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Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Walking Dead, the comics or the television series, nor its characters. All I own is Katherine, other OCs, and some plot points.

Warnings: Daryl and OC romance, swearing, crude humor, sexual content, gore, violence, mentions types of abuse, and alcohol and drug references.

Chapter: Ten

Katherine wasn't sure what angered her more: the fact that Daryl was furious with her or the fact that he had yet to have the courage to confront her about it. That just added to the woman's foul mood thanks to the fact that she was out of commission to assist the search party, so there was basically nothing for her to do (her dominant hand was rendered useless) and that she still had to wear a dress to accommodate her injury.

Daryl was behaving like a child, yet she was being coddled as if she was one.

Well, no longer.

If Daryl wasn't going to confront her, she was going to confront him; someone had to be the adult between the two of them.

Thus, as those who could go out searching for Sophia started to assemble and head out into the woods to their designated grids, Katherine left Scout with Carl, which he was thrilled about, and caught up with Daryl before he left. "Hey, Daryl! Daryl! Hey!"

He kept walking away as if he hadn't heard her, but she had noticed the way his shoulders tensed at his voice. She scowled, nonetheless, and kept trying, "Daryl! Hey!"

Nothing.

Growling in exasperation, Katherine sprinted a bit, so she could get in front of the redneck and face him. She placed a hand on his chest to get him to stop.

"Wha'?" he snapped and her eyes narrowed.

"Don't what me, Dixon. I am tryin' to talk to ya." she said.

"I ain't got nuttin' ta say ta ya, Kat." he told her before starting to move around her, but Katherine grabbed his arm. He glared. She stood her ground.

"I highly doubt ya have nothin' to say, but fine." She had to resist from rolling her eyes. "Just listen."

Daryl did roll his eyes, though, yet remained still and silent.

"Okay," The female took a deep breath. She knew, or at least sensed, that they'd be an argument and she was preparing herself. "Ya wanna tell me why you've got such a large stick up your ass?"

"Excuse me?" he almost sneered, stiffly.

She gave him an even look, a hand on her hip. "Ya heard me, Dixon. Why do ya have such a large stick up your ass?"

"Ya don' get it, do ya?"

"Get what?"

"Ya really are a fuckin' dumbass. Ya don' have a fuckin' clue."

Now, Katherine rolled those green peepers of hers, throwing up her hand, her temper flaring. "Fine. Then, why don't ya indulge me, oh, wise one?"

At that challenge, Daryl gritted him teeth as he stepped towards him, invading her space intimidatingly. "ya were careless. Ya risked ya life fer sum, damned dog, who was pretty much dead, anyway. Ya were a fuckin' dumbass ta think ya could handle all this on yer own. Ya ain't no fighter or hunter, yer a lil' rich girl, who tries too damn hard 'nd doesn't think or care 'bout da consequences."

Katherine was nonplussed, feeling like she was being stabbed, but she would not cry; she would not give him that satisfaction. No, she exploded, pushing him back. "You've some fuckin' balls, Daryl Dixon. I risked my life for another life. If ya thought for one second that I could leave someone or something behind that needed my help, then ya don't know a single, fuckin' thing about me. Scout needed me. So yeah, maybe I got hurt, but y'know what? Shit happens and I would do it again, especially if Scout had been Sophia."

"'Nd dat's exactly yer problem, Katherine. Ya don' give a shit 'bout how yer actions affect others. Yer selfish."

"Selfish? I just saved a fuckin' dog! I couldn't leave him!"

"Ya left yer brother! Ya need someone ta take care of ya! Protect ya from makin' stupid-ass decisions like yes'erday! Ya should've come wit' me, jus' like ya should've from da beginnin'! Nun of dis fuckin' bullshit woulda happened!"

Katherine felt like she had been slapped in the face and had the strongest temptation to slap him, but found that she physically could not. She verbally slapped him, though. "I cannot believe that you're thrownin' that in my face. But y'know what? I don't see your sorry hick ass tryin' to find your brother."

Daryl glowered, face darkening. "Are we done?" he hissed through clenched teeth, his Southern twang incredibly thick thanks to his anger.

Snorting indignantly through her nose, Katherine stepped aside. "Go ahead. Go. Be my guest." she grumbled, flinging her hand out. "Bye."

Daryl scoffed and brushed passed her, adjusting his crossbow across his shoulders, grumbling to himself. Katherine just watched him go, glaring at his retreating back. Not for one second did she let a tear fall.

The day seemed to drag on, especially when there wasn't much for one to do with a useless dominant arm. Katherine was bored out of her mind, which didn't lighten her mood. Sure, she had shimmered down a bit, but the residual hurt and anger from her fight with Daryl earlier remained.

She played with Carl and Scout to strengthen the puppy's legs. She fed the horses. She tried to help Carol and Lori fix lunch. She had even spoken a little with Maggie and Beth when Hershel gave her a check up and changed her hand's bandages. Currently, she was lounging in Dale's RV, reading; she had figured being in his presence could be her silent apology for snapping at him the way she did for it was Daryl she was mad and not him.

Ultimately, Glenn stepped in, politely greeting the two occupants. Then, she finally addressed Dale, "I came to return your book."

"Oh, thank you," the older male said and gave a apologetic smile. "Sorry if it wasn't good. Didn't exactly prepare my library for the end of the world."

"Its okay," Glenn shrugged, looking oddly at odds as he sat down across from Katherine with a deep sigh.

Dale and Katherine exchanged curious glances. Usually, the Korean was so upbeat or as upbeat as one could be these days.

"Something on your mind, Glenn?" inquired Dale with a quirked eyebrow.

Glenn pursed his lips pensively before speaking, "Dale, you know women, right?" Dale's brow arched further. "And you're a woman, Kat, so you know them, too, right?"

Katherine deadpanned. "…Noticed that, did you?"

"You know what I mean!"

"Not really, no."

"Why don't you tell us what you're getting at, Glenn?" Dale said calmly.

"Okay," he began slowly. "And I mean no offense or anything, Kat, but…are all the women in this group on their period or something?"

"What?" sputtered Dale, taken aback.

"…excuse me?" Katherine said dryly, deadpanning further.

"Well, I-I just mean that Maggie has been acting weird, Lori's been acting weird, Andrea's been acting weird… Like one minute, Maggie doesn't like. Another, she wants to have sex with me. Then, she doesn't like me again. I heard that when a buncha women get together and are around each other for a long time, their cycles line up. So…" He shrugged after his nervous rambling.

Once again, the other two exchanged glances.

"I'd advise keeping that to yourself." suggested Dale.

Katherine added with a nod, "So would I. Strongly."

"I can't think of anything else."

"How about this? Why don't we dissect all this?" Dale offered simply. "What makes you think Maggie wants to have sex with you?"

Soon, an almost complacent appearance came across the young man's face as he gave a goofy smile. And that was all Dale and Katherine needed to figure out what his answer was.

Katherine actually laughed, playfully nudging Glenn in approval; everyone deserved at least one good lay these days. Dale, on the other hand, had opposing feelings. "Oh, son, no. That's Hershel's daughter. His daughter."

"She's twenty-two. She can make her own decisions."

"That may be, but she is still the daughter of the man, who is kindly letting us stay here." the bearded man pointed out sternly.

"He doesn't know."

"Good. Make sure it stays that way. What were you thinking?"

Glenn sighed deeply. "I was thinking that…I could die tomorrow and that I wanted to feel something other than fear."

"Hmm," Katherine mused idly. "Can't argue with that."

"Kat, you're not helping," scolded Dale. He turned back to Glenn. "You need to think more rationally about this, Glenn. We need this land."

Apparently, that was not the advice Glenn had been hoping for as he shook his hatted head, rising to his feet. "You're right. The book did suck." With that, he left.

Dale sighed, pinching his nose. That was before he addressed Katherine slowly, "You're not going to storm off, too, are you?"

She blinked up at him. "Uh…Maggie's lovely and all, but…I ain't sleepin' with her."

"No, no, no," He shook his head. "I meant if I spoke to you about Daryl."

And she frowned, eyes adverting to the opened book on the table in front of her. "…What's there to talk about?" she whispered.

"The spat you two had earlier, maybe?"

"Ya heard that?"

"Kat, dear, I think everyone heard that."

Katherine's frown worsened and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. "Sorry 'bout that. Our arguments can get kinda loud."

"Do you two argue a lot?" Dale asked gently, yet curiously as he sat across from her. He had to trod carefully not wanting to anger her further nor across any boundaries he shouldn't.

"No, actually," she replied, honestly. "But when we do, we…say things we should never say or mean or we just ignore each other until we both apologize or one of us speaks to the other about nothin' pertainin' to what we fought about, which is usually the case 'cuz generally we fight about the same damn thing."

"And that is?"

"…Us."

"Ah."

So they were aware of how they cared about each other.

Katherine exhaled slowly, massaging her temple in frustration. She wasn't entirely one to confide in others, but she needed to vent and she felt like Dale would be the most helpful and would possibly give her the best advice, he seemed so in tune with others, including her, shockingly enough.

Dale hesitantly asked, "Why is the subject of you two such a sensitive one?"

She shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Then again, it doesn't matter why 'cuz it can never happen, anyway."

"Why?" Dale's brows furrowed. "Because you two argued?"

"No, Dale," Katherine shook her head, making a face. "Look around us. The world is ending, Dale. Nothing lasts forever, especially nowadays. A relationship, of any kind, would be ridiculous, illogical. Either one of us could die at any moment."

"So?"

"So? So? Whaddya mean so?"

"That's exactly what I mean. I'm not telling you that you two should get married, but clearly, you two care a great deal about each other. It'd be a waste and a downright shame if one of you were to die without telling or at least showing each other that. Have you ever thought that that is maybe the reason why Daryl is so upset?"

That stumped Katherine, staring at the elderly man before her.

Those words struck a cord within her and she was speechless. She had never thought of that, she had never thought that that would be Daryl's potential reason, but then again, he had always seem put off by the prospect of them being a couple or at least crossing that line of being more than friends. She didn't know what to think. She didn't even know how to feel. Katherine had always, deep down, yearned for something more with Daryl, but that had been before the Geekcalypse. Things were different now. Getting too close could wind up in heartache. Not to mention, she still did not know how Daryl felt, especially now thanks to Dale's logic.

Suddenly, though, Katherine's muddled thoughts were cut odd by Scout loud and frantic barking, which was followed by Andrea shouting "Walker!" from the roof of the RV.

Dale and Katherine looked to one another fretfully, hearts dropping.