TWD series finale was less than 24 hours ago and I am already having withdrawls. I finished this chapter as a coping mechanism. I hope you guys enjoy! - CJ


NOW

"Shit," Daryl mumbled, squeezing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. He hopped up off the barn floor and quickly scanned their surroundings. "Shit."

His rough, morning voice stirred Katie from her half asleep state. She sat up from her makeshift bed in the old hay and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"I fucking fell asleep." It was so unlike him to succumb to sleep while on watch. But, the events over the last few days had left him exhausted.

After their awkward conversation the night before, he had told Katie to get some sleep while he took watch. He'd watched her sleep for a bit, replaying what had been said and wishing it had gone differently. He'd been such an ass. When she had brought up another guy, he had felt the cold pang of jealousy hit his stomach hard.

Katie's explanation of how she felt about this Justin dude mirrored the way he had felt about Leah. He had wanted to love her, but was never able to get there because Katie haunted him everyday. And- like the dipshit he was- he had shot down any hope Katie had of them reconciling. Why did he do the things he did? He had blown it ten years ago and he was blowing it again. Only a dumbass would be given a second chance and ruin it. Daryl was a dumbass.

He knew he had hurt her and needed to fix it before they got back on the road. Pride be damned.


Out the second story hay door, Katie could see that the storm had passed, and the morning sun was just coming over the horizon. The air was damp and chilly and a shiver traveled down her spine. She wondered if this Kingdom place would have any warmer clothes to spare. Alpha's group had always migrated further south during the winter months and there never had been a need for layers of thick clothing.

She stood, her body groaning as she moved, and joined Daryl beside the window. He was cautiously peering out, no doubt checking their surroundings for threats.

He cleared his throat and gave her a sideways glance. "Sleep okay?"

She nodded. "Mmhm."

It was a lie. She had slept like shit. Last night's conversation had been on repeat in her brain all night. Katie felt embarrassed by what she had shared. She should have just kept her damn mouth shut. Then she would have never have heard Daryl reject her and she would still be living in her little hopeful bubble. But, now? Now she didn't know what to do. Was there even a point to staying with Daryl? She had seen how he reacted to her question about if there was someone else. There clearly was someone. Was she waiting for him at the Kingdom? Katie didn't want to arrive at the Kingdom only to witness a happy reunion between her old boyfriend and his new lover. It would break her into a million pieces.

She needed to know. And she needed an answer before they left this barn. Because, if there was a girl waiting at the Kingdom then Katie needed to go her own way. There was no point in sticking with her only love if she had to watch him love another woman.

Gathering courage, she inhaled a deep breath of cold air. "I need to know something before we leave."

Daryl's response was a quick hand covering her mouth. Her eyes widened in alarm, but when he put his finger to his lips to shush her she heard it. The familiar growl of walkers. His body pressed her back into the wall. A knee settled between her thighs while his torso covered hers and he shielded her from anyone who might be able to see in.

"Those your people?" His whisper was fierce in her ear.

You're my only person. Is what she wanted to say. But instead, she shot him a glare and mouthed: "Not my people."

The snarls and growls were getting closer, and Katie could feel Daryl's heart start to speed up. He stared hard at her, searching her eyes for the truth. When he shifted to peer through the barn window his body pressed in closer. She could feel every inch of him.

"There's 8 I can see." He whispered.

"We can take 'em."

Daryl shook his head. "Nah. Ain't risking it. Not in the mood to get into it with a Whisperer this mornin'."

Katie hissed through clenched teeth. "You don't know they're Whisperers."

"I don't know they ain't."

He had a fair point. She pushed against him. "Move. Let me see."

Reluctantly, he shifted his body off hers so that she could peer out the large window. Keeping herself as hidden as possible she peered into the trees below. The dead that had surrounded the barn didn't look like any of Alpha's group, but she couldn't be entirely sure. The scouts were excellent at hiding in plain sight.

She shook her head. "I don't think that's them. Just dead fuckers. We can outrun them on the bike."

Daryl nodded. The roar of the engine was going to draw them to the barn door, but outrunning them would be easy. They needed to hurry if they wanted this plan to work. Communicating silently, they planned their escape. Katie would open the barn door and cover Daryl while he wheeled the bike out and started it up. Then it was just a matter of her closing the barn and hoping on the back.

It was easy, right? No, nothing was ever easy. It all would have gone to plan if Katie hadn't been so sloppy when hopping onto the back of the bike. Daryl took off before Katie was seated correctly and her body swayed, leaning too far to the right. She cried out when she felt the motorcycle tip and her body landed on the ground with a hard thud.

Her right shoulder screamed in pain, but there was no time to assess her injuries. A walker was stumbling towards them and dangerously close to falling on top of her. Thinking quickly, she rolled away as the decaying body crumpled beside her. Her shoulder protested and she screamed as she slammed Daryl's knife into its soft temple.

Daryl had already popped up and was smashing the butt of his crossbow into another walker's skull. Two more were quickly approaching from behind.

"Behind you," she warned as she ran towards another, the knife easily lodging itself up into its skull. She pulled it out just in time to kick another walker away. Behind her she heard Daryl grunt and the sound of a bolt releasing out of his bow.

Together they made quick work of dispatching the walkers. After Katie ended the last one, Daryl doubled over, hands on his knees while he caught his breath. She cradled her arm and dropped to the ground beside him, also breathing heavily. He gave her a sideways glance, covertly checking to make sure she was okay, watching as she closed her eyes and gulped in air by the lungful.

Now that it was all over, he could say that her fighting skills were good. What she could do with just a knife to protect herself was impressive.

"I'm sorry." She rasped out.

He shook his head. "Don't be. You good?"

She nodded, despite the pain coursing through her arm "Yeah. You?"

"Yeah." He stood to his full height and picked up his crossbow, shouldering it now that the immediate threat was over. He reached a hand down for her to grab into. "C'mon. We gotta move."

As he righted the bike, he noticed that she was favoring her shoulder. Damn it. There was no time to check her injuries. He needed to get them out of immediate danger. Just because there hadn't been any Whisperers among the dead, didn't mean that they weren't lurking in the trees watching them. He wasn't risking it by staying still for longer than necessary.

Katie's shoulder throbbed with a red hot pain as they rode down the broken remnants of a road. Each jolt and jerk of the motorcycle made her wince and squeeze back tears. With her right arm, she held onto Daryl's waist while cradling her left arm against her stomach. She breathed through the pain, just needing to keep it together until Daryl felt like it was safe enough to stop. Then she would ask him to check it out.

Ten long ass minutes later, Daryl stopped the bike and turned to her. "C'mon. Let me see it."

Gingerly, she swung her leg over the bike and hopped off. His hands were gentle as he unbuttoned her flannel and pushed it down over her busted shoulder. Katie winced as he ran a calloused thumb over the joint. Looking down, she could see that it had already started to turn black and blue. "Fuck," she hissed.

Daryl's eyes softened and he caught hers. "Sorry."

"It's my stupid fault. I tipped the bike."

He shook his head, waving off the apology, and continued his exam. His work calloused hands warmed her bare skin.

"What's the damage?" She gritted out.

"Dislocated." His lips formed a thin line. "We gotta put this back in."

"Fuuuck." Katie groaned.

Daryl clasped her good arm and guided her to the ground. "C'mon. Lay down."

With his help she lowered to the cold grass, muffling a cry as the movement jostled her. Once she was on the ground, he handed her stick and motioned for her to use it to bite down on.

The pain was unbearable. Katie bit hard on the stick Daryl had given her, but it didn't seem to help. Her shoulder was on fire. Daryl's hands touched her in a way that would have brought back pleasant memories if she hadn't been in so much pain.

In a moment of vulnerability, Daryl brushed a lock of stray hair from her face and let his fingers linger on her cheek. "I'll make it quick."

She nodded and squeezed her eyes closed, tears slipping out the corners. True to his word, Daryl quickly pulled her arm away from her body and after ten seconds of searing pain, Katie felt relief.

She spit the stick to the ground and quickly brushed the tears from her cheeks.

"You're okay." Daryl soothed, his hands running down her arm.

"Thank you." Katie whispered while looking up at his concerned face.

Their eyes met, and Daryl's eyes had the dark shade that she remembered them turning right before he would kiss her. But just as quickly as she noticed it, it was gone. She watched him shake his head as if he was shaking the memories away before he stood up and offered her a hand. She took it, and he pulled her upright.

While she got her bearings, Daryl rummaged around in the saddle bag and produced a soft black shirt that he quickly tied into a sling.

"We need to talk," Katie said as he helped her slide her arm into the sling.

His eyes flicked to hers, but he didn't say a word.

She continued. "Last night. I asked you if there was someone else and you didn't answer me. And like… I get it… I just need to know what to be prepared for."

"I ain't talking about this out here." He snapped.

Katie took a careful step backwards.

Realizing his overreaction, his voice lowered and he reached for her elbow to keep her close. "We ain't far. Two hours, tops. Can it wait until then?"

"No." Katie shook her head. "Daryl, if you have someone waiting for you. I can't-" she paused, considering her next words.

The catch in her voice triggered Daryl's urge to touch her. She felt his thumb run down the soft place of her inner elbow through the flannel of her shirt. It was calming. This was the perfect time for Daryl to fix what he had done last night. He inhaled and their eyes locked. "There ain't."

Katie's eyes fluttered closed in relief and she nodded softly. "Okay."

His thumb circled on her arm, reassuringly. "We'll have plenty of time to talk once we get to the Kingdom. I promise."


The Kingdom wasn't anything like Katie was expecting. The name had been odd when Daryl mentioned it to her, and she expected more pomp and circumstance. However, the gates that Daryl rolled up to were crumbling and gray. The lookouts in the towers waved as soon as they recognized Daryl. As they rolled through the opened gates, Katie's eyes roamed over the landscape. It looked like an old college campus that had definitely seen its better days. Survivors milled about all casting curious looks her way as Daryl cut the engine of the bike.

Daryl held out a hand, helping Katie steady herself as she dismounted.

"Ya good?" He asked when he saw her mouth tighten in pain.

"I'm okay."

A large man with a huge smile ambled over to them. He and Daryl shared a fist bump.

"What's up my dude?"

He turned his smile to Katie. "You must be the lady friend. I'm Jerry."

She couldn't help but smile back, Jerry's smile was infectious. "Katie."

Jerry turned back to Daryl. "Didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Yeah." Daryl chewed on his thumb. "Thinking maybe we could crash here for a bit. We need a place to stay."

"I'm sure the Queen won't mind."

The Queen? There was a fucking queen here?

"How is she?"

Jerry's smile faded. "Ain't great, dude."

"Shit," Daryl mumbled under his breath.

Jerry squeezed Daryl's shoulder. The two of them seemed close, brotherly. "You two hungry? Want some grub?"

The sound of food, Katie's stomach grumbled and Jerry laughed. As they followed Jerry across the campus to the outdoor kitchen, Katie scanned the faces she saw. She knew Lydia was here somewhere. She had been so preoccupied with Daryl that she hadn't thought ahead to what seeing Lydia would be like. What would she say to the girl?

Jerry led them to a table and Katie sat. But, Daryl stood, pacing and anxious.

"So, there's a King and Queen here?" She asked, trying to lighten whatever mood had come over him.

"Yeah. He's talking about Carol."

The details Daryl had shared of what had happened clicked for Katie. She grimaced. Fuck. The Queen was Daryl's friend, Carol.

Daryl placed his hands on the table and leaned over her. "I need to talk to her. Ya gonna be good here?"

Kate glanced around. "I guess? You don't want to eat?"

"Ain't hungry." He stood to his full height and pointed at her. "Don't move."

She watched him stride away. He shared some words with Jerry before disappearing into a large old theater.

Jerry placed a bowl of stew in front of her. "It's not much, but it will fill you up."

"It's great, thank you." She answered, with her eyes still on the door that Daryl had disappeared into.

"He won't be long, homie." Jerry reassured her. He patted her good shoulder. "Eat up. I'm close by if ya need anything."

Either the stew was the most delicious thing she'd ever eaten or she was on the brink of starvation, because Katie inhaled the meal. When she looked up from her last bite, Lydia was standing ten feet away and staring at her. The girl looked small and scared and was hunched over into herself.

Katie offered her a small smile and she took it as permission to come over, sliding into the seat across the table.

"Did my mother send you?" Lydia accused.

"Nice to see you too." Katie scoffed at the girl's lack of manners. "And no."

"Does she know where you are?" Lydia's words were tense and filled with fear.

Katie understood. Defecting from the group meant punishment in the form of a drawn out, tortuous death. She shook her head. "I don't think so. I escaped when the Guardians attacked. The same time you did. Everyone probably thinks I was eaten. And we weren't followed."

Lydia stared at her for a long time, considering her words. Finally, she spoke. "You were with him before? Daryl."

Katie nodded and looked longingly back at the theater door. "Yeah."

"He saved me." Lydia said, quietly.

"He's a good man. Always has been. Saved my ass plenty of times."

Just then Daryl strode back out and caught sight of the two women at the table. Uncertainty passed over his face and Katie gave him a small wave, letting him know everything was okay. He approached the table and took the empty seat next to Katie, flipping it backwards before sitting.

"Hey." He greeted the both of them before turning to speak to Katie. "We're good to stay here for a bit. Ya good with that?"

Katie nodded. "More than good."

"How about you?" Daryl asked Lydia.

She nodded, slowly.

Under the table, Daryl quickly squeezed Katie's knee and her heart soared. She offered him a small smile and received one in return.

She felt safe and happy surrounded by walls with the man she loved beside her. Maybe, just maybe things were going to be okay.