A/N: Six months later, here is a follow up to the last chapter! More adventures of the Grimes family & kitten (& friends!)
"Carl!" Rick called for the third time, attempting to locate his son so they could head out for the day's work. He paused when he heard giggling. Turning back toward the main cellblock door that was slightly ajar, he quickly walked over and pulled it open all the way. In the area that had now become known as the courtyard, he found his son, his daughter, Beth and-he did a double take-Daryl, hovering around something in the center of their messy circle. To Daryl's credit, he was standing around the perimeter that the other three had formed, but nevertheless, he seemed just as enthralled in whatever was going on as the rest of them. Judith jumped back, startling Rick for a moment, which allowed him to see what it was they were all so interested in. That little cat that Daryl had rescued and his daughter had adopted. Said cat was currently standing on it's hind legs and flailing it's little paws rapidly as Beth dangled a piece of string around in front of it. She passed the string onto Carl who did the same and passed it back to Judith. The cat didn't seem to tire of the game, continually pouncing around after the elusive string. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but Rick was pretty amused at the sight too. He had never considered himself much of a pet person, but he'd be lying if he said that cat wasn't growing on him. But due to Lori's constant teasing, he refused to show his slow acceptance of the tiny creature.
A week ago when he and Carl had come back in from tending their crops, he walked into his cell that he shared with Lori-and Judith, most of the time, who refused to stay with her brother in their own room that was just next door-expecting to lay down on the bed for a moment and get a bit of rest before dinner. What he was not expecting was to see his wife and daughter on the bed cuddling a tiny, sleeping kitten. Lori filled him in that Daryl had found and rescued the little thing and given it to Judith as a gift. He agreed it was a nice gesture, but still recoiled a bit at the idea of having to take care of yet another life in this prison-one that constantly whined at night when someone wasn't cuddling it and attacked his feet whenever he attempted to walk by. He got in the habit of putting his boots on before he let his feet touch the ground. But it made nearly everyone else so happy that he just couldn't kick the thing out. Forget everyone else, he could see that the creature-Carrot, as Judith adamantly let him know it was to be called-sent his daughter over the moon with excitement. He could never deny her something that made her so happy.
And so the prison became home to little "Carrie" too. Beth, Glenn and Maggie, Carol, even Daryl and Tyreese would regularly join in with Judith as she played with the cat. He was trying to decide if they were doing it for Judith's sake or for their own. Everyone just seemed to love that cat. His wife-never missing a beat-noted the way he would eye the little cat or grumble when it didn't go to the bathroom in it's designated box. She would constantly remind him that it took him awhile to warm up to a lot of things. She believed firmly that he would soon become as enamored with Carrot as everyone else was. He hated when she was right about things like that-which was generally all the time.
"Daddy! Daddy!" A little voice broke him from his thoughts, and shortly after a small body collided with his legs as Judith gave him a firm hug. She pulled back enough so that she could tilt her head up to see his face, "you play with Ca-wee?" she asked innocently, fixing him with her big eyes that were so much like her mother's except for the color which she had inherited from him. Rick glanced at the others who were all staring back at him with looks of apprehension on their faces. Though Daryl looked more like he was hiding a smirk, fully anticipating what was about to happen. He looked back down to Judith who hadn't stopped staring at him, awaiting a response.
"Alright," he nodded, "just for a moment, okay? Carl and I have to get to our crops." The little girl broke out into a grin that never failed to melt him completely. Even if Carrot wasn't growing on him, he would have agreed just to see her smile like that.
"It's okay, the cops wait," she replied as her small hand grabbed his larger one and tugged him over to where the group had gathered. Everyone chuckled at her mispronunciation of the word 'crops' but she didn't notice, too focused on watching with delight as her daddy stooped over to grab the string and Carrot immediately jumped up, continuing the game. Rick still wasn't ready to admit it to everyone, but he really was starting to enjoy that cat, he just could no longer decide if it was because she made Judith so happy or because she was so adorable. He'd still stubbornly insist it was the former as long as he could get away with it.
Lori had made her way to the open door sometime around the part where Judith asked Rick to play. She chuckled to herself, watching as her husband conceded, as she knew he would, and stooped to the ground to play with the kitten. She noted his grin and the ease with which he handled the kitten, no longer distant and begrudging as he was when Carrot had first come into their lives. She decided she'd ease up on teasing him, and just wait until he inevitably got comfortable enough with his enjoyment of the cat that he no longer tried to pretend he didn't want it around. That day couldn't be too far, she decided. And on that thought she walked out into the courtyard to join in the fun with her family.
