Disclaimer: The Main AMC characters are not mine; they belong to their creators and the actors who expertly portray them onscreen.
Notes:Happy Saturday!
Short chapter, but I'll try to get the next one up soon!
Chapter Sixty-Three
(Daryl's POV)
"Hey!" Her voice assaults him the second his boots hit the roof top. He should have known; should have just slept in his damn truck…or Hell in the woods even, only way to stop their meddling…
"What the Hell were you thinking?" She stomps towards him while he tries to settle his crossbow and his pack on the same shoulder.
"Daryl!"
He should just keep walking. Maybe she'll get the picture and leave him alone—
"Daryl!"
—or not.
"Just leave it be Carol."
He's been out there since before the sun came up worrying it all over, kept him up all damn night too.
First trying to figure out what the fuck to say to fix this whole fucking mess; then convincing himself that there isn't anything to say; he should just let her be. He's in love; but there's no fucking way she feels the same.
She deserves better. He'll only hurt her, or worse get her killed. And if she's mad at him she'll leave with Luke and Chris. They can offer her a better life where ever the Hell it is they're going back to.
"Not until you get your head out of your ass!"
"My head aint up my ass; just back the Hell off! I'm doing the right damn thing here!"
She's glaring at him, face twists into an ugly expression. "Oh, Well then...The right damn thing for WHO exactly?"
He chews on that for a second. "She belongs with family."
"I thought we we're family."
He squints at her, silent.
"So that's it? You just give up on everything because you think she's better off with Luke and Chris?"
"Yeah. That's it. It's better off this way. I don't have nuthin to offer her."
What the Hell did Carol expect? Luke was right. This wasn't some damn romance novel. He didn't get the happy ending; not in his life….certainly never expected to get the girl. Seraphim would leave with them and things would just go back to the way they had been…
He'd learn to live with the gaping hole throbbing straight through his chest with every breath.
"So she's better off?" Carol's arms cross.
"Yes." He's snarling.
God why can't she just fucking drop it?
"So you're perfectly okay with the way Chris has been following Seraphim around?"
Something in his chest howls. His fists clench, teeth grinding. He has to look away.
"He's better for her then I am." It comes out a snarl…leaves a putrid taste in the back of his mouth.
"If you actually believe that you're Huge Fucking Idiot, Daryl!"
He's been hearing that a lot lately.
"Tell me, If he's so good for her why did I just spend the last hour bandaging her hand? Patching up her face?"
His stomach knots. Shit. If Luke split her lip again he's going to have a hard time not punching the asshole in the face. "They spar all the time…"
"No Daryl!"
He freezes.
Carol is screaming at him. Carol Never screams at him…at anybody…
"She about broke it defending herself against Chris! Had to punch him in the face because he didn't want to take 'No' for an answer!"
All the air leaves his lungs in a painful rush, her words confirming his vilest fears.
"He came on to her after you left! Cornered her in the hallway, and she had to fight him off! That's the kind of man he is!"
"What?!"
"Better for her my ass; she needs You! You big dummy. And if you don't go down there and fix this Shit right now, and I mean Right Fucking Now! She's might actually leave with that monster and then whatever he does to her; it really will be your fault! She belongs here."
He stares at her. Swallowing hard while the rest of her words sink in. "Is she okay?"
Carol's voice has gone quiet again. "No Daryl. She's not, she's really not. And she hasn't been for days if you took the time to notice! And if the way you feel about that is anything close to the look on your face right now then you get your ass down there and tell her to Stay!"
He's already moving across the rooftop, mind racing while he slips down the ladder two rungs at a time, dropping his pack onto the table near the entrance; he'll deal with the fruits of his hunting trip later.
Carol's right. He has to see her now. Right Now.
And then he'll have to rip Chris into a million pieces with his bare hands.
He crosses to the shed that makes up her private bedroom upstairs, knocks on the door quickly before pushing it open, checking inside to find it empty.
She must be downstairs…In their room.
She hasn't been down there for days; not since their fight.
He's not sure where Chris and Luke are, almost everyone is already asleep at this hour. If he runs into either of them in the hallway he's not certain he can stop himself from decking them both.
Screw all that fancy artsy-fartsy kung-fu-movie-shit, his fists clenches at the thought while he's moving toward the ladder.
He's going to just sucker punch them both right in the mouth.
If he doesn't just shoot them both first.
He'd like to see them dodge that.
He's almost to the back hallway when he catches sight of Luke walking ahead of him towards their space; confirming that she must be down here.
Luke certainly isn't looking for him.
Rage curls through his chest flaring bright and hot, all the shit Luke said about him and he lets this shit happen to her?
"Hey! Don't know where the Hell you think you're going!"
Luke turns his head making a face. "You again? I thought you left." Luke twists the rest of the way to face him stopping halfway down the hall to their room. If she's down there trying to deal with what happened with Chris; last thing she fucking needs is Luke poking around stirring more shit up.
Luke waves a dismissive hand at him. "This is all your fault you know."
He draws himself up. "The Hell you figure that?"
He didn't attack Seraphim, what the Hell is this dumbass on about?
"Don't play dumb with me! Chris told me what happened. He was sparring with Fin and she over reacted; just fucking freaked out…Because of you, and your bullshit; I don't know what the Hell you did to her, but you're the one she should be punching!"
"That's a Crock of Shit! Why don't Chris come out and say that to my fucking face?! I'm already gonna beat his ass for trying to take liberties that aint his!" He snarls. "You do both yourselves a favor and stay the Hell away from her right now!"
"You trying to tell me what to do?"
"Shit, Aint no Try. This aint your damn house, this aint your damn call. Piss off!"
"Wrong. This isn't any of your business; because you're done with her-or do we have a problem?"
Luke's expression makes him want to reach for his knife, fingers itching to have his bow; which he left upstairs. She probably wouldn't appreciate him killing her cousin in a fit of rage…
"I Aint done with nuthin; sure as Hell not just 'cause you say so…You think your so damn smart? Huh? Got this Shit all figured out? Man, You don't know Jack! And yeah, as long as your buddy is follow'n after My Girl then we gots ourselves A Big Damn Problem!"
"She's not your girl." Luke is moving closer to him. Daryl clenches his fists, shifting his weight ready for Luke to lunge.
"Both of you Stop It!"
Shit.
Girl's going to kill them both.
:: Walking Dead ::
Somebodies in trouble! xD