The next day, Kayla was finally able to take Jonathan out to practice firearm training in a controlled environment. Daryl took off in the early hours of the day to survey the terrain and land outside the wall so Kayla enlisted the help of Abraham for a second set of hands with the lesson.
There was an empty space right outside the wall where Kayla set up some targets. While she busied herself with making sure the targets she made out of empty cans resting on trees and stumps, Abraham gave him the rundown of the firearm that would eventually be Jonathan's. "Never put your finger on the trigger until you're ready to fire." Abraham told the young boy. "This is the safety. Switch it like this to turn it off, then like this to turn it off." Jonathan did as Abraham instructed. Kayla walked over as Abraham showed him the safety followed by how to release and load the clip. Once the basics were covered, it was time to shoot.
"Before I let you fire a single shot," Kayla told Jonathan as she kneeled down to be level with him. "When we're out there, for real. With the walkers and bad guys, it's real. It's life or death. So when the time comes for you to act, you make every shot count."
Jonathan nodded in understanding. "You'll be able to count on me."
Kayla smiled and then he and Abraham move behind the young boy so he could take his first shot. "Aim at the closest one and you can work your way back." Kayla instructed. Jonathan raised the weapon, feeling the weight of it in his hands immediately. But he kept it as steady as he could and focused on the can Kayla pointed out. He put his finger on the trigger as he let out a breath a squeezed it, firing the shot and his hands shooting up at the force of the gun. The bullet hit the tree right next to the can.
"That was a good first try." Kayla said. "A little to the left and be wary of the kick back. You can do it."
Jonathan retook his stance and focused on the can again, doing as Kayla instructed and preparing himself for the recoil. He fired the gun a second time and this time hit the tree on the other side of the can. "Little too left. You almost got it buddy." Abraham's voice sounded.
As Jonathan prepared for a third shot, he didn't focus on the can but imagined that it was a walker. A walker that was coming towards him and Kayla and Abraham. He imagined that it was the walker took his dad from him, the walker that took his mom from him, and the walker that was threatening to take Kayla away from him. He couldn't save his dad, he couldn't save his mom, but he could save Kayla if he had to. All he had to do was shoot the walker. Shoot it in the head and then it would be dead and it wouldn't be a threat to anyone anymore.
The shot sounded before Jonathan even realized he was squeezing the trigger. This time the can flew off of the tree Kayla set it up on.
"Third time is a leprechaun's ass lucky way to go kid!" Abraham shouted. "You'll be a pro in no time."
Jonathan turned around to see Kayla smiling at him and giving him a thumb's up. "Keep doing that. Next can." She told him.
"Walkers don't stand still like cans though." Jonathan said.
"I know but once you can hit all those cans no problem; we'll switch to a moving target. Promise kiddo."
"What kind of moving target?" Abraham asked Kayla as Jonathan retook his stance.
"A swinging log maybe." Kayla answered. "I don't want him killing walkers unless he has too. I don't want him to turn into someone who gets enjoyment out of it. It's not supposed to be fun."
OOOOO
Abraham and Kayla wound up on the makeshift range for about an hour and a half with Jonathan where by the end, cans near and far would be fearing Jonathan. Kayla promised once they scrounged up enough extra ammo, moving target practice was next on the list.
Once the three cleaned up all the cans and bullet casings lying on the ground, Abraham put Jonathan on his shoulders as they reentered the Alexandria gates. "You my little dude are going to be quite the shooter." He told the young boy. Kayla just smiled as Maggie joined them. "Successful first lesson?" she asked.
"Very." Kayla said. "Next time we'll be shooting at a moving target."
"Moving up quickly. Going to get ready for the party now?"
Kayla just shrugged. She tried to forget the invitation from Deanna as she wasn't all that big on mingling, but then again the group would be there and so would Jesse, Pete, and their boys. She'd be comfortable. On the other hand, she didn't want to leave Daryl by himself in a house because she knew he wouldn't step foot near a party.
"I'll see." Was all she said as they came up on the two houses they took residence up in. Abraham took the boy off his shoulders and the four went inside, Maggie and Abraham going to get cleaned up for Deanna's party. Kayla made her way over to the couch and sat down, Jonathan joining her. "Can't we go, too?" he asked. "Sam will be there."
Looking at him Kayla knew just because she was still treading lightly, she didn't want to deny Jonathan the chance of normalcy. She didn't want him to forget what the world was now, but he deserved a chance to have a friend, drink a little too much soda, and enjoy the other things that came with being an eleven-year-old.
"Alright go clean yourself up and put on a nice shirt." Kayla said, making the boy smile and leap off the couch to go get ready.
She got off the couch shortly later to take a shower, something knew would never get old. The daily feeling of being clean was absolutely wonderful. Once she was out, she wrapped her hair in a towel and another around her body as she went over to the closet. Inside were the usual jeans and shirts, but hidden in the back were a few casual dresses. She hasn't worn a dress in what feels like ten lifetimes, but decided to go with one of them. It was simple. A length that reached the top of her knees, sleeves that went down to her forearms, and a neckline that wasn't too low. Plus, it was a plain black color which made it even more appealing. She slipped it on, the dressing fitting to her slender form perfectly.
Once she had the dress on, Kayla dried and brushed her hair and figured that was enough before she opened the drawer to put her hair drier away and found a cosmetic bag. Pulling it out, she found it reasonably full with the basics. Blush, concealer, bronzer, mascara, eyeliner, lipstick…it's been even longer since she's put makeup on.
After a two-minute internal debate, Kayla decided to use a few of the items and do up her face just a little bit. It was a party so why not? Within a few minutes any scarring, uneven skin tone, and tired lines were hidden and a face of vibrancy and clearness was left in place. She only put on enough to cover up some marks and enhance her features, but once she was done Kayla barely recognized herself. It's been a long time since she looked this way.
Knowing heels were not even an option, Kayla opted for a pair of wedges as she didn't want to ruin the outfit with boots or sneakers. After that she was ready to go and made her way down the steps. As she descended the steps, the front door opened and Daryl stepped inside. Kayla stopped on the fifth step up and smiled at the sight of him. "Hey." She said, but he stood frozen. She looked absolutely stunning. Daryl thought that no matter what she always looked beautiful, but the way she looked right now…he had no words.
Kayla walked down the rest of the stairs and over towards Daryl. "Everything okay?" she asked as she approached him. He couldn't stop staring at her. For years he knew he didn't deserve her and in the world before she never in a million years give him the time of day. And how she looked right now reminded him of that. She was too good for him.
"Daryl?" Kayla said as she reached a hand out and placed it on his arms. "Are you alright?" The way he looked, it's as if all the blood drained from his body and he was about to be sick.
"You look real nice." Was all Daryl said before walking away.
Kayla went to go after him, but Jonathan came rushing down the steps with brushed hair, a tucked in button down, and a smile. "Ready?" he asked.
"Yeah." Kayla said as she returned his smile and the two left the house together. However, the state Daryl was in sat in the back of her mind.
OOOOO
The party proved to be a good time, with almost everyone in the community there chatting over food and drinks. Kayla hung around Jesse and Pete while she learned some of the new faces, keeping her arm linked with Angela's throughout the night to keep her friend grounded. This was a lot for everyone to take in. To go from being around the same handful of people to a whole new community is a big change and the group needed time to adjust. But Jonathan seemed to be getting along quite nicely, playing with Sam in the backyard.
When Kayla went to go refill her glass with some of the Tennessee Whiskey she never thought she would get to taste again, a voice caught Kayla's attention. "Kayla, right?" Turning, Kayla came face to face with a woman. Her name was Liz. She had long blonde hair, a curvy figure, and a pair of dark brown eyes. Kayla could tell she was the type of woman who would spend a lot of time on her appearance in the morning and a lot of money shopping during the weekends.
"Yeah." Kayla replied. "Liz?"
"That's right. Good to meet you."
"Good to meet you, too."
"Where's that husband of yours?" Liz asked as she looked around the room.
"Not here, at home."
"Not a sociable guy?"
Kayla looked at the woman with a raised eyebrow. "Just not comfortable quite yet."
She went to walk back towards Jesse and Angela, but Jesse was with Pete and Angela was talking to one of the Alexandria guys in the living room. "Well we're a great group of people, next party I think you should make him come." Liz teased, but Kayla wasn't laughing. "I'm not gonna do that. Excuse me." Before she could say anything more, Kayla walked away from the woman before she did something she might regret.
After that unpleasant encounter, Kayla stepped out onto the porch for fresh air. She took a sip of her drink and closed her eyes, wondering if she should get Jonathan and go home to Daryl for the night. The amount of people, all the discussions of pot roast recipes, and obscene normalcy was borderline nauseating.
"Need some company?" a voice asked from behind. Another Alexandrian. Some construction worker guy by the name of Adam. He was around Kayla's age, hovering around five ten with dark hair and green eyes. By society's old standards, he was cute, but Kayla didn't see it. She had eyes for one guy and that was her husband.
"No." Kayla answered bluntly without sparing an acknowledging glance. "I'm fine by myself."
"You sure?"
Kayla turned her body and faced the guy who couldn't seem to take a hint. Unbeknownst to her, Daryl was standing in the trees. He was going to attempt an appearance again after his dinner with Aaron and Eric, but as he had an internal debate with himself Kayla stepped out and some douchebag followed her out.
"Look, Adam right?" Kayla questioned.
"See you know me." He replied.
"I know your name and even that's more than I care to know at this point. Please just leave me alone."
"Come on darling." Adam pressed on as he reached out a hand to touch her face. Daryl was about to walk up onto the porch and throw the guy over the banister, but he stopped when Kayla grabbed his hand and slammed his face onto the handrail.
"I said no as nice as possible. Try to touch or talk to me again, I'll break your damn arm. And then you better hope my husband doesn't find out about this little encounter or he'll do a whole lot worse to you. Kay?"
The guy tried to get back up, but Kayla held him there. "Are we clear?" she asked in the most threatening tone that was enough to send a chill down Daryl's spine.
"Yes." The guy answered and Kayla let him up. He walked away after that, his pride and ego absolutely nonexistent at this point. Daryl smiled as Kayla returned inside to the party, tempted to go after her but deciding to head back home for the night.
After that, Kayla left for home with Jonathan after one sour encounters too many. She put him to bed right when they got home in the room he shared with Carl before retiring to her and Daryl's room. She loved that. Her and Daryl's room. They had shared a cell at the prison, but this was a room in a house. With a queen sized bed and threaded sheets, and pillows not slept on by convicts.
In the room she found him sitting on the edge of the bed in a clean dark blue button up and jeans with his vest next to him as he took his boots off. He looked up at her when she entered and gave he a smile. "Hey." He greeted. After that unpleasant encounter with Adam, Kayla didn't realize how happy she'd be to see him again. She said nothing as she walked over to him and took his face in her hands, kissing him with everything she had in her.
It surprised Daryl and he had to catch himself as he rested one hand on her hip and another on the bed to keep himself from falling over. Her lips were soft and he could taste the faint flavor of whiskey on her lips, but knew she wasn't drunk. She was smarter than that.
"I love you." She told Daryl as she broke off the kiss. "I love you, just you, for you. I wouldn't take you any other way or have any other person to have as my husband. I need you to know that."
And for the first time, Daryl believed her whole heartedly. He believed he was good enough for her and worthy to be her husband. He gave her a smile as he stood up, slipping his arms around her as he pulled her in for another kiss. Her arms found their way around his neck as she kissed him back, feeling as his hands found the top of her dress. Next thing she knew a loud ripping sound filled the room. Kayla pulled away from him as the cool air hit her back. "I actually liked this dress." She teased.
"Then for future reference anytime you wear a dress, I'm going to rip you out of it the second I have you behind a closed door." He said in a low voice that was enough to make Kayla weak at the knees, but found it in her to kiss him again as she felt Daryl struggle to get the ripped dress off her body.
As he did that she began undoing the buttons on his shirt, but eventually just tore the shirt open and sent buttons everywhere on the floor. He felt her laugh against his lips as she pushed the clothing off of him. Once he got her dress off of her, he lifted her up and her legs wrapped around him tightly as he laid the two of them on the bed. He pulled her up towards the pillows before leaning down to kiss her again, feeling her hands tangle themselves in his hair.
Daryl couldn't get enough of her moving from her lips, down to her neck, to her collarbone, and eventually to her stomach. Kayla was in heaven, but found it in her to sit up and pull Daryl to her lips again. She fell back against the pillows with him, already knowing how hard it was going to be to stay quiet tonight.
OOOOO
Daryl woke in the late hours of the night with Kayla wrapped up in his arms, her head on his chest as she slept soundly. He gently ran her fingertips across her bareback as he soaked in the peaceful and quiet moment, knowing that she wasn't going to be happy when he told her he took the recruiting job with Aaron. When they were at the prison, he went out on runs that never took longer than a three days and hunting trips longer than five. She also accompanied him on hunting outings almost every time and runs pretty often as well. In Alexandria, her job was behind the wall whereas his was on the other side of it for what Aaron said could be weeks at a time.
So as he laid there, he relished in the small perfect night they had knowing he was going to shatter it in the morning.
