Theta-McBride, Yes! Finally! I've been trying to put it off but I just couldn't anymore, hah!
VanillaKisses96, aksdhf;ejf! I felt the same way writing it:P Thank you so much!
deanandjo4ever1, thank you very, very much:) I hope to keep it up, because I honestly have NO clue where I'm going to end it at :(
FuchsiaGrasshopper, I'm so happy you're back! I was away for a few days too:( drove me crazy! I'm trying to really get into what makes all the characters tick now, so I hope it all comes out the way I plan. I'll need your excellent reviews of course!
***Happy (almost) New Years everyone! Y'all please be safe with whatever you're doing this new year, and always be thankful! Now to the next chapter... (:***
*P.S. Rose's POV (don't want any confusion) Enjoy my darlings!
-You're bat-shit crazy. Lost your mind. Gone completely insane Rose. My mind scolds me continuously, but my body is still reeling from the kiss.
I feel Daryl walking close behind me, but I dare not look back at him. What I had done in that loft was so unlike anything that the Rose before this would do, it was frightening yet exhilarating.
-OK enough. Time to be serious. Who was that man? How did he follow us all the way back without alerting someone of his presence.
The thoughts numbed me, wiping away the residual feelings of Daryl's lips. Had I not woken up when I did, called out to the shadow in the paddock, Daryl would have surely been killed. Or Rick, or-my body shakes all over at the thought- Carl and Judith might have gotten hurt.
-No. I'll have to be dead before either of them are touched.
"Daryl.." I say quietly, still walking toward the house, the horizon beginning to glow in front of us.
"Hmm?" He replies, taking a step further, coming to my side.
"Back there.. I.." I begin, nervously biting my thumb nail, "just hope it doesn't change anything." I finish, not knowing what else to say to possibly justify what I had done to him, or myself.
-Won't change anything? Ha. You better be glad he can even look at you anymore. My thoughts spit at me, making my eyes drop to the ground as I feel the burn of tears start to rise. -Quit being a baby! You're not gonna cry in front of him anymore.
The tears slowly ebb their way back, my vision correcting itself once more.
"Stop." He says, "what happen, happen and you ain't gon' lose sleep over it lil' girl."
I scoff at the nickname, not saying anything more until we reach the house,
"Alright, no one has to know about me savin' you again," I say, giving him a devilish smirk, "I just found you out the paddock, after I had.."
My voice drops away, fear and anger slamming into me once again. I shake it off as I best I can, but I can't finish my sentence. Unable to hide the sadness in my eyes, I simply nod at Daryl to follow me. We go, shutting the door quietly. I hear something faint from the direction of my kitchen.
-Rick, hopefully. I hadn't seen him on the RV when we passed.
I turn the corner, stepping into the open kitchen to see Rick holding Judith trying to make her a bottle. Quickly setting my bow down, I run over to him, taking the bottle from his hands. He gives me an appreciative nod, which I reply with a small smile. Once I have to bottle warmed and shaken to perfection, I hand it back to him, and he hardly gets it to Judith's mouth before she hungrily begins drinking it down.
With Judith taken care of, Daryl finally steps out of the shadows, letting his face be seen.
"What the hell is that?" Rick asks, his face twisting with concern.
"Some guy, said he was from the town we got supplies," Daryl begins, still standing, "followed us here, jumped me on the far side of the barn. Damn pus-" he pauses, catching himself, "coward used a bat, Rose got back, found him in the barn." He looks at me, sadness flashing though his eyes, "tried comin' after 'er. She shot him, then she found me outside."
Rick looks at me, I give him a simple nod, looking away from his blue eyes.
"One guy? He saw half our group up there." Rick says, I'm sure pondering if the man had been desperate or just stupid.
"He said we." Daryl says darkly.
I look at him now, fear coursing through me now, he must've noticed because he starts to step towards me but stops himself in Rick's presence.
-We? I don't ever remember the man saying we. But no one person could be that stupid to see a group and come without a good amount of backup, right?
I look back at Rick, he's looking down at Judith's small face now.
"Well we can't interrogate him. So hopefully he's the only one that followed us here." He says, looking back at me.
I clear my thought, attempting to swallow some of the fear,
"We'll double up everything. Watches. Runs and sweeps of the whole property." I say, trying to keep my voice steady as I look between the two, "this is still my farm, and I'll be damned if I lose it now." I finish, hoping I sound strong.
The expression on the men's faces gives me a bit of reassurance, and they both nod their acknowledgment of my new orders. Daryl turns to head up the stairs, still limping slightly on his ankle, in what I hope is the direction of the bathroom to get cleaned up better. I look back around to Rick and Judith who is now sleeping soundly in her father's arms,
"You need to get some rest." I say, sitting down at the big table. He looks up to me, laughing lightly. "What?" I ask.
"You. Been through what you have tonight, but you can still come in here and tell everyone to get some rest while you stay up." He replies, pausing a moment, "Are you alright?" He finally asks, genuinely caring if I really was.
I look away, fiddling with the small plant in the middle of the table, I let out a sigh, "Honestly? No." I say, looking him in the eye, "but I'm getting better." I finish. As I stand, turning toward the stairs, I look over my shoulder back to his figure sitting in the chair, "You should really ask yourself that question, Rick. And be honest." Leaving him with that, I take to the stairs.
As I round the corner to the bathroom, searching for any sign of Daryl, Glenn comes out of his and Maggie's room, "Oh!" I exclaim, startled by his sudden presence, "Jeez Glenn, a little warning next time?" I ask sarcastically.
He laughs quietly, "Sorry Rose, I just heard footsteps. Is everything OK?" He asks, worry flashing through his brown eyes.
-You should wait for everyone to wake. They need to hear it from you at the same time. I reluctantly listen to my thoughts, knowing it's for the best but not liking it.
"Everything's alright Glenn, I'll talk to everyone later." I say, giving him what I hope is a reassuring smile.
He seems to buy it, but just only, as he nods and walks back into the bedroom, closing the door easily behind him. I turn, once again trying to find Daryl. Yet, as always, he finds me first. I see him coming out of the bathroom, steam following close behind. He's wearing an old pair of faded jeans that I believe could have been my brothers and nothing else. I had never taken notice to how muscular he is, the way the bulky muscle strains and flexes in his arms, how his chest is so defined and adorned with a small tattoo where his heart would be underneath.
-Stop staring. Stop staring. Use your words, do anything but keep staring! My mind yells at me, but I'm stunned and caught completely off guard. Oh what the hell? You can look just a second longer.
"Hey, peep show's over asshole." He says, mocking me with a devious smirk.
Thankful for him finally speaking, I'm able to snap out of my trance and give him an award-worthy glare, "Peep show? Please," I scoff, trying to keep the burning embarrassment at bay, "I've seen better at a zoo, farm boy." I finish, giving him an equally mean smile.
He laughs quietly, stepping toward me, coming so close I can barely catch my breath. The swelling in his face has gone down but starting to badly bruise, I gently run my fingers over the quickly darkening marks, but Daryl grabs my hand in his, slowly pushing it back to me. "You OK?" He asks, looking down at me.
-Oh how I hate his 'bad boy/tough guy' act sometimes. Just like a guy. I say to myself, but the frustration passes quickly as I look up at his intense gaze.
"I'm fine. I'll be fine." I answer in a small voice, looking away from him.
He lets go of my hand finally, letting it fall back to my side, "I know you will be. Don't have muchofa choice anymore." He says, sighing and stepping back from me.
My body screams in protest, wanting him to be so close to me again, like how he held me in the loft- No. You can't think like anymore. Not right now. This time I let out a breathy sigh, massaging the bridge of my nose, as I look up to see him walking away from me, pulling a shirt over his head. "Get some rest before sunrise. We all got a helluva day comin' up." He calls quietly, not bothering to spare a parting glance.
"Ughh." I let out a frustrated groan as I climb the stairs to my room. I change into an oversized T-shirt before collapsing on my bed, letting myself sink into far away dreams.