. Eating. Crying." She smiled, tired.

"How're you?" He asked in a way that made her feel like he really wanted to know.

"I'm ok." She said, more to convince herself, shaking her head up and down and taking a deep breath. "How are you?"

"I'm worried about Rick. He been up here?"

"I haven't seen him." She said sadly.

"What about Carl?" He looked around to see if there was any sign of the kid.

"He's doing great with the baby. Seems really devoted to her."

Daryl shook his head like the answer made sense and satisfied him all at once. With bow slung over his back, he grabbed a mug of black coffee in one hand and stuck the bowl of dry cereal in his teeth as he turned and headed back out to the yard.

The day inched along, mostly because the cloud of Lori, T and Carol's deaths hung so heavily around the group. They had lost so many over the last year that death was different now, it didn't hurt less - it was just that it was expected. Before this life, she hadn't had anyone close to her die. Mourning was a feared mystery. Now she was almost used to it. Although she wasn't sure anyone could ever say they were used to it exactly. These days it happened all the time and they had to move on if they were going to survive. They didn't forget the dead - there were many times in the months since they left the quarry that stories would be told and retold. They would all smile and remember. At night too, when it was quiet, Kate always thought of the ones who were gone - or missing. She knew the others did too. But days like today, when the losses were fresh, it hung on them all like wet clothes. They mourned personally, they mourned for Rick, Carl and a baby who would never know her mother, and they mourned the sense of security they had begun to believe they had.

The men worked in the yard, trying to finish the job they started yesterday. Maggie and Kate took turns lending a hand when they were needed, but mostly they stayed inside helping with the baby and preparing meals. They saw little of Rick. Lunch was quiet. Everyone was tired, dejected, struggling internally. Daryl took his meal outside again, this time without a word or glance her way. She felt ridiculous to be wounded by such an imagined slight when the reality of their situation was so much worse, but she couldn't help it.

Later that night, at dinner, they were all serving themselves the latest creation of canned beans and corn from a big stockpot they found in the cafeteria. Kate had just ladled out a big spoonful into her bowl when Axel approached her.

"Well hi!" He said enthusiastically. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Sure." She said with an easy smile.

Either he was full of Southern charm or still trying to convince them all he was a good guy. Kate headed to a table with Maggie and Glenn and sat down. Axel sat in the empty seat to her right, but instead of digging into his meal, he just sat there looking at her with a huge grin on his face. She glanced up from her spoonful of beans, caught his stare and laughed nervously,

"What?" she asked.

"Excuse me if I'm staring. You are just the prettiest thing I've seen in a long time."

Kate forced a short laugh, but Glenn literally snorted on the apple juice he was drinking. Kate muttered thanks and tried her best to kick Glenn under the table. Maggie saved the day by quickly asking Axel about the area of Georgia he was from and their meal continued without further incident outside of Axel watching Kate intently.

Kate stood to collect her dishes and offered to collect everyone else's too. Axel rose quickly,

"Let me help you with those," he offered in what she assumed was supposed to be his most gentlemanly voice.

"Oh no. Thank you, really, I've got it." She tried to discourage him politely.

"No, no, I insist." He said, his mustache twitching above his smile. She smiled weakly and they headed towards the washbasin. She threw a "help me" look over her shoulder at Maggie and Glenn who had both started laughing uncontrollably. She made a mental note to kick their asses later.

They handed the dishes off to Carl, who had volunteered to take kitchen duty that evening. Just when Kate thought she could escape politely and hide in her cell, Axel leaned against the wall in front of her.

"So." He began, with that grin still plastered across his face. "Do you have an arrangement with any of the men in the group already?"

Her mouth fell open. "Excuse me?" She said, genuinely confused.

"Do you belong to any of the men here?"

As the meaning of his words became clear, she was amazed at his forwardness and offended at his archaic view on the matter. She was about to answer when, seemingly out of nowhere, Daryl stepped between them. With gritted teeth and his finger poking into Axel's chest, Daryl growled,

"That ain't none of your concern. Now go on and leave her alone!"

"I'm sorry Daryl. I truly am." Axel sputtered, his face changing to red and he slipped away quietly.

They both watched him go and saw the rest of their group had all been silent observers to the little bit of drama. Daryl seemed suddenly embarrassed. Like all at once angry clouds had cleared and he realized he had maybe overreacted. He took a couple steps away before looking back at her with a scowl and storming off outside again. She just watched him go, baffled. She looked over at Maggie and found her friend looking back at her with wide, questioning and thoroughly amused eyes. Kate just shook her head in response. What had just happened?

The night was long and much like the one before. She, Maggie and Beth took turns with the baby while Glenn, Daryl, now joined by Oscar and Axel in a nearby tower, hid from the crying by staying on guard all night.

Truth be told, Beth had taken most the responsibility for the baby on herself. Maggie and Kate were only filling in now so she could get some sleep too.

That night, sitting on the bottom bunk, Maggie held the baby in her arms, feeding her formula. Kate sat next to her, marvelling at just how tiny she was and wondering what they would do if they couldn't find enough formula.

Maggie turned to Kate, her eyebrows raised over her big green eyes and whispered, "So what's going on with you and Daryl?"

"Me and Daryl?" Kate squeaked. "Nothing that I know of."

"Really?" Maggie returned unconvinced "Don't hold out on me girl. I've seen the way he watches you across the room when he thinks no one is watching. You guys are up there doing watch together every other night and he almost killed poor Axel tonight when he started flirting with you."

Both girls stifled their laughter at the thought of Axel's attempts at flirting and the yet unnamed infant in Maggie's arms stirred a little.

"I swear Mags - nothing is going on." Maggie remained doubtful. Kate continued, "I have NO idea what that was with Axel and afterwards it was like he was angry with me. He's been acting so different since what happened..." She trailed off guiltily.

Maggie was quiet for a second. "Kate," she began gently. "You have feelings for him?"

Kate weighed the consequences of admitting her feelings to Maggie and decided she might like to have someone to talk to about it.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't." At this confession Maggie's face broke into a huge grin.

"Don't say anything Maggie!" Kate pleaded. "I don't want him or anyone else to know. There is NO way Daryl Dixon would even think about it. He has more important things to do - like keep us all alive and fed! My GOD! Lori, T-Dog and Carol just died. I feel so selfish for even talking about this."

She looked at Maggie horrified and desperate before covering her face with her hands.

"Selfish?" Maggie practically spat the word. "For what? Trying to live? Kate, we all deserve a little happiness in this world and if you can find some with Daryl then that is great."

"Maggie, believe me, he is NOT interested. It is all one sided." Kate said deflated.

"You sure about that?" she said sweetly.