Tuesday Morning

Daryl sat slumped at the breakfast table, pushing his Cheerios' around the bowl until they had turned from circles to a pile of disgusting mush. The sound of Jim and Charlene getting ready, weaving in and out of the bathroom and their bedroom between a conversation about wedding flowers was about enough to make him want to throw his bowl through the window. But he knew it wasn't their fault, they were allowed to be happy in their own house even if he was feeling like he'd taken a beating except there wasn't a mark on him.

"What happened last night?" Charlene brought him a fresh coffee to replace the one that was sitting cold next to his cheerio mush. "You and Kate disappeared pretty quick…"

Daryl dropped his spoon in the bowl with a resounding clink and pushed his fingers against his eyelids to help settle the stinging need for sleep.

"You alright?" Jim joined him at the table.

Daryl sat back in his chair with a groan.

"Somethin' happen?" Jim peered at him from the rim of his hat.

"Nothin'"

"You ain't acting like nothing," Charlene fixed herself some cereal, her red ponytail swishing with every move she made around the little kitchen. "It don't hurt to talk about things you know…"

He picked up his spoon, making one more circle of the mush then pressing it all flat. They would only keep prying so he might as well say it, "Kate went home, she made it pretty damn clear she wants me to fuck off."

Jim coughed up some of his coffee, "what the heck? What did she say?"

"She said, 'fuck off Daryl'."

Charlene slammed her bowl of cheerios onto the table, milk sloshing over the side with some little O's jumping to freedom, "I'm about to kick her skinny British ass."

Daryl snorted miserably. If Charlene wasn't knocked up he might have liked to see Kate have some sense knocked into her pretty little head. Then he felt guilty for even contemplating liking that idea. God he fucking hated Kate right now.

"I just don't understand what happened, the way she was looking at you all day… why'd she say a thing like that?" Charlene waved her hands dramatically with a look of concern but Daryl knew the redhead lived for this sort of thing if the tv shows she liked to watch were any indication.

"I dunno. I think Merle might have said somethin' but… I just don't fuckin' understand what goes on in 'er head."

Daryl let Charlene stroke his head like he was a child, it was comforting and helped push away the headache that was forming from a restless night spent wondering what exactly he'd done wrong and feeling sick that it was all over with. He'd almost wanted to call in sick at work this morning and would have done, hell he would have quit so he didn't have to see her face again if it wasn't for the farm. More than ever he needed money and a job to help him get the his new home back on its feet.

"You gonna talk to Merle?" Jim said.

"I dunno… Merle don't know half the shit that comes out of his mouth an' it don't matter none anyway. She told me to fuck off, so that's what I'm gonna do. I wasted enough damn time on her ass." In his opinion he'd chased her longer than any woman deserved to be chased and he was damned if he was going to chase her again.

Charlene sat at the table, her mouth turned upside down in a frown, "you guys would have had real pretty babies."

"Charlene!" Jim scolded.

"Jesus. Ya didn't say any shit like that to her did ya?" Daryl said.

"No, I just said she could come to my wedding," Charlene focused on the little sugar bowl in the middle of the table, slowly scooping one and a half sugars into her coffee then carefully stirring, "I mean there ain't nothing wrong with that."

"Well I'm done talkin' 'bout 'er," Daryl took a gulp of his fresh coffee, wincing as it burned like lava down his throat. "Jim, would ya mind drivin' me into Atlanta? I left Merle's bike outside Kate's house and I wanna get it while she's on 'er run."

/

There was no sign of Kate when he picked up his bike and he wasn't sure whether that made him happy, glad, pissed off or even more miserable. The whole drive over to her house he'd been praying not to see her but the second he had stepped out of Jim's truck he had looked at her window and prayed she would be there. God, he had no idea how to feel. He wasn't used to feeling much of anything, now he felt like he was feeling everything.

He'd been early for work and had used the time to make a cup of coffee which he drank before heading over to the security office where he relieved Rick before sitting down at the monitors and of course noticing her car, then her stepping out. Why he did this to himself he wasn't sure but he watched her for a moment before finding the shitty detective novel that still sat on the desk and forced himself to read word after word, although none of it sank in.

When Shane arrived he endured a conversation about some woman named Andrea that he'd started fucking. Then he heard it. The sound of Kate's heels hurrying down the hall and straight for him. Shane disappeared into the office to grab his things from his locker while Daryl just sat there, straightening his hat and planting his feet firmly on the ground so he didn't fall off the chair.

She turned the corner and his heart jumped with happiness, fright or something in between. God, she looked good. She was wearing the electric blue dress that she wore the first time he ever saw her. Why did she have to come wrapped in such a pretty looking package? From the way her hair tumbled over her shoulder to the way her dress bounced with every clip clopping step.

He had no idea what she was going to do. She walked right up to the desk standing directly in front of him as her big brown eyes settled on his face. "Can I speak with you?" Kate looked over his shoulder to Shane who was still in the security office, "privately?"

Daryl rolled his knuckles against the desk and shifted his feet along the floor as he tried to control the tug of war that pulled him from angry to upset with each passing moment she was standing before him. Did he want to speak to her? Could he take speaking to her? He sighed, rolling the chair backwards so he could stand up. Whether he wanted to speak to her or not he didn't exactly have a choice. He could hardly form the word 'no' or any other. How could he want to kiss her at the same time as barely being able to look her in the eye?

Kate turned on her heel, looking back once to make sure he was following her, which of course he was. He walked with her at just the right pace that he didn't have to look at her. She led him to her office, stepped inside and turned to face him. He shut the door behind him and they stood in silence for a moment. Last week he'd pictured this exact scenario except he'd have been hitching up her skirt right about now instead of thrusting his hands into his pockets and staring at the photo on the wall behind her head. It was of a man he didn't recognise standing next to another man he didn't recognise and right now he was looking at it like it was the most interesting photograph in the world.

"Daryl." She spoke soft and soothing, the tone in her voice caught his attention and made him forget he was supposed to be angry at her. "I'm sorry," Kate's eyes fell to her hands which were clasped in front of her, buried in the floaty fabric of her dress, "the way I spoke to you was… indelicate."

Daryl scratched his chin letting the sorry settle in. People never apologised to him no matter what terrible things they did or said. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to say.

"You must know I hold you in very high esteem. You're a good man, kind and…" she unclasped her hands, letting them fall to the side, bracing the desk behind her, "everything really."

Suddenly he wanted to kiss her, tell her that he was in love with her no matter how crazy she acted.

"But, we cannot allow this dalliance to continue any further than it already has."

"What?" Sometimes they really were on different planets.

"I think we ought to remain as colleagues... friends…" her big brown eyes locked with his, "nothing more."

Daryl felt his body sag, his breath falling out of him in waves until he was empty. Nothing more.

"I'm leaving. I can't continue something that will be over before the month is," she said.

"Don't you think I know that?" Daryl snapped.

"I'm sorry. I want you to understand that-"

"It don't really matter none what I think now does it?" he flung open the door, letting it slam against the too large bookcase that was squeezed into the corner of the office.

"I'm not trying to hurt you…" Kate reached out, her hand wrapping around his forearm, a gentle tug pulling him towards her, but he couldn't take it.

"That don't mean ya ain't." Daryl couldn't look at her anymore. He'd prefered last night's version of 'fuck off'. At least it was in words he understood, and only two of them so it was over quick. This was fuck off wrapped in a pretty little bow. She might as well have taken one of her fancy swords from its case and run him though.

She didn't follow him, she didn't care about him, he would have followed her. He bumped into Lou as he stormed back to the security office and didn't even manage to say sorry since he was so wound up. He felt like he wanted to hit something but he thought about the farm and it helped calm the feelings that were making his hands clench into a fist. He slumped back down into the little chair behind the security desk where he remained for the entire day. He didn't even bother with lunch, just sat and watched the second hand ticking by until hometime.

After work there was only one place he wanted to go to, The Horvath Farm. The soon to be Dixon Farm. Daryl was excited to update the sign at the bottom of the driveway as much as he was sad to change it. Even if he could never have Miss Uppity, he still had this.

"You didn't bring Kate," Irma said as she met him at the door before his foot even touched the first porch step.

Daryl bit his cheek and tried to not let Irma see the look that made his face scrunch as he shuffled past her to hang his jacket on the peg in the hall.

It was a shame Dale and Irma never did have any daughters, sweet, wholesome, farmer daughters. He wasn't sure what he had been thinking when he was falling in love with Kate. She wasn't the kind of woman he wanted. She didn't hunt or cook, she knew fuck all about farming and she didn't even like horses. There was no place for her in his life anyway. All he had to do was keep telling himself that for the next few weeks then she really wouldn't be in his life.

He took a seat in the sitting room while Irma made a fuss fetching him sweet tea and a chocolate chip cookie left over from the picnic. Then she told him all about the places Dale was planning on taking her until the man in question arrived and said, "I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

"I didn't wanna wait 'fore I gave ya'll my answer."

"We already know your answer," Irma smiled. "You'll be staying for supper? We have a mountain of leftovers that want eatin'."

"Thank ya ma'am," Daryl grabbed his empty glass and plate to follow her into the kitchen.

"We'll be leaving after Charlene's wedding, I do love a country wedding," Irma lamented while fetching several dishes out of the refrigerator. "We're gonna take all our photos and little trinkets but the rest of the furniture is yours… although most of it might want replacing… especially if you're wanting to make a home here with a young lady."

"The furniture's fine," he snapped more abruptly than intended.

"Well, there's nothing like a woman's touch."

"Me and Kate. It ain't happenin'. I don't know why everyone keeps pushing' for it." Everyone seemed to think that him and Kate was a good idea, everyone except Kate who who was the biggest opposition to the relationship and ultimately the only person who mattered. Just because she was single didn't mean she was available. If he really thought about it, she'd never wanted to be available and he'd pursued her anyway. If he hadn't enjoyed chasing her then he would have never gotten himself into this mess.

"Its because you're different. I saw it the second you brought her here. The way you looked at her, talked with her… you were so attentive and tender like I have never seen you before."

No matter how nice he was none of it was worth a dime with Miss Uppity who was too damn stubborn to let herself be happy.

"There's plenty more fish in the sea," Dale decided as he helped Irma set the table.

"Well I don't think that at all!" Irma poked her husband with the end of a serving spoon. "You know Dale asked me to marry him after only three months of courting and we were married three months after that. I loved him from the first time we danced… I just knew there would never be another fish."

10 Days Later...

It was Friday at five and the museum was closing up, his shift ending. Daryl had said something to Hailee. He couldn't remember what it had been, just some insignificant little thing, a joke. All he could see was Kate. She was standing away, her eyes glued to a piece of paper fastened to a clipboard, her face in profile. Hailee had cocked her head to the side in a non verbal 'huh?' but Kate's lips twitched. She'd bit it back, but it was a laugh. A forbidden laugh given the situation that was resting precariously between them, acknowledgement but not talking, politeness but not friendship. Still, she laughed at his joke.

Daryl wanted to say something, to grab her and shake her. He wanted to tell her that he was in love with her so she best start loving him and forget about going home. Instead he said '"see ya," to Hailee and made his way into the security office to shove his hat in his locker.

He had a cigarette before he climbed into his truck and when he started the engine he noticed Kate popping the hood of her Mustang and peering in. He almost put his foot down and sped away, leaving her in a cloud of dust, but he couldn't. In fact, part of him was desperate for a chance to talk to her. He swallowed the dry feeling in his throat and tried to quiet the nerves that made him feel like he couldn't say a single word and stepped out of his truck, "somethin' wrong?"

Kate looked over her shoulder, "the engine light came on."

He gave her a once over and held in his laugh, "an' what were ya gonna do?" he nodded to the engine.

"I don't know," she tucked her hair behind her ear and shifted from foot to foot, "it just seemed like the thing to do."

He stepped next to her, the smell of her perfume affecting him like it always did as he took a deep breath before leaning into the hood for a chance to regain some composure that seemed to fall away whenever she was near. "It's a new car so can't be nothing major. Might just be a faulty sensor, nothin' that can be fixed 'ere."

"Oh," she bit her lip, looking into the engine her eyes darting place to place with no clue what she was looking for. "What should I do?"

Daryl slammed the hood down, "call the rental place and get them to pick it up and give ya a new one."

"Of course," Kate shook her head and half laughed at herself. Then she sighed and looked at her watch before deciding, "I'll take care of it Monday." Then she retrieved her purse from the passenger seat and locked the door.

"Ya won't need it on the weekend?"

"No."

This was the most they had interacted in over a week and his heart was racing. "I'll drive ya home," he pulled his keys from his pocket and could see the hesitation across her face. "Or ya could walk… whatever ya want..."

"A lift will be lovely. Thank you."

Daryl didn't open the car door for Kate and regretted it instantly. Not that she said anything. Just buckled her belt, smoothed her skirt over her knees and dropped her purse in the footwell.

"You have your truck back. Has Merle started a new venture or…"

Daryl loosened his tie and popped open the top button, "yeah he's doin' alright." On Wednesday Merle finally arranged for Daryl to take his truck back. When Daryl went to his Father's house to pick his truck up he was pleasantly surprised to see a big white van parked outside of it with 'Dixon & Wilkes' emblazoned on the side. Wilkes being Bo's last name. His dumbshit brother had actually done it. Merle really was enterprising. It had occurred to him then that both Daryl brothers had done far better in their weeks spent apart than in their years spent together.

"When will you move to the farm?" Kate asked after a time had lapsed in silence.

"Three weeks."

Kate shifted in her seat. He glanced at her tangling her fingers in her hair and staring out of the passenger window, her brows furrowed . "The crates arrive on Wednesday," she said like a passing thought that was just crossing her mind and tumbling from her mouth.

Daryl's hands slipped down the steering wheel, his eyes losing focus for a split second, "I know."

The rest of the journey was even more silence until he pulled up outside her house. Kate unbuckled her seatbelt letting the strap glide slowly through her fingers before she turned to face him. "Daryl," her hand landed on his thigh as quickly as she removed it, the flush of pink lighting her cheeks, her eyes wide, "sorry."

"Don't be," his heart was beating even faster, that little touch had set his whole body on fire. His hand fell along the back of the seat, his fingers gently caressing against the tips of her hair.

"Well, thank you for bringing me home," she scooped up her purse and clambered out of his truck, the hem of her dress catching in the door handle in an awkward way that made him want to laugh. Instead, his gaze hardened and despite the fact that he wanted to step out of the truck, he didn't. He just sat there and let her go.

A/N- Thank you for reading and for all the favourites and follows. I enjoyed reading all the comments from the last chapter even if I felt a little guilty for breaking Daryl's heart!