Chapter 28

- KATE -

Kate stepped into the freezing stream of water and let out a screech. She had seriously overestimated her tolerance of cold water and her naked skin broke out in goosebumps. She raced to wash the dirt and grime from her body, the gray water pooling at her feet. Her skin was red and numb. She yanked the elastic band out of her hair and squeezed a liberal amount of shampoo into the palm of her hand. She couldn't remember the last time she had a real shower - probably back at the CDC, for that one glorious night they thought they'd found somewhere safe. She was pretty sure that night was the first time she saw Daryl smile, he was drunk, but he was smiling.

She scrubbed at her scalp and let the icy water rinse the lather away. She pushed her soapy fingers between her toes, checked to make sure her nails were clear of all the dirt she'd collected from the garden and quickly turned the water off. She grabbed her towel, threw it around her shoulders and buried her face into her fists as they held the terry cloth around her. She was shivering.

Not twenty minutes ago, she had been out in the garden with Rick and Carl. They were working on clearing out the next area for planting when she looked up and spotted Daryl heading down from the prison. She dug her shovel straight into the ground, leaned against it and watched her man make his way towards her. Watching him walk never got old and the familiar tingle ran up her spine. Rick called out a greeting to Daryl, who nodded in his direction before coming to a stop in front of Kate. He squinted in the sun and looked around the yard restlessly.

"Talked to Hershel. We're all set." He said.

Kate was surprised, it was only last night that Daryl had confessed he wanted to marry her. A bubble of excitement traveled from the pit of her stomach to her throat and emerged as a huge grin across her face.

"When?" She asked.

"Today. This evening. Is that a'right?" A trace of doubt in his eyes, like she might have changed her mind.

Her grin grew even wider and she shook her head vigorously, words failing her for once. A smile shyly turned the corner of Daryl's mouth and he stepped towards her, slipping his arms around her and kissing her in a rare display of public affection.

"Ew. Gross." Carl shouted.

Daryl pulled back quickly, pointing a finger in the boy's direction.

"Watch it little man." He growled good naturedly.

Carl laughed, not afraid for a second.

"I wouldn't mess with Daryl if I were you." Rick teased his son.

Kate had tried to get back to work after Daryl headed up to the prison, but she was too excited. Instead she decided to go take a shower. Her first chance since they'd finished them. So now she stood in her cell, clean, but shivering cold. She dressed quickly. She only had two pairs of jeans - the ones she wore in the field and the other pair that she changed into when her day of work was done. She slipped the cleaner pain on and chose a gauzy peasant style top from the half dozen choices she had. It was cream colored with little blue flowers embroidered along the front. It was the prettiest thing she owned, most the others being t-shirts or thermals. It had come back from a run a few weeks ago and she had snatched it up. She brushed her long hair and wished she had a straightener or even a blow dryer to tame the frizz. It had been a long time since those things mattered much, but it was her wedding day after all.

She headed to Beth's cell and found her friend playing on the floor with Judith. They both looked up as she knocked on a metal bar.

"Hi!" Beth said with a sweet smile, probably happy for some grown up interaction. "You're not in the garden today?"

"Daryl and I have a date tonight, so Rick let me off early so I could get a chance to take a shower. Have you taken one yet? Holy crap they are freezing!"

She turned her attention to the baby. "Hey Judy, how's our sweet baby girl today?" Judith responded with a toothless grin.

"A date? What are you guys doing?" Beth asked.

Kate shrugged. "Not sure. Hey, can I borrow some of that lipstick you have?"

"Of course." Beth said, pulling herself up off the ground and hoisting Judith up on a hip while she dug her hand around a little plastic tub that sat on one of the metal shelves. She handed the tube to Kate.

"Thank you. I'll bring it back."

"No problem." She said, looking Kate over carefully. "You look so nice."

Kate laughed.

"Amazing what a shower and some clean clothes will do. Thanks for the lipstick Beth" She said, turning and walking out of the cell before her friend could ask her anything else.

Daryl and Kate had decided last night to not tell anyone except Hershel that they were exchanging vows. Their life had so little privacy, they wouldn't have a honeymoon or a home to themselves, so it was a way to have a secret between just the two of them. Well, the two of them and Hershel, but they knew he wouldn't tell. They'd let everyone else know eventually, but for now it was just theirs.

Kate walked back to her cell and using a small handheld mirror she dabbed on a tiny amount of lipstick, just enough to give them a healthy color and then smeared a small dot on each of her cheeks. Just like her mom used to do.

She felt a pang of sadness when she thought about her mom and she let out a heavy sigh. It was almost incomprehensible that her mother wouldn't be at her wedding. She wished so badly there was a way she could let her know that she was safe, taken care of and loved. She hoped for the millionth time that her family had survived and that maybe someday there would be a chance they could see each other again. Even though imagining her friends and family meeting Daryl, crossbow in hand and a string of squirrels over his shoulder, was a source of constant amusement for her, when it came down to it she knew her mom would be happy for her. She would see how devoted Daryl was and how much they loved each other. She glanced over at the tiny California flag that Daryl had brought back to her. She took it down from its place on their cell wall and folded it up, sticking it in her back pocket. It was a far cry from having her family at her wedding, but at least they were represented in some small way.

She sat on the bed and took a deep breath. There was nothing left to do but wait for Daryl to come and get her.

- DARYL -

Daryl headed up the metal steps to the upper level of 'C Block' where their cell was. He felt conspicuous, freshly showered and in clean clothes. Michonne had just passed him as she came in from the common room. She looked him over quizzically, cocking her head to the side. Daryl shot her a look and she kept her mouth shut, walking by with an amused grin. As he came to the top of the steps he remembered when they first arrived at the prison and he'd chosen to sleep here on the ground. It was hard for him to believe how much had changed since then, but he didn't miss that spot at all.

The curtains were pulled shut on their cell door and for some odd reason he felt like he should knock, even though he hadn't since the cell went from just her's to their's. Instead he pulled the yellow and blue fabric aside and slipped quietly inside. She was sitting on the bed in a shirt he'd never seen on her before. Her hair fell around her shoulders in fluffy waves and her lips were pinker than normal. She looked beautiful and although Daryl always thought Kate looked beautiful: sleeping, crying, covered in dirt, soaking wet from rain, yelling at him, this was different. She looked more like she had that first morning he met her at the quarry camp in Atlanta. For a second all those insecurities came flooding back. He wondered what the hell he was thinking. Girls like this didn't belong with men like him. But then her face broke into a grin and it was his Kate, sitting on the bed they shared, happy because she was marrying him.

Overwhelmed by the realization, he went to her quickly, pushing her back onto the bed and kissing her.

"If seeing the bride before the wedding is bad luck," She giggled. "I imagine this would be frowned upon."

He laughed and reluctantly stood, helping her to a standing position. They headed downstairs and Daryl was relieved to see that the cell block and common room were empty. They found Hershel in the courtyard, standing next to the truck. He was holding his Bible in one hand and a smile on his face.

"Ready to do this?" He asked.

"Yes sir." Daryl replied assuredly as he put his crossbow in the bed of the truck and opened the driver door. Kate climbed into the middle seat from the driver's side while Hershel eased himself into the passenger seat. Daryl started the engine and drove to the gate. They sat waiting for whoever was on duty to open it up, but instead one of the college kids climbed out of the tower and made his way to Hershel's side of the truck. Daryl didn't recognize him, but wasn't surprised when Kate greeted him.

"Hey Daniel."

"Hey Kate." He replied. Daryl didn't miss the nervous glance the kid shot his way, as if talking to Kate could get him punched in the face. Daryl laughed under his breath.

"You gonna open the gate or are we gonna sit here all day?" Daryl barked.

"Well, there's only three of you. Isn't there supposed to be at least four?" He asked, directing the question at Hershel.

"We'll take it up with the counsel when we get back." Hershel said, chuckling. The kid looked confused, but moved to open the gate and Daryl sped off down the gravel path.

He didn't go far, just enough that they had some privacy and a backdrop that didn't include barbed wire or cement. There was a little copse of trees next to a field about half a mile up the road from the prison. Daryl drove through the long, yellow grass of the field and parked where it met the treeline. He turned off the engine, leaving the keys in the ignition and turned to Kate and Hershel.

"Let me clear the area first." Daryl said. He got out of the truck, shut the door behind him and retrieved the crossbow from the back. He entered the woods and made a few clicking noises, loud enough to get the attention of any walkers in the immediate vicinity, but not loud enough to draw any from further away. He picked his way through the roots and leaves, crossbow aimed, like he had so many times before and after the fall. Daryl never imagined getting married, never thought on it at all, but now that he was it made sense that it would happen in these woods where he'd spent most his life. When he was reasonably sure they were safe, he lowered his bow and turned back towards the truck.

Daryl and Kate stood on the damp ground, facing each other between the bare trees as the sun glowed low in the sky. It had rained off and on that day and the air smelled earthy and wet. Kate beamed at him and reached both of her hands towards his. He took them, noticing how cold her's were and squeezed them in attempt to keep them warm. Hershel cleared his throat and began to speak, but Daryl's eyes never left Kate's face.

He tried to concentrate on Hershel's words, "Kate and Daryl, when I think about the two of you uniting in marriage in the middle of this unkind world, I can't help but think of the passage in Ecclesiastes that states, 'Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.'. This has already been so evident to those who have witnessed your relationship with each other. This is not a world where you can survive alone and what a blessing it is that you have found each other."

They exchanged the simple vows quietly and with unquestionable conviction. There weren't any tears, but the emotion was palpable. Daryl felt like he was under a spell and when she promised to love him all the days of her life he knew he'd never felt so humble. It hardly seemed possible that this was real. That from a lifetime of bad luck, he could end up with this woman. But it was real, it was the most real thing he had ever done.

Finally Hershel said, with great joy, "Daryl, you can kiss your wife."

Your wife? He had a wife.

Daryl let out a short laugh and looked at Hershel with a sort of stunned realization on his face. Kate's laughter bubbled out and he turned back to her, taking her head in his hands and drawing her in for a kiss.

- Kate -

That night, high up in the guard tower, Daryl sat with his back against the corrugated metal of the guard shack looking out onto the dark yard. Kate was nestled in front of him, wrapped in a blanket, her back against his chest. His arms were wrapped around her and she had her head rested against him.

"I was thinkin' today." Daryl started, his voice quiet, but still rough. "'bout the first time we met. If someone had told me then that you'd be my wife, it would've sounded crazier than the dead walkin'."

Kate groaned and buried her head in her arm.

"Don't remind me. I don't think I was very friendly to you and Merle back in those days."

"You were scared." He said. She found it endearing that he defended her even to herself. "The world just fell apart and you were all alone and some asshole redneck wouldn't take the hint that you wanted him to leave you be. Merle was such a dick sometimes."

She laughed. "Still, anytime I think about it I feel guilty. I'm sorry."

"Ain't gotta be sorry. Nothin' to be sorry for. You were right to stay clear of us."

She leaned her head back against his shoulder and tried to look up at his face.

"Daryl, when did you start having feelings for me? I've wanted to know for a long time."

He was quiet for a minute. All she could hear were the gurgling walkers lined up along the fence. She was about to let him off the hook, at least temporarily, to tell him just how long she'd had feelings for him when he spoke.

"Remember that old house we stayed in? On the road after the farm fell?"

"Which one? There were so many."

"The one with the taxidermied bobcat. Remember? You thought it was so weird someone would have that in their living room."

"Yes. I definitely remember that place. For the record, I still think it's weird."

"You just wait, I'll have our cell decorated with a deer head one of these days."

They laughed and she could feel the vibration in his chest. It was so good to hear Daryl laugh that way.

"Anyway, that night at that house, you laid your bedroll next to mine. You could've picked any spot in the room. You could've slept next to Maggie, or Beth - anyone. But there you were, sleepin' just a couple feet away from me."

"That's when you knew you had feelings for me?" She asked, surprised. They all slept in the same room back then and it was true that she normally slept near Beth, but she remembered she had been feeling anxious that night and next to Daryl seemed like the safest spot she could be. She never imagined that Daryl had paid even a second's attention to her choice.

"No, but that was the night I knew you weren't afraid of me anymore."

So he knew she had been afraid of him, that it wasn't just Merle. That guilty pang invaded her heart again and she felt ashamed.

"I hadn't been afraid of you for a long time by then. You made me feel safer than anyone. That's why I laid down next to you that night and that's why I picked a cell next to your spot at the top of the stairs when we got to the prison. I'd already started falling for you, I just didn't think you'd ever notice or be interested."

He kissed the side of her head and buried his face into her neck.

"It did take me awhile to figure it out. Never imagined you had feelin's for me. That night, in that house, I just laid there awake. Couldn't sleep. For some reason, you not being afraid of me changed things and I wasn't sure just how. I got up and told Glenn I'd take watch. After that, just saw you differently . Found myself wantin' to keep you safe, wantin' to be near you. I told myself I shouldn't, there was no point. I fought it for awhile, but wasn't any use."

She turned around in his arms, facing him. "And now we're married. You have me and I have you."

"You have me and I have you." He repeated.

She kissed him, his stubbly face scratching at her soft lips. She pulled back and smiled. He was looking at her intently, a look she knew well. The familiar tingle ran up her spine.

"Want to go inside Mrs. Dixon?"