Hi all, sorry it took so long to update.
I do not own the walking dead.

Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Farewell

A knock at my brothers door made me roll to the edge of the bed; I was bored staring at the ceiling anyway.
"Come in." I said, rubbing my throbbing headache. The door opened and Vincent stepped into the room and I rolled my eyes.
"You don't need to knock to come into your own home."
"I thought you might be resting."
I looked at the blanket I had pulled back, that had been my intent a few minutes ago but I just couldn't bring myself to close my eyes. Even if I could I don't think my mind would allow rest, it was raging.
"No, just thinking."

Vincent sat beside me, the bed dipping and I swung my legs off the bed, my boots still on and I stared at them as Vincent cleared his throat.
"About Daryl?"
All I could do was nod and I looked up across the room to where I had put the piece of jasper on the table. I thought deciding between life and death would be harder, but now I felt like I was trying to decide what arm I felt like cutting off. As we sat there in the quiet, hearing others outside in the corridor or in their own apartments laughing and chatting I could remember when Vincent and I would go to the docks, sit there with our toes dipped in the water as we watched the world live around us, watching the boats coming and going, the people that would stop and chat and the songs that they would hum; what happened to that innocence? Surely the human race wasn't as disgusting as many thought, surely God didn't hate what we had become that much that he wanted to torment us? At the end of the day though it was done, all that mattered now was surviving to maybe have a chance of seeing this thing through to the end.

"I always said that you should never think," Vincent chuckled and I shot him a glare, "it's dangerous."
I couldn't help but give a weak smile, his shoulder pushing against mine.
"He is leaving today."
It shocked me, not that he was leaving or leaving today, but to actually hear it, it was really happening, I was losing the man that I had fallen in love with. With the world as cold as it was, I just knew that if he left, I would never see him again. It was a miracle that I had lived, it was a miracle that I had found my brother, and I think I have used up all my luck. Swallowing hard, I straightened up my black cardigan, pulling the long sleeves over my hands after I tied my hair back from my face.
"You care for him?"
I nodded and Vincent got up off the bed, walking over to a cupboard and bringing out my bow and quiver, along with my machete and gun. He paused, looking at the bow before he stood in front of me.

"You might want these things back then, Rambo."
I rolled my eyes at the joke, standing and taking back the weapons that had become extra limbs to me. Vincents hand lingered on the bow before he relinquished it to me.
"I'm guessing your even better at it now." He chuckled and I nodded, remembering all the hours I would spend on the paddock aiming at a makeshift target of hay and blankets, Vincent and Sean behind me, distracting and encouraging me all at the same time. Vincent was the archer of the family, he was the best I had ever seen, until I met Daryl.
"Do you have one?"
"We've yet to find an ammo shop that hasn't been raided. That would have been the first place people went. You hang onto it,"
"I wasn't going to offer it," I lied, laying it down carefully on the bed while I wrapped the gun holster around my hips, strapping the quiver to my thigh.

I was suiting up, or so it felt and as I turned back to the bed, Vincent laying my arrows and some news ones beside it, I hesitated. Dark green eyes were watching me and I looked up at him and could see the sadness etching into his face, his lips clamped shut. Typical him; he could find out everything about everyone else, not to blackmail them or control them, but to help them but the second that it came to my brother feeling or wanting anything, just silence.
Looking back to the bow, did this mean I was leaving?
My hand twitched beside me, I was tired, I had just come back from the dead and I was going to go run around and tempt fate again? Then again it didn't matter who I was with or where I was, nothing was guaranteed.
This was it, this was my decision and with a sigh and prepared myself to say farewell.

"There will be a working car by the building with the billboard on it, keys are under the floor matt."
I could hear Armstrongs booming voice as I made my way down the stairs, Vincent not far behind me. The main foyer to the once what I would have assumed expensive apartment building was empty, a few armed people leaning against the wall as another started to tape newspaper to the windows. It blocked out the sun and well as the view of the walkers, maybe so that we didn't have to see them or so that their hungry eyes couldn't see us.
We rounded the corner, the small maintenance room window revealing that the back of the building wasn't as crowded with walkers, the sun streaming in and revealing the dusty room and Daryl who was waiting by the door.

Armstrong handed him a gun, Daryl taking it reluctantly, standing up straight when he saw myself and Vincent walk in. Daryl turned his head, a small tilt of his lips smiling at me and I returned it, stepping up beside me.
"Can sneak out this wa'. It only took us under an 'our to get here, we can make it back before dark and get a head star' lookin for the others."
I nodded my head, that was a good plan but I bit my bottom lip hard as Daryl looked at me, his eyes tracing me up and down. Trix wasn't with me, and my bow was still up on the bed and I could see Daryl recognise what this meant. Behind me, Vincent stepped out of the room, Armstrong following and I dropped my arms to my side.
"I'm staying."

Daryl tensed, turning away from me slightly and shifting his weight, as though he didn't know how to take the news.
"This is my brother," I said, trying to explain my decision, "I can't lose him again."
Daryl frowned at me, the hurt obvious in his eyes. Rolling his shoulders, he turned his eyes to look at everything but me, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and I felt terrible.
"But you can handle losing me?" he asked quietly and I could do nothing but stand there, watching his face harden with anger before he sighed, stepping towards me as if going to embrace me but he stopped, jabbing his finger at me as he took a few more steps away.
"I just got you back."
Still unable to find any words that would make him feel better, I carefully moved closer to him, my hand tracing down that strong jaw as I kissed him. He remained rigid, fighting himself not to return the kiss or to pull me into him.

When Daryl didn't move, I stepped away from him and Vincent and Armstrong returned to the room, watching as Daryl stared at me before he managed a slow blink and a sad nod of his head at me.
"We'll give you as much cover as you need."
"Nah, the quieter the betta. Thanks for the car and food man." He spoke to Vincent, inclining his head in thanks and quietly Armstrong opened the door, only a few of the walkers noticing and slowly making their way towards the door. I wanted to stop Daryl there, I wanted to lock that door and yet at the same time I wanted to leave with him. I wanted to give him something, something to remember me by but what? And why? There was no place for that in this world, and with my gut wrenching I forced a smile onto my face and watched him walk away.

I stepped forward but Armstrong quickly shut the door as walkers began to approach. With my heart in my throat I looked to the window, peering out and watching as Daryl weaved around the walkers, slowly vanishing from my sight and just like that, he was gone.

The night was just as bitter and as cold as any other winter night as I huddled into the jacket I was given, but no matter what I did, I couldn't get warm.

I sat in an old lawn chair, one of many that were positioned in the corridor. As a restriction and precaution my brother made a rule of lights out when it was dark; we didn't want any unwanted attention. So instead we had two or three camp lights along the corridor, people sitting around it as food was dished out. It wasn't much, some brown rice and dried beef with even a bit of tomato sauce for the kids but it was more than enough and I could barely get through it. My stomach was full, probably with sadness I thought and loneliness, even though I had people asking me left right and centre how I was feeling, how I had survived this so far and where I had come from, what I had done before the fall of humanity. It had been a decent distraction for a while, but now many had gone to their rooms, tucking their children in and resting privately. Vincent sat in the chair next to me, talking and laughing quietly with some of the other 'soldiers', people I had seen walking around during the day monitoring and all had guns on their hips and ready in their hands.

I wanted to go as well, find a bed somewhere and weep but I pulled the jacket tighter around me, staring into the light of the camp lantern. I couldn't let a broken heart defeat me, even though what I felt with Daryl was the only time I had ever felt it, and I had let him run away; literally.
"Here."
A tumbler was held in front of me, the dark brown liquid swishing up the sides before it settled and I followed the arm back to my brother. He wiggled it slightly as I stared at him dumbly before I shook my head.
"I had tablets with dinner, she said not to mix it with-"
"Go on," Hughes encouraged me, taking out a bottle of beer from somewhere and slumped back in his chair, looking far more relaxed then when I first met him on the roof, "you survived a fucking zombie bite, I don't think a glass of whisky is going to kill you now."
I took the glass from my brother with a shrug, he had a point, and the rich smell of the alcohol was too enticing. It burnt down my throat but I let out a satisfied sigh, finishing the rest with a gulp.
"Take it easy, you're like a fish out of water, and we're on rations." Vincent chuckled and I felt a blush grow on my cheeks, whether from the alcohol or seeming like an alcoholic I didn't really care.

Ashwin appeared from the shadows to our side and Vincent and Hughes let out a small quiet cheer as the old man said in a heavy accent that he had a bottle somewhere.
"Man I couldn't have done what that guy did today." Hughes groaned, taking a swig form his beer that he hissed at for being warm, despite the cold night. He looked across the short distance to me and gave me a strange look.
"I thought for sure you would go with him."
"Well blood is thicker than water, right, Jasmine?" he patted my leg and I tried not to shoot him a harsh look at the use of my new name, I knew he didn't mean for it to sound the way it did.
"It doesn't matter about who is out there, all that matters is that you are here with me, and who knows," he chuckled, glancing between Hughes and myself, "maybe a new love can blossom here…"
I rolled my eyes; my brother was never drunk, we had all promised each other as children that we never would, but one sip and my brother thought it meant he could have a loose tongue. Hughes just laughed and I pushed his hand away from me, giggling despite my body creaking.
Ashwin returned, producing the bottle of scotch and I held up my glass as he gestured.

"Yeah, maybe it was a mistake to meet him, I was debating for ages whether or not to help him." I almost slapped myself for saying such a thing and Ashwin lowered his hand to mine, catching my gaze. With better English that I thought he could muster, he looked me straight in the eye and even in the dull light I could see something wise sparkle in them.
"A snowflake never falls in the wrong place."
At that he handed the bottle to Vincent, Hughes making a comment about old indian riddles as Ashwin took his seat again, Trix padding over from his spot next to me to drop his head in the old mans lap. It was food for thought and I did think, sipping on the warm drink.
Without Daryl, I wouldn't be here now. I would never have found the group, which in turn led to me surviving most of the winter, it challenged my people person skills most of the time, but I had found something there that took my mind off of things, even if for an hour.
Yes I ended up bitten trying to save them, but I did save them, and Daryl could have shot me, seen me bitten and put me out of my misery like a sick dog but he didn't, and I would never get the chance now to ask him why.

"What you thinking about?" Vincent asked and I finished my drink again in one gulp, feeling my head spin in a funny way.
"Thinking that, without him, I would never have found you."
"Technically I found you."
He was right, I couldn't argue and Trix pawed at my knee as Ashwin stood, disappearing into his room for the night.
"Any way you should really get some rest," Vincent said, standing to give me a hand up, "we have a big day tomorrow."
"What," I asked as he led me back to the room, opening the door and letting me in but not joining me, "laundry day."
He chuckled, a sound I was grateful to be able to hear again.
"I wish, we leave tomorrow. We will be escorting these people somewhere else, a town away from here."
I frowned, praying that we weren't going back to the town that I had fled from but then I could never imagine my brother getting tangle up with people like that.
"Can I ask where?"
Vincent nodded, smiling as he watched to make sure I found the small flashlight so that I could get myself organised for the night.
"Woodbury."

Oooh, do you think she made the right choice? And what is Vincent doing at Woodbury?
Remember, if you haven't seen season 3, the next following chapters will hold spoilers.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!
Silver Kirin
xXx