Katie trailed behind Daryl as he led her down a dimly lit hallway and towards her new room at the Kingdom. Daryl's footsteps echoed in the empty space and Katie smiled as she watched him walk. A decade of survival hadn't changed his posture at all, he still had the same sexy swagger. And it still turned her on.
Before leaving the outdoor cafeteria, Katie had promised Lydia they'd catch up more later. She had so many questions for the girl and she was sure Lydia had some for her. But, that could wait. Right now she was dead on her feet and anxious for a quiet space to collect her thoughts.
Daryl stopped in front of a door that bore the number 7. "Lucky seven. This is us."
He threw the door open and gestured for her to enter first. Katie walked past him and into the dormitory style room was sparse, but easily a hundred times better than what she'd had with Alpha's group, and in the center sat one lone bed. She almost choked on a laugh. "So, they have us bunking together?"
"That a problem?" Daryl threw his pack on the ground as he entered the room behind her.
Katie shrugged her good shoulder. "Not for me."
"I won't be here much." Daryl mumbled when he saw the only bed. But, it didn't seem to deter him and threw himself onto it, groaning when he hit the mattress.
"Where will you be?" She asked, dropping her small backpack to the floor.
He threw his hands behind his head and got comfortable, crossing his legs at the ankle. "Around."
"Around." She quietly mocked him, earning herself a playful glare.
Katie gave him a wicked smile and then joined him on the bed, scooting closer until their bodies almost touched. She adjusted her weight trying to get used to the feel of the softness underneath her. Lying beside one another felt right. Comfortable. Like the old hoodie Katie had worn throughout her college years, it was soft and familiar.
Daryl peeked at her from the corner of his eye. "How's the shoulder?"
"Sore, but I'll live." She let out a yawn. "I want to thank Carol and Ezekial and let them know that I'm not here to free load. I plan to pull my weight."
"Sure."
"And do they have somewhere that I maybe could get some more clothes?" Now that she knew what it felt like to be clean again her days of living filthy were over.
"Tomorrow. Get some sleep," Daryl said softly. "Been a day."
The offer was tempting, but she nudged his boot with hers."You promised we'd talk."
Daryl chewed his bottom lip. "We're talking'."
"You know what I mean."
He held back a sigh and looked up to the ceiling, focusing on a water spot above them. "What ya wanna know, Peach?"
Hearing him use her old nickname warmed her. "Who was she?"
His answer was quiet and breathy. "Her name was Leah."
"What happened?" She rolled onto her side so she could watch his face as he talked.
Daryl shrugged. "She's gone. Don't know where."
"Did you look for her?"
"She didn't want ta be found."
"If you did find her again-"
"That don't matter now. Not anymore." Daryl quickly interrupted her. He looked at her with his stormy eyes and inside her chest, her heart squeezed. She decided to take a chance and reached for his hand. When he didn't pull away she threaded their fingers together. They were still a perfect fit.
"Dare," she said quietly, trying not to spook him. "What you said in the barn about us not going back to how it was? I don't know if I can do that. I don't know how to be anything other than us."
At her admission, he broke their eye contact but didn't release her hand. He was quiet a long moment and Katie began to wonder if she had made the wrong move. Just before she opened her mouth to apologize, Daryl spoke, "What you said last night about that guy-"
"Justin."
"Yeah. It was the same. With Leah."
Katie squeezed his hand, wordlessly letting him know that she understood. He hadn't loved Leah. They'd spent a decade apart, but the time had done little to separate them. "So, what now?"
Daryl's eyes closed. "This is a fucked up mess, Peach."
"That's an understatement." Katie snorted in agreement. "If I hadn't been with Alpha? Do you think it would be different for us?"
He rolled over possible answers in his head before deciding the truth was best. "Yeah, probably."
Katie sighed. "You don't trust me?"
He shook his head. "Ain't that. It's just. It's a lot. All this."
They fell quiet then, unsure of what else to say. Katie sat with her thoughts, overwhelmed by what had transpired over the last few days. A few minutes later, Daryl's hand softened inside of hers, going slack. A small, soft snore escaped his lips.
Katie looked over and studied his face. With a gentle finger she traced the scar across his right eye. Daryl's lids fluttered but he didn't wake up.
"I don't care how fucked up this is," she whispered. "I finally feel like myself again."
They both slept hard through the night and after breakfast the next morning, Daryl took Katie to a small building that housed the Kingdom's trade store. She marveled at what was available to her, but only took a few essential items. An extra outfit and a few pairs of underwear, soap, a toothbrush and hairbrush. She wanted to work and earn anything else she needed.
Everywhere they went, people acknowledged Daryl. Katie watched as he greeted everyone who stopped to say hello.
"You're popular." She teased as he walked her back to their room.
Daryl rolled his eyes. "Hardly." Instead of walking into their room, he braced himself on the outside of the doorframe. "I got a few things to take care of. Ya good?"
She was good and took advantage of Daryl being gone. She stood in front of the small mirror that hung on the concrete wall. It had been years since she took a good long look at herself.
"Damn." She sighed when she saw the reflection that peered back at her. She looked old. Old and tired. With her ring finger, she pressed gently at the dark, sunken skin under her eyes. Her brown hair was stringy and dull, and a few stands of gray had started to pop up around her temples. And it was long. Too long. It hadn't seen scissors in years.
In college, she'd been too broke for a real haircut and had learned how to cut her own hair. She'd gotten pretty damn good at it. She had picked up a pair of scissors at the trade store and grabbed them from the desk, maybe cutting hair was like riding a bicycle. With her free hand she gathered her hair up and away from her face. Tilting her head to the side, she considered the new length. It brushed just below her shoulders and was the same length as it had been when she met Daryl.
Before she could overthink it, Katie began to snip away. Large chunks of tangled locks fell to the floor around her feet. She cut and chopped and before she knew it, six inches of length was gone.
She ran her finger tips along her scalp, fluffing the hair that was left and adjusting the part. "That's fucking better."
Daryl walked in then and took note of the hair on the floor, but didn't say anything.
"Hey." Katie said to his reflection in the mirror.
He closed the door behind him and caught her eye. "Ya good?"
She smiled. "Fantastic."
He looked again at the hair on the floor and nodded. "Good. Carol wants to meet you."
"Now!?"
"Ya got somewhere else ta be?"
"Well, no."
"Now's as good a time as any."
Katie looked down at herself. "Do I look okay?"
The corner of Daryl's mouth quirked up. "Ya look fine."
"I'm meeting the Queen, Dare." She deadpanned.
"It's just Carol. She ain't gonna care how ya look."
Their eyes met in the mirror and Katie sighed. "Ya sure?"
Daryl took a few steps forward and stood close enough that she could feel his breath on her shoulder. With his fingertips, he gently touched the ends of her hair. "It looks good."
"Thank you." She said quietly.
His hand fell to her shoulder and he gave it a quick, tight squeeze. It took all Katie's strength to not collapse against him. "Let's go."
Katie stood in front of Carol and her husband Ezekial with Daryl by her side. From the look in their eyes, it was obvious the couple was experiencing deep grief.
Ezekial offered her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Welcome to the Kingdom."
Unexpectedly, Katie's eyes welled and her throat constricted. "Thank you. I am so sorry for your loss. You didn't have to offer me a place to stay, I am thankful for your kindness."
Carol took her husband's hand and answered with a watery voice, "Daryl is family and he had a lot of good things to say about you. He made it hard to say no."
Daryl's large hand came to rest on her elbow and Katie felt an immediate sense of comfort.
"Thank you," she whispered. "Please, put me to work. I'll help however I'm needed."
Ezekiel smiled at them. "We have plenty of opportunities. What's your fancy?"
"I can do anything. Honestly. Cooking. Farming. Hunting. Tracking. Defense. I can do it all."
Ezekiel smiled at her eagerness. "What do you say, Daryl?"
His eyes traveled over Katie. "I taught her how to track. And I've seen her fight. She's good."
"I'll ask Jerry about guard duty. He always needs extra hands."
Katie nodded. "I'd be happy to help there."
Carol's face turned serious and her head tilted as she studied Katie. "Katie, do you mind if I talk to my husband and Daryl privately for a moment?"
"Not at all." She looked over to Daryl and he gave her a quick nod. "I'll be right outside."
She walked down the long theater aisle and pushed open the heavy doors. They creaked and then banged closed, but offered little privacy for the trio inside. Katie could still catch snippets of their conversation.
"I want her to stick close to you, Daryl."
"Can't be too careful, I suppose."
"We don't know her motives."
"She ain't here to hurt nobody." She heard Daryl defend her. "She wanted to get away. Same as Lydia."
"It's been ten years, Daryl. People change."
Daryl mumbled something she couldn't make out.
"How do we know she and Lydia aren't planning something?"
"Ya want me to take them somewhere else? We don't hafta stay here. We'll go to Alexandria."
"No. Stay here. We just can't be too careful. Alpha is still out there with that horde."
"As long as we obey her borders-"
"Fuck her and her borders!" Carol's voice rose and Katie flinched.
The trio inside was quiet for a long time and Katie strained to hear if anything was being said.
"Alright." She heard Daryl concede. "I'll babysit. Keep her close. And Lydia too. Won't be a problem."
She heard his footsteps begin to walk towards her and stop when Carol called his name. "Daryl."
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're here.
Katie didn't hear Daryl's answer, she was too focused on his comment about babysitting her. It didn't sit right. She didn't escape and risk her life just to be a burden to him. When Daryl exited the theater his face looked taunt and tired.
"All good." He said as the doors closed behind him.
But, was it? Was it really all good? Katie wasn't so sure. Last night everything felt perfect. This morning it felt all mixed up.
