Wow- thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm on vacation right now, so updates should be pretty frequent. i'll try to do once a day, probably around 5pm, but don't chew me out if I don't make it sometimes. Enjoy! :)
It was the same night they got back, before they went tot he fire, when they met up. Jamie smiled, taking Carl's hand, and they walked the fence line for a bit, darkness hiding them from everyone.
"Did you tell your Dad?" Jamie asked quietly.
"About the man in the woods- no. I figured you wouldn't want Daryl to know, or he'd get overprotective- like my Dad."
"You and Judy are all he has left. If my father were still alive, he'd be the same way." Jamie said, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. She looked up at the stars, as though wishing.
Carl nodded, waiting fir a moment before speaking. "Daryl gives you so much freedom."
"Does he? I only hunt when he's with me. He's only let me go into the woods twice or so on my own, and the only reason he did that was so I wouldn't go stir crazy worrying about him while he was on supply runs. He watches me- all the time. Don't matter if I'm skinnin a squirrel or shooting a walker. He's always there, ready to step in when I need it."
Carl nodded. "I guess you're not as free as I thought. Still, after Daryl lost Merle, you were all he had... What happened? With Merle, I mean."
Jamie looked away again. "I don't wanna talk 'bout it."
Carl nodded, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as an apology. Jamie turned and looked over at him.
"What if it came down to me and Judith? Or me and your Dad? You could only save one- who would you choose?"
Carl gaped. "Don't- you can't expect me to answer that."
"Choose your family." she said firmly. "If it came down to you and Daryl, I hate to say it, but I might choose Daryl. We look out for our own."
"But... I thought you loved me?"
"I do. But right now, I love Daryl more. He took me in, protected me, after Ryder died."
"Why are we talking about this?" Carl asked, looking pained at the discussion of having to choose between his best friend, now girlfriend, or a family member.
"Because it might happen someday. You know it as much as I do." she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and Carl nodded. "I'd save my family, too, if it came down to it..."
"Thank you. It makes me feel like less of a murderer to hear you say that. I don't want to get cold, like Shane..."
"Shane was a good man." Carl said, voice choking off at the end slightly. "Known him since I was born. Before all this..."
"Stuff like this makes good people go bad. I focus on the good memories- about my Dad before this. Lily before..."
"Yeah." Carl said, nodding. "Best not to focus on the bad things."
There was silence for a beat. Then Carl spoke. "You know- maybe we don't have to go to the fire tonight. We have that bottle of Jack Daniels..."
"We're only thirteen." Jamie said, giving him a small smile.
"Fourteen." Carl said, looking down at her.
She looked surprised. "Since when?"
"Yesterday."
"Then happy birthday, Grimes." she planted her lips on his, a small, gentle kiss. She'd never kissed before, and wasn't sure what to do, but she was sure she'd done something right when she pulled back, since Carl was actively kissing back, there was a spark in his eyes...
"Come to the fire in a few minutes. Make up an excuse- I'll say something about making arrows. Don't want our Dads to know."
He nodded, dumbfounded, and she gave him a small smile before heading towards the fire.
"Where you been?" Daryl asked, looking up from where he'd been roasting their portion of meat over the fire.
"Tryin' to carve an arrowhead outta bone. Knife's too dull." Jamie said, setting down the dull knife beside Daryl. He'd sharpen it for her later.
"What kinda bone were you using?" he asked, curious.
She shrugged. "Lower leg of a rabbit. Squirrel were too small."
"Try the hip bone- easier to cut."
Jamie nodded, taking mental note, before looking across the fire at Mika. "Why'd you go outside the fence?"
Mika looked scared. "I..I saw a cat."
Jamie nodded. "I ain't mad at ya, so don't be scared. Don't do it again. Until you can kill ten by yourself, you aren't ready."
"She definitely won't be." Mika's father said calmly. "Thank you- for what you did yesterday."
Jamie shrugged. "Wasn't nothin Rick or Daryl woulda done. Carl save my ass out there when I needed it."
"But Rick and Daryl DIDN'T do it. You did. That deserves thanks." Carol said seriously, looking over at her. While everyone was trying not to make it obvious, they were all listening to the conversation.
Jamie realized what Carol was implying and looked at her, confused. "What are you sayin'? Rick and Daryl woulda done it- I was closest, I got outta the gate first. That's the only reason they didn't."
Carol simply nodded, leaving Jamie slightly unsettled.
"Look- whatever you people are thinkin'- I didn't do nothin special. Everything I learned about survival I learned from Daryl, Rick, and my Dad..."
"Daryl is your Dad- isn't he?" Lizzy asked, looking confused.
"By everything but blood." Daryl said simply, putting an arm around her shoulder. She smiled. He'd sensed she was getting uncomfortable, was, once again, coming to her rescue.
"What happened to your real family?" Mika asked.
"Mika!" Mika's father scolded her, but everyone was looking to her for an answer, now...
"Don't wanna talk 'bout that. Daryl's my family now. Daryl and Rick and Carol and Hershel and his family."
Hershel nodded from where he was by the fire, Beth looked up at her friend sympathetically, and Maggie looked around fiercely from where she held Glenn's hand, daring anyone to ask about Jamie's past again.
The tension was abruptly broken when Carl ran in. "Hey guys! I made a kazoo! Check this out-" he out his lips to what looked like a mess of wax paper and some odds and ends and hummed, and the distinct buzzing of a kazoo sounded.
Judith laughed, and instantly, all the littler kids were around him.
"Lemme try!"
"That's so cool!"
"How'd you make it?"
Carl laughed, holding it out of their reach. "One at a time, guys..."
Jamie couldn't help but smile. She told Carl to make an excuse for being late, and he came up with a kazoo. The adults were smiling as they watched, now, and Jamie couldn't help but grin. that was Carl- smart, kind, resourceful- but most importantly, he was hers.