CHAPTER 17

Kate

It was early morning before they heard the roar of Daryl's bike signaling their return. The night had been agonizing. The first few hours after Daryl, Rick and Michonne had left to chase down the Governor were bad enough. Kate knew the dangers they were facing. She knew they were outnumbered, out gunned. How many times would they be lucky enough to win against Goliath? Were the three of them going to be able to take him and his people down? Remove the threat? She had her doubts. She also regretted agreeing to stay back. They needed all the help they could get, but Daryl was so protective and insistent. Now, sitting here counting the hours and imagining the worst, she wondered why she had agreed so easily.

As the afternoon gave into night, she tried to tell herself there was a logical reason they were still gone. Maybe they were laying low until it was dark, figuring they had a better chance slipping in under the cover of night.

She watched the sky slowly welcome the sun while perched on the catwalk. She volunteered for watch, knowing sleep wasn't an option. Apparently she wasn't the only one. Carl had joined her immediately and Maggie and Glenn remained in the courtyard. She'd been here too often lately, left, waiting anxiously for Daryl's return. Was this how it would always be? Helplessness and despair had started to drown out any logical reasons she could come up with for their continued absence. She started dwelling on how ridiculous it was to send three people in against dozens. She was keeping her mouth shut though, Carl was just a kid. He didn't need to be burdened further by her fear. Just as she was beginning to think they should talk about going after them, Carl stood up with his hand to his ear.

"I think I hear the bike." His face broke out in a cautious grin.

Kate strained to hear what he did. Sure enough, a few seconds later, she could hear a motorcycle engine and it was coming their way.

"Let's go!" Carl encouraged, but Kate stopped him.

"Let's wait until we see them. What if it's not them. What if it's the Governor and his people. What if they have Daryl's bike. We need to stay in position." She rambled, trying to manage her expectations.

The roar intensified, sending the ambling walkers in their yard into a frenzy trying to follow the sound.

Up the gravel drive came the bike, Daryl and his unmistakable poncho leading the way with their truck and a large gray bus behind him.

This time it was Kate flying to the door, Carl close behind. As they ran down the metal stairs from the cat walk into the common room, Carl called out to Hershel, Carol and Beth that they had arrived.

Out in the courtyard, Daryl was off the bike. Kate approached him with a smile of relief, slipping her arms around his waist and laying her head against his hard chest. He wrapped his arms around her.

Kate looked over at the bus. She recognized Tyreese and his sister, Sasha, the people Rick had chased off when Daryl was gone with Merle. They were helping several others off. Most were older, or children. She looked to Daryl for an explanation,

"The Governor killed all his soldiers. Found them in the middle of the road on the way back to Woodbury. Karen there was the only survivor." He pointed to a pretty woman with curly brown hair. "We took her back to Woodbury where Tyreese and Sasha were standin' guard. The Governor was gone. Never went back. These people were the ones who couldn't fight. Rick told them they were welcome here."

They filed off the bus and all walked tentatively towards Hershel and Carol who were directing them into the cell block. Daryl walked to the back of the truck. It was loaded with what she assumed were supplies from Woodbury. Tied to the open truck gate, wrapped in a brown blanket was the unmistakable form of a body. Michonne was standing next to it somberly.

"Is that Andrea?" Kate asked.

Daryl shook his head and moved towards her body, unsheathing his knife to cut the ropes away.

There was suddenly so much to do around the prison. For days they had sat like ducks, bored out of their minds and scared to death. Now there weren't enough hours in the day to get everything done.

On that morning the Woodbury group had joined them, the first order of business was to clear the yard of walkers again and begin to repair the gate.

While Rick, Daryl, Michonne, Tyresse, Maggie and Glenn worked on that, Kate, Beth and Carol were helping their new neighbors get settled in. They put them all in "E Block", which had been cleared out by Oscar and Axel. Merle had torn up most of the mattresses looking for drugs, but they were able to collect or repair enough of them to make sure everyone had a bed. They unloaded the truck, which was mostly filled with food and the belongings of those who came back with them. A team would head to Woodbury again to load up anything else they could use.

In the yard, they leaned the piece of fence that the Governor had blasted through back in place. Although it no longer would slide on its rails, they were able to pin it shut with the Woodbury bus. It formed a sufficient enough barrier to keep the walkers out as they worked on clearing the dozens that were inside. With plenty of ammo, they made short work of them and hauled them off. The bus was hardly a permanent solution, but it would buy them some time until they could gather the materials to fix it correctly. Hershel said he even had some ideas that he had been working on.

With the walkers cleared and the fence holding tight, the men turned to digging graves. It was a task they had performed far too often since the first ones Jim had dug back at the quarry camp. The graves were for Andrea and Axel, although they were adding markers for Oscar and Merle as well. That evening, with the sun sinking below the tree line, their group gathered at the growing cemetery to say goodbye. The Woodbury group kept their distance, sensing that this was a private moment for their 'family'.

Hershel, in addition to being their doctor and voice of reason, had also become their preacher. He prayed, read scripture and spoke to the meaning these lives all had and the love God had for them. Kate imagined not all of them still believed in God, but they all seemed to appreciate the tradition of a service, a remnant of life before. After Hershel's remarks, Michonne, who could convey such strength and tenderness at the same time, spoke for Andrea. She recounted how she had found her in the woods that cold day. Andrea had been fighting for her life all night and into the morning after fleeing the farm. Although Andrea would have said that Michonne saved her, Michonne explained that it was the other way around. That Andrea had pulled her out of a dark and lonely place.

Rick spoke to Oscar's bravery. How he had saved Rick's life that day in the generator room by shooting Andrew. How he was more than willing to go to Woodbury to rescue Maggie and Glenn despite having only known them a short while.

"And the man liked slippers!" Kate piped in. She always had a hard time behaving in situations like this.

Carol, who was the only one who had much interaction with Axel once Oscar had died, made them all laugh remembering how he assumed she was a lesbian because of her short hair. After that she discovered he had quite a sense of humor and was a good storyteller. She wished they had all had more time to get to know him better. A shadow crossed Carol's face and Kate's heart went out to her, knowing she was the one with him when he had been shot. Carol really had lost so much since the turn. Kate was impressed by her resilience and hoped that the future would bring good things for Carol.

When Carol had finished, they all looked to Daryl. He chewed his thumbnail and looked at Kate, who smiled encouragingly at him. She knew he wasn't comfortable speaking in front of everyone, even if they were family - especially about emotional stuff. Making the situation more difficult was the fact that he knew there was no one here that was really sorry that Merle was gone. He stuck his hands under his arms, his thumbs hanging out awkwardly, and folded his arms self consciously over his chest.

"Merle was an asshole. Ya all know that. But he was my brother and he was there for me and he died tryin' to take out the Governor and his men, tryin' to give us all a chance." Merle never did nothin' like that in his whole life. That's all I've gotta say."

He stepped back and she wove her hand through his. She knew he still wasn't entirely comfortable with affection, especially publicly, but she wanted him to know he wasn't alone.

Beth closed the services by sweetly singing. Kate figured it was an old hymn, she didn't recognize it, but it fit. When she was done, the group slowly made their way back to the cell block for dinner. When they arrived in the common room they were pleasantly surprised to see someone from Woodbury had been kind enough to light a couple lanterns and heat up enough food for them.

Despite having just said their goodbyes to friends, the meal was light hearted. A huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders and for the first time in a long time they had a home, food in their bodies and no immediate threats. There was talk about next steps at the prison: the gate, water, starting a garden and supply runs. Carol and Kate had started a list of items the Woodbury group had requested, as well as the things needed in C Block.

As they started to disperse, dropping their dishes into the bucket (it was Glenn's turn to wash them up tonight), Daryl leaned towards Kate and whispered, "Wanna go for a walk?"

Kate's face brightened and she shook her head yes. Daryl had been on her mind all day. With the Governor seemingly gone, she was looking forward to getting on with life and that included the chance to spend time with Daryl. A walk was the closest thing to a date she could get these days.

She stood up, grabbed her plate, dropped in in the bucket and headed to the door, Daryl close behind.

With Daryl's flashlight illuminating their steps, they wandered aimlessly around the courtyard, the gravel path and the field. It was a pretty night, with the moon high and bright and the air crisp. They were so used to the gurgling symphony of the walkers that she almost forgot they were there. Daryl remained, as always, on alert and aware of their surroundings, sweeping his light around them every so often, his crossbow strapped to him.

Eventually they stopped at the picnic benches by the basketball court and Kate hopped up on the end of the table, her legs dangling down. Daryl approached her slowly, never taking his eyes off of hers. He pulled his crossbow off over his head and dropped it onto the seat to her right. He still seemed to be a little uneasy when they were close, but it was getting to be more natural for him and tonight she noticed something playful in his eyes. He moved in closely, standing between her knees and after looking in her eyes for a second longer he kissed her slowly. His hands tangled softly in her hair as he gently pulled her head back. Her lips parted, allowing his tongue to explore and he groaned softly. His hands moved down her face and neck, letting them linger around her collarbone. His thumbs resting at the base of her throat.

Kate let her hands explore his broad shoulders and strong arms. God, how many times she had pictured doing just this during the past few months. Her body came alive under his touch. Every nerve felt like it was tingling, every sense was responding. She raised her chest towards him, inviting him to touch her. She drew him closer towards her with her legs, tightening them around him. His hands had dropped to her ribs, thumbs digging into her as if he was determined to keep them there. She lowered her mouth to his neck, scattering slow kisses down and back up. She could taste the salt and dirt on his skin and it increased her desire.

While Kate was coming undone, finally getting a chance to let herself get lost in Daryl, he seemed to be concentrating on keeping control. She could tell he was holding back, his hands still glued to her sides. She lifted her hips, pressing herself into the part of him that was betraying his self-control.

"Dammit Girl!" He whispered against her mouth. "What are you tryin' to do?"

"You don't want to?"

"Hell ya I want to."

"Then what?"

"Not out here. I don't have an rubbers anyway."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She smiled conspiringly, "We have watch tomorrow in the tower."

"I traded nights with Glenn. I'm heading out with Michonne in the morning."

The mood changed immediately.

"On a run?" She tried to hide her disappointment and surprise.

"Michonne wants to track down the Governor, finish the job. Wants me to help her find him."

"Seriously? The Governor?" She was annoyed. "Do you really think he'll come back? He doesn't have anyone to fight with him."

"I don't know. He might. Don't seem the type to walk away from a fight."

"So what's the plan then?"

"We are gonna go see if there's any trail to pick up. Go around, search towns for any sign of life. Gather supplies as we go. Should only take a couple of days."

"A couple of days!" She groaned, burying her forehead into his chest.

Daryl laughed.

She raised her head and glared at him. "What's so funny? I don't think this is funny!"

"Nothin'. I just ain't ever had anyone want me to stick around before."

"Well you better get used to it Daryl Dixon." She pouted a little and grabbed onto the edges of his vest, tugging him towards her again. She kissed him a few times before starting in again, not being able to hide her aggravation.

"Two nights?! Seriously. For the record I am not a fan of this plan. I'm so gonna kick Michonne's ass!"

He snorted, "Ya. Good luck with that."

She laughed, "She's not so tough. Seriously though, I thought I could breathe easy for a couple days. Plus, when were you even planning on telling me? "

"I don't know." Daryl said, exasperation in his voice. "I'm not used to this."

"To what?"

"To, you know, being with someone. Having someone care if I stay or go."

She looked at him and knew it was true. She had no doubt Daryl was devoted to her, but she knew this wasn't going to be like any of her past relationships. For one thing, this wasn't the old world anymore, but even then she knew Daryl hadn't been the one people dragged home to meet the parents. The old rules didn't apply.

"It's ok." She kissed him again. "I'm just going to miss you. Miss this."

"I told Glenn when I got back that we'd do two nights in a row in the shack. Figured they shouldn't get all the fun."

"Well, I'll try to look forward to that when I'm not worried about you dying."

"I'll be safe. I have you to look forward to. Can't go dying now."

He kissed her again and she tried to believe him.