Theta-McBride, Thank you sooo much! & we're about to find out:)
***Hello my lovely followers, favs, and reviewers:D It feels so good to be back in the groove of things again.. Ahhh home, sweet home hah!(: anywho, I want to give a shout out to our 47 followers! Y'all are my reason to keep writing!***
*P.S. This chapter is Daryl's point of view! Enjoy;)
I remember how her body felt resting in my arms as I lay her down on the cot. I remember how we had sat in the loft and talked for a good 2 hours or more before exhaustion from the days events claimed her. Her smiling face, her musical laughter, how she was so animated when she told her stories, all of these things play on my repeat in my mind.
I had stayed with Rose a long while after she fell asleep, cleaning my crossbow as best I could, until I heard something out of place below us. I slung the bow over my shoulder and headed down the stairs, listening intently as I went. I gave Chenoa a pat on the neck as I walked by, climbing over the paddock fence. I looked up at the moon who was trying vainly to make an appearance through the slowly dispersing clouds, and then everything else is completely blank.
I open my eyes to see a heavy-set man, pacing back and forth. I look around, noticing the pounding from the back of my skull growing intensely worse. I see the bat, but with my hands bound behind me and the concussion setting in, I'm no better than a sitting duck.
The cold water dumped on my face wakes me, and I'm hoisted up and led in the direction the barn. I feel the barrel of the gun digging into my bruised ribcage. I could barely see anything through my swollen eyes, and I could taste the blood coming from my lips. I black out again, coming to at the sound of Rose's voice.
-No. Please don't come over here, just leave damnit. My mind begs her to not do anything stupid.
"Now we're gettin' somewhere." The man behind me said.
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I hear the faint snap of a bow string, and feel the hold of the man fall away from me as he thuds to the barn floor. I turn and look down at him, watching the pool of blood grow larger, from the arrow lodged clean in the middle of his forehead.
"Are you okay?" I hear her ask worriedly. I turn back, stepping in front of the body. She crosses the space quickly, looking me up and down. Her small hands find my face, I wince even under her delicate touch as she uses her sleeve to wipe away the blood on my lip. I pull away from her, not wanting her to see me like this anymore. I immediately regret my decision when the pained look flashes across her face.
It quickly passes as she sees the man lying there, her own arrow projecting from his skull.
"I.. He's dead." She begins trembling as she speaks, "I..I-I killed him. I killed a living.. person." I see the glimmer of a tear find it ways down her cheek and my heart jumps. "But he was going to kill you..I.. I had to. I couldn't let him hurt you." Now she looks up to me, those big green eyes growing more tired and sad by the second, I take a step towards her, and she drops to her knees.
"No, no, no I have to help him." She says, anger slipping into her voice, and begins to crawl towards the corpse. Before she gets far, I grab her around her narrow waist and pull her back to me. She struggles for a short moment before collapsing into me, burrowing her face in my shirt.
"You did what you had to." I say, placing my hand uncertainly on her head, holding her closer to me. We sit like this for a long time, until her sobs let up a little and she looks up to me, wiping away the tears.
"I'm sorry." She says, emotions warring in her eyes. As she pulls away from me to stand, I don't pull her back like I want to.
-She needs time. Give her space. My mind says, keeping me away from her as she walks over to Chenoa's stall.
I hear inaudible words spoken to the big mare, as Rose's lithe hands run over the horses face and neck, stopping to scratch behind her white ears. I see her mouth move again, and then she's walking back towards me, holding out her hand.
"Come on, we need to get your face cleaned up." She says gently, looking into my eyes. I stand without taking her hand, getting a flash of her usual fire, before she turns taking the stairs first. "Sit." She commands, pointing to the cot once we make it to loft.
I scoff off her orders, sitting on the floor just by the old cot, leaning back on it. I watch her as she rummages through the shelves and boxes until she comes up with a first aid kit. Mocking anger comes over her features as she turns and sees me disobeying her once again. She just shakes her head as she folds her long legs underneath her, sitting directly in front of me,
"Here, look up." She says, her voice becoming shaky as I look her in the eye.
"Ehh.. Damnit." I wince, swearing away the burning from the alcohol she rubs over my cut eyebrow.
She gives a small laugh, trying to hide her smile,"Sorry, sorry.." She says, continuing to bandage my cut before moving on to my nose. "So it's two to one now, right?" She asks, looking back to my eyes for a second before smiling.
"Hmmf, whatever." I say, moving my eyes beyond her, studying a small critter making its way across the floor.
"It's okay, I won't tell a soul." She replies, finishing my nose up with a little salve and bandage. She picks the salve tin up again, looking away from me. "We'll this will help your lip heal a faster.." She says, putting it in my hand.
I hold her small hand in mine, but she doesn't pull away like I'm expecting. She just looks up to me, meeting my eyes with intensity. Her hands move to my face, pulling mine to hers gently but quickly enough to catch me completely off guard. Her lips are warm and soft, they way the move beneath mine seems as natural as breathing.
-She's breakin' every rule you have you idiot. YOU'RE breakin' every rule you have! I shut out the screaming thoughts, consumed in her closeness.
She pulls me closer, and now my hands are around her torso, pulling her onto my lap, our kissing growing more urgent. Then, as if turning a switch, something sparks inside of her, and she pulls away from me slowly. I find her looking back at me with reluctance, and the smoldering fire still playing in her green eyes.
"I.. I'm sorry.." She stumbles over the words, her fingers touching her lips.
I look on at her with surprise, getting a small smile to cross her lips. As she stands, she sticks her hand out to me once again, "We need to tell the others." She says, and this time I take her hand.