Heterochromia Iridum

This basically picks up directly where the last one left off (same day).

I'm in awe at the few people that have PM'd me with their theories of where this is going. So excited and some of you are on the right track, actually. I'm adding details to my notes as I go to make this a cohesive story when it's finished. Can't wait!

Thank you to addicted2memories, JenTen, imlovinfanfic, Lorento, jeanf, Bactrian Camel, and please for reviewing the last chapter, thank you to the few people that messaged me and thanks to everyone new that has added this story to their favourites or alerts!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters associated with the franchise. I own the plot to this story and any original characters you may see, like Katty or Calum.

Chapter 7: Kitty Cat

Katty was pissed off. Ashamed. Embarrassed. Every possible cacophony of synonyms and hyperboles rolled into one being. Everything, except for apologetic. She didn't give a fuck what repercussions would come from attacking Aiden and in turn, Nicholas. The negative emotions were more from the people that had witnessed it. She didn't want them all thinking she was a loose cannon; easily upset and quick to become violent.

Deanna wasn't who she was worried about, and ultimately, the majority of Alexandria residents probably didn't enjoy her presence anyways. Rick and his group were who she was worried about. He had practically scolded her, like she was an impudent child, alongside with Deanna, and it disconcerted her.

Tara, Glenn, and Noah had all followed her back to the house, babbling and congratulating her for 'putting Aiden in his place'. She had snapped at them irritably in response, annoyed that they hadn't been empathic to her embarrassment. Glenn even had the nerve to laugh and say that Rick hadn't actually been annoyed with her, and that all of them had been trying to be on their best behavior for Deanna. Rick was just following the instructions he had laid out for their faction, they had reassured her. The other two had backed up this declaration, though Katty was still uneasy about the aftermath of the physical altercation.

It was early into the evening now and she had successfully ushered the trio out of the house so she could shower and sulk in peace. She was currently drip drying with a towel on while she stared at the wall, contemplating what to do. Katty wanted to speak with Rick, apologize if she had placed him in an uncomfortable position, but she wasn't entirely sure how to approach the situation.

Daryl was on another plotline – a different story entirely. She was high on epinephrine and his rough, low voice in her ear coupled with how Daryl had manhandled her over his shoulder had sent her into a downward spiral of impulsive behavior. Katty wished that she had a selective memory and could forget the fact that she had taken her shirt off. No such luck so far, though.

The way he had looked at her, raked his eyes over her upper half after she had flung the sopping material at him, sent delusional shivers up her spine. Katty tried to remind herself that this was not an alternate reality where Daryl would be interested in her. He was strong, resilient, loyal, completely self-sufficient and in all terms, a survivor. Katty was awkward and couldn't even shoot a gun without flinching and shutting her eyes. Not to mention she thought that Daryl might have something going on with Carol; she had seen them talking and approaching each other

frequently, and they definitely had some sort of connection.

She needed to get over her schoolgirl crush, it wouldn't do either of them any good. Especially if it ended in her being a home wrecker.

As she reluctantly put on the ice cream boobed tourist shirt and sequined shorts, Katty was reminded of the fact that she needed more clothes. All the rest of hers were either wet or dirty, so she made due. Speaking of which, she still had Maggie's jacket and she had told her she would return it to her today.

Katty chewed her lower lip and contemplated what to do. She could feign looking for Maggie in order to judge Rick's reaction to her and apologize. Then if he wasn't there it wouldn't matter; she could just return the item of clothing and go back to sulking.

A new pair of socks, followed by her Timberland work boots, were crammed onto her feet and she forced herself out of the house before she could change her mind.

Katty made her way the short distance to the side-by-side units that housed Rick's group. Glenn had told her that he and Maggie typically went to the main house most evenings, so she grit her teeth and propelled herself towards the one on the left. As her knock sounded on the wood door, Katty felt herself becoming more and more cowardly and hopeful. Maybe Rick wouldn't be here, maybe she could drop off the jacket and then quickly –.

Rick's bright blue eyes that were narrowed in a contemplative squint appeared before her, and Katty froze. She thrust the jacket out at him. "Can you give this to Maggie for me? Thanks, I'll just go now," she muttered while she avoided eye contact and quickly turned away once he had taken the jacket from her. It wasn't worth sticking around and seeing if he was annoyed, she decided. Wait a few days, let him cool off; that was a better idea.

"Nice outfit," he chuckled at her, and she froze. Maybe he wasn't mad.

"You can borrow the shorts if you like. Sequins are definitely your colour, Rick," Katty was pleased that he didn't look irritated with her appearance in front of him, so she decided to stick around for at least a few more minutes. A silence fell over them as they watched each other, and Rick sighed and scratched a hand over his stubble.

"Katty, about earlier –"

"I apologized to Aiden and Nicholas earlier, but I wanted to say sorry to you too. I know I took it too far and put you in a crappy position. Sorry," she finished and shuffled her feet around while she attempted eye contact. She wasn't good with apologies, but Katty would try if the person deserved it.

Rick stared at her for a while before he responded, "The only thing that I was uncomfortable with was that I wasn't beatin' the shit out of Aiden along with you." Katty gaped at him for a while, disbelieving of his words. He observed her hesitation, and continued. "Noah felt you handled yourself well out there, and Tara said you saved her."

"It was nothing, I just –" Katty immediately tried to splutter out in protest. She didn't save Tara, she had distracted her from the rest of the group and had almost gotten them both bit.

Rick took a step forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. Katty was thankful that he ignored the fact that she flinched slightly.

"It wasn't nothin'," he drawled at her as he leaned in, a serious expression on his face. "You helped keep them safe. And we'll do the same for you, Katty."

She stiffened and thought over his words. Did he think she was incompetent? "You lot don't have to protect me. I know I'm not intimidating, but I can take care of myself."

Rick shook his head at her. "It's what we do," and Katty knew it wasn't up for discussion. "We keep ours safe," her heart panged at the implication of his words, and she subtly pinched her leg to keep from sniffling like a pansy. She was touched, to have been referred to as part of the group already.

Rick looked around behind Katty briefly before he spoke again, and it was in a lower, quieter tone this time around. "Deanna is," he paused as he mulled his wording over, "cautious, of us, of me especially. We're playin' by her rules for the time bein'. You should too."

Of course they were cautious. These people hadn't met anyone like Rick before. He was foreign; alien; a threat to their shroud of a peaceful society. Katty's eyes drifted around the block, from the weirdly well kempt lawns to the Desperate Housewives of Virginia-esque properties.

"What happens when Deanna can't keep us safe?"

The question hung in the air and Rick stepped forward as he observed the passive appearance of the streets of Alexandria alongside Katty.

"She won't make the rules anymore."

She expected the response, but Katty's gut still clenched uncomfortably. Could the impending course of inevitable be changed? She thought of the faces that encompassed Rick's conglomerate of survivors and realized that it didn't matter much to her, as long as those she cared about were safe. In her short time here, the group had quickly become something to her, made her feel something that wasn't redundancy and hopelessness, a cognitive dissonance from what she felt outside the walls.

"I'm with you," There were three words that held the world, and she saw Rick nod slightly out of her peripheral.

Katty wasn't sure what she expected when she tromped back up the stairs to the house, but it definitely had not been the form of Daryl hunched over in his seat on the wooden bench. His eyes flicked up to her as he continued to gnaw at the skin around his thumb, and Katty wondered why he looked nervous.

He did a double take at her sudden appearance, and his thumb dropped from his mouth.

"Tha fuck are ya wearin', girl?"

Katty's face heated up and her ears burned as he gawked at her choice of attire. She felt entirely underdressed, which struck her as odd since she had taken her shirt off unabashedly hours before. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that her bra was drying inside said house, and though her breasts were now smaller than they were pre-apocalypse, they weren't quite non-existent. Fuck.

She coughed and tried to regain her composure. "Not a fan of ice cream on tits, Daryl?" was the first thing that popped out of her mouth, and she realized right after that it didn't help her situation. His eyes immediately glanced down to the printed picture on her shirt, and his eyebrows rose.

She could feel her nipples harden from the combination of the cooling evening air and Daryl's blue eyes on her, and she cringed inwardly. Not a good time, body, she scolded herself. We were meant to get over the crush, not add to it.

"Did you need something?" she asked and attempted to keep her tone kind. Katty figured that if Daryl would leave immediately if he sensed the smallest amount of taunting or negativity from her, so she kept it genial.

His eyes snapped back to the ground, but he didn't get up from his seated position on the bench. His hands fiddled as he picked at his nails and Daryl didn't look up. "Jus' wanted ta make sure yer alright," he mumbled, and Katty smiled at the visible portion of his face.

She didn't respond right away, Katty moved silently and sat beside him on the uncomfortable bench. There was some space between them, but she was glad when Daryl didn't tense up or scoot away from her.

"I'm alright, Daryl. Thank you." She said softly after she inclined her head towards him. He just nodded roughly as he stared at his fingernails, and Katty thought he was cute when he was nervous. "And thanks for – what was it you said – helping me to cool off?" she added jokingly.

Daryl snorted. "Ya needed it, Rambo."

Katty laughed loudly and she grinned at the space in front of her. "If he was saying half that shit to you that he was me, you would have shot a bolt in his ass."

Daryl's expressions turned sour, and his hands clenched in his lap. "Should've shot him for talkin' to ya like that," he growled out as he scowled at the ground.

Katty regarded the man as he fumed silently beside her. She was touched that Daryl felt the need to defend her honour, even though it was entirely unnecessary. The situation had been taken care of, and Katty was a discourse of guilt and pride that she had taken care of it to the degree that she had. Glancing up at Daryl once more, she frowned as he now looked at war with himself. He looked angry and disappointed.

"Should've done sumthin'," he muttered to himself, and Katty shook her head slightly at him. He didn't appear to see the gesture, so she reached her hand out and placed it on top of one of his clenched ones. Daryl visibly flinched, but Katty decided not to move it, just to wait and see what would happen. He didn't swipe his away, so Katty looked towards their hands. His was still clenched, and Katty was struck by the juxtaposition of their two extremities. Her hand looked small and pale and entirely clean compared to his rough, larger, and dirtier one, and she thought the difference almost looked comical.

Daryl was looking at her out of the corner of his eye, and Katty resumed her gaze on the scenery in front of her.

"You're not obligated to defend my honour, Daryl. I'm just glad you were there to stop it before things got out of hand."

He didn't say anything in response, Katty could just feel his burning eyes on her face as he contemplated her words. As she looked over him and offered him a smile, Daryl gnawed his lower lip and bounced his eyes from her to away from her a few times.

"Gotta say it was surprisin', Kat," he said finally after a stretch of silence. Daryl let out a short, disbelieving exhale of air that could almost be considered a laugh, and Katty felt her heart clench at the use of his nickname for her.

"Merle taught me a few things," Katty said as she tried to subtly watch Daryl's hand as it slowly uncurled from the previous clenched fist.

"Thought I recognized that headbutt," he commented as he peered over at her.

She laughed. "Been on the receiving end of those before?" Her heart picked up as she loosely laced her fingers between his. It couldn't have even been considered holding hands, she more shifted her hand so she settled in the grooves between his fingers, they weren't quite intertwined. She felt like a child trying to get away with something.

If Daryl noticed the motion, he decided to ignore it as he replied to her. "Can't picture him teachin' anything," Katty thought he sounded curious and she smiled at the unasked question.

"Surprisingly, he was interested in teaching me anything that involved either yelling at me, bossing me around or showing me how much I sucked at something," she drawled sarcastically, and Daryl snorted.

Katty settled herself further onto the bench and tried to get comfortable as she thought over how to start the story.

She was well aware of the fact that she was useless, Katty wasn't in need of Merle to remind her of the fact multiple times a day.

Calum and herself had been in Woodbury for about a week now, and her lanky friend had definitely made himself useful with his position on the wall. Calum was a good shot, and Katty scowled to herself as she remembered her attempt at taking down anything from the walkway on top of the wall. It had been miserable and embarrassing, and she could still hear the snickers and the whooping laugh that erupted from the other guards.

"Ya would do more damage if you clawed at 'em, Kitty Cat," he would taunt as he slapped his knee and laughed at her expense.

It was their routine. Calum would attempt to teach her how to shoot, she would suck at it, Merle would make fun of her, she would get embarrassed and sulk.

He was always nearby, ready to accost her for "not knowin' shit". He didn't understand how Katty, who didn't know how to shoot, fight, or do anything more than swing a bat, had survived months into the apocalypse. Merle, like the gentleman he claimed to be, would take every opportunity to remind her of the fact.

Which is what was happening currently, as Calum tried to get her not to shut her eyes before she pulled the trigger. Apparently that would help. Go figure.

"Kitty Cat, why aren'tcha fuckin' our boy Calum?" Merle asked, and Katty scowled. She was more annoyed with herself and that she knew this was Merle attempting an actual conversation with her. Katty decided not to respond and instead focussed on the tips that Calum was giving her.

"So to be consistent, you have to breathe properly too. Your lungs will support your positioning better if you make sure you're firing when you naturally pause for a breath –"

"Ya could at least suck him off a few times, seeing how much time he's wasting on teachin' yer useless ass."

Calum's lips twitched as he tried not to laugh, and Katty shot him a disdainful look. Her friend had immediately taken to Merle, even though Merle had called him a 'fag' during their first encounter. The two men had quickly found two things that they had in common; telling dirty jokes and enjoying to annoy Katty.

"What do you want Merle, a handwritten pamphlet of reasons I don't want to fuck Calum?" she snapped at him and turned back to Calum. Calum wasn't the best teacher; he didn't really understand why Katty hadn't gotten the hang of shooting yet and was running out of suggestions of tips and ways to teach her. But he was all she currently had, and now that they weren't constantly running for their lives, she had time to learn.

Merle wheezed a laugh out and then sent a grin her way that Katty knew couldn't be good. "Ah, I get it now, don't worry."

Katty glanced at him with a quizzical expression. She wasn't going to take the bait and ask why, as she assumed it was something rude or vulgar, probably both if she knew Merle.

"Pussycat likes pussy," he stated simply and Calum let out a loud guffaw. Katty rolled her eyes, her patience wearing thin with the older man.

"That's why yer shit with guns, then. Ya don't know how to cock 'em properly," he continued with a shit-eating grin on his face. By now the other couple male guards on the wall were snickering too, and Calum was trying his best not to laugh. Merle was picking at his nails with his hunting knife as he smirked at her, obviously trying to get a rise out of Katty.

Katty let out a disbelieving snort and turned towards Merle. "Merle, I understand that your whole thing is being a fuckin' asshole, but do you mind momentarily shutting that crater you call a mouth while I try to improve myself?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice and batted her eyelashes at the offending male.

There was a moment of silence as the men glanced at Merle nervously to see how angry he was. Merle, however, let out a loud whooping laugh and stabbed his knife into the side of the wall so he could slap his thigh again.

"Weow, Kitty Cat has got some claws!" He exclaimed happily once he had finished laughing. "Ya know, if ya let ol' Merle teach ya, I wouldn't be focussed on teachin' ya any of the hippy dippy shit." He commented. "Breathing lesson. Pah!" Merle waved his hand dismissively at the idea, as if it carried a bad smell.

"Really, you think you could do better?" Katty asked with a hand on her hip as she shifted her weight to her other leg. Merle nodded at her with a Cheshire grin, and Katty regarded him for a minute. She highly doubted that Merle was capable of teaching anyone how to peel a potato, never mind showing Katty how to proficiently use a firearm. Merle wasn't patient, nurturing, kind, or any qualities that good teachers had. In all likelihood, he was probably just offering so that he would have more material to tease her with. But, on the other hand, she was desperate enough to take him up on it.

"Deal," she stated firmly. Merle, in another effort to fuck with her, spat into his palm and stuck it out to her to shake it. Katty resisted rolling her eyes and spat into her hand as well and grabbed Merle's before he had a chance to back out. The surprised and slightly disgusted look on his face was enough to get her through the rest of the day.

"Let's go, Kitty Cat."

Merle had refused to teach her anything inside the walls, claiming that it 'had to be authentic', and 'not any of this pussy shit'. Katty was somewhat nervous about going outside Woodbury with only Merle, but she figured that even if he was an asshole, he wouldn't let her die. Hopefully.

They walked through the forest. Katty had no idea where they were or where they were going, but after the third time she had asked and Merle hadn't answered, she gave up and just followed him. He hadn't exactly been silent, but Merle had threatened to string Catnip to her and dangle her over a Biter pit if she kept pestering him. She doubted he had Catnip, but she rolled her eyes and kept quiet anyways.

She walked behind him a few feet and tried to make herself as silent as Merle was. It had surprised her at first, the man was big and built like a fucking brickhouse but was virtually silent as he navigated skillfully through the bush.

Katty soon grew bored of staring at the back of Merle's cropped head, and tried to make conversation.

"Did you hunt much before, Merle?" She asked. In that moment, he had reminded her of her father, in an odd way. Her dad didn't hunt much, but when they had lived in Washington and owned property, he liked to go through the woods often. Soon it became almost second nature to him, and he had made sure every movement was precise and graceful when he had ventured into any piece of land.

Merle snorted at her now apparent understatement. "Me and baby brother's home was the backwoods. Caught almost everythin' we ate."

So he had a brother. Katty wondered where he was now, if he was alive still. "What's your brother like?" Katty found herself asking. She pictured a miniature version of Merle, with a matching sneer and attitude. It was probably lucky that they weren't together, she thought selfishly. There was no doubt in her mind that two Merle's would make her go insane.

"He's a good kid. Put me up when I got out of prison. It's always been jus' me 'nd him, growin' up."

Katty noticed that he didn't refer to his brother in past tense, and she ventured a guess that Merle assumed he was still alive, wherever he was.

"So he's not like you, then?" Katty asked teasingly, and Merle snorted.

"Still a Dixon. But no, Daryl has, uh, different priorities than me, if ya get what I mean," Merle explained and paused momentarily to wag his eyebrows at Katty.

"Wasn't as into collecting venereal diseases as you were?" She guessed, and Merle scowled at her.

"My dick's plenty clean, girl," he snapped and then resumed walking. "But no. Didn't appreciate most o' that shit. Bitched at me for ages when I bought him a hooker for his birthday one year," Katty could practically feel Merle roll his eyes at the memory, and she followed suit.

"Too bad I didn't meet Daryl first, then. Sounds like I'd like him better." Katty hadn't been sure of that, but she wanted to take her turn and try to get a rise out of Merle now.

He snorted again. "Fuck off. When I find him I don't want ya tryin' to hop on his dick, neither. Me and him got some catchin' up to do," Merle explained, and Katty glared at the back of his head. That was another statement that didn't deserve a response, she thought.

"Not that ya'd be into him anyways, uppity bitch like ya are," and just like that, the tables had turned. Merle had an irritating quality about him that allowed him to steer to conversations and annoy her in three seconds flat, even when she thought she had the upperhand. An intelligence about him that allowed him to look at someone for a second and know instantly what would upset them.

"Really, and how do you figure that?" she said as she tried not to bristle.

From ahead of her, Merle shrugged like it was the most obvious concept on the planet. "Just statin' a fact, darlin'. Ya never would have given us the time of day before. Funny how the world ends and suddenly everyone loves us rednecks."

Katty frowned, thinking that his assumption was entirely untrue, but she refrained from arguing. Merle would think about her what he wanted; biases were mostly based off past experiences, anyways.

"Well, I'd like to meet him when you find him, anyways."

Merle sent a toothy grin over his shoulder at her. "Will do, Kitty Cat."

Katty had tried to summarize it at some points, and leave certain details out as she spoke to Daryl. Like that fact that Merle had disclosed that he had paid a prostitute for his younger brother. Daryl was a private person, and she was sure that he wouldn't want her knowing shit like that about him. Katty was curious if he had ended up fucking the prostitute, but Merle hadn't told her, so she assumed it would remain a mystery to her.

She had kept most of the details in, and was pleased when Daryl would make expressions that showed he was listening when she spoke. Daryl would often scoff, shake his head, roll his eyes, or mutter something under his breath when Katty told him some of the shit that his older brother had said to her.

And she didn't mind his blush when she repeated that Merle felt Daryl had 'different priorities' than him. Katty liked the dissonance that Daryl was. Someone that was rough and oozed manliness but was also shy was appealing, she thought. It was probably why she enjoyed teasing him so much.

Katty considered informing him that she didn't like pussy, unlike what Merle had assumed, but thought better of it. Daryl would probably just get up and leave at the comment, and she wanted him to stick around for a bit longer.

Her ass was also numb from sitting on the wooden bench, and she was painfully aware that the night had cooled further and her nipples were still poking into her shirt. Two perfect excuses so that she could invite Daryl in, not that she would tell him either. Katty realized that she hadn't taken her hand off of his for the duration of her story, and stretched her arms above her head before she got up.

"Wanna go inside? My ass is numb and it's cold," So much for not telling him about her ass. Katty thought she saw his eyes flicker to her chest when she mentioned the dropping temperature, but she decided to ignore it. She didn't really want to allow herself to lose her nerve and become embarrassed.

Daryl hesitated, and she felt the need to add on to her invitation. "I keep forgetting to go to the pantry and pick up food, but I think there's cans of stuff in the cupboard. I'll make you something, come on." She opened the door to the house and waved him through.

He only stalled for a few more seconds as he chewed his lip contemplatively, and then followed her through the entryway after a brief nod. Katty smiled to herself and made her way to the kitchen. Daryl stood awkwardly in between the kitchen and the living area with his hands shoved in his pockets, and she gestured for him to sit at the island in front of her.

It was entirely too silent, and Katty was in a good mood after talking to Rick and now seeing Daryl, so she hummed quietly to herself as she went through the cupboards.

She felt Daryl staring at her, so Katty paused and looked over at him. Daryl was looking at her with an odd mix of emotions on his face, most of which she felt she couldn't define or label. If she had tried to, Katty would guess that it was an unsettling mixture of sadness, guilt, surprise and – hopefulness? She squinted at him slightly as she tried to figure out the mismatch.

Daryl seemed to realize that he had been staring, and immediately cleared his throat and became interested in his fingernails again.

"Ya sing much?" he asked quietly.

Katty wondered what he was thinking about, and she ventured a guess that it wasn't her in that moment. She licked her lips and tried not to read too much into it, for fear that it would hurt if she did.

"I used to. Not much anymore though, since, you know –" Katty waved her hand around as she gestured figuratively to the world around them. "Used to play the guitar, too." She added as an afterthought. It had been a very long time since she had picked up an instrument. Not that she was that good at the guitar, but Katty could strum a few tunes.

Daryl appeared lost in his mind, so Katty busied herself with her attempt of a meal from mushing together a few cans. She wasn't too worried, as she assumed that Daryl wasn't a picky eater. She wasn't either. Katty left the food on the stove in pots to heat up and grabbed Daryl a glass of water. It had also been assumed by her that if she asked him, he would have declined, so she just brought him one without asking, and perched next to him at the island.

She was musing over ways and topics that she could bring up to break the silence, when Daryl chose for her.

"So Merle didn't ever teach ya ta shoot?"

Katty laughed and Daryl peered at her, curious. "He tried. I think he helped me improve a bit, but Merle was torn between being helpful and making fun of me, so it wasn't much in the end. Maybe if we had more time," she trailed off thoughtfully.

Daryl snorted. "Sounds like Merle."

"He did teach me to fight pretty well and how to use knives," she added so that she didn't seem completely hopeless to Daryl.

He raised his eyebrows at her, "Saw you stick the tree with Aiden's knife," he commented, and Katty tried to keep her head from inflating as she noticed the impressed tone in Daryl's voice.

"All Merle. Mostly," Katty added as an afterthought. "One day he decided to scrap the gun lessons and try other shit, since all I had really used before was this bat I had. Knives were easier for me to get, in comparison to guns. So we focussed more on what I could do, rather than what I couldn't. Hand to hand combat I picked up pretty quickly too, more because it was necessary than because I had natural talent. Merle is pretty brutal when he wants to be." She explained, thinking about the many injuries and bruised ribs that Merle had given her over the months.

"He was in tha military," Daryl clarified, and Katty nodded.

"Yeah, mentioned something about punching a sergeant?" Katty laughed shortly. "That why he was in prison?"

Daryl shrugged. "In 'nd outta juvie a lot when we were kids, too. But yeah, Merle got court-martialed for it."

"Makes sense," she noted, but it really didn't matter to her either way. Merle was Merle. "It showed, in how he fought and how he explained body mechanics and stuff to me, that he was properly trained."

She was shorter and a lot smaller than Merle, and Merle had made sure to point out to her that if she was in a physical fight, most of her opponents would be bigger than her. It was somewhat discouraging at first, but Merle had worked with her to make her faster, and more confident so that she would strike first. He had explained that if she wasn't as physically intimidating or as strong as someone, Katty would need to be faster and fight harder; be more ruthless.

What he had actually said was, "Ya ain't a big fucker but ya gotta hit like you are. Move those chicken legs, Kitty Kat."

Katty had told him this, and Daryl had smirked when she mimicked Merle's southern accent. She knew it had probably sounded strange, coming out of her mouth, but it added to her story.

Daryl just shook his head at her, "Don't do that, sounds wrong," he teased and Katty laughed lightly and got up to stir the food on the stove.

"Not a fan of me stealing your sexy southern drawl?" Katty questioned while she pushed around the food in the pot. It was probably almost done, she mused.

Katty turned around when she had finished and consequently noticed that Daryl hadn't responded. Confusion set in as to why Daryl's face was slightly red again. She replayed the last words out of her mouth in her mind, and felt her own face heat up as well.

Goddamnit. She really needed to use the filter between her brain and mouth more.

"Uh, food's ready," she nervously exclaimed and turned back around to start plating their dishes. Katty thought she heard Daryl chuckle lightly from behind her, but refused to turn around and check until her face was no longer pink.

Katty placed a plate in front of him and then sat back down in her previous seat. Daryl muttered a 'Thanks' at her and she offered him a smile, hoping that her skin was back to its normal shade.

They ate in silence for the majority of it, and Katty tried not to laugh as Daryl practically shoved everything into his mouth with reckless abandon. It amused her more than it disgusted her, really. At least it meant that he liked her food. Daryl told her so with an appreciative grunt and a, "'S good, thanks" when his plate was empty and he went for seconds.

"It's not like its real meat or anything," Katty commented with a shrug when she had finished as well. "But it's good enough, I suppose."

Daryl stretched in the seat beside her, and Katty subtly looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. The muscles in his arms were taut and strained as Daryl stretched them above his head briefly, and Katty felt her breath catch in her throat. She forced herself to look away before she got caught checking him out and busied herself by grabbing their dishes to wash them.

"Think I'll try ta go huntin' soon," Daryl commented to himself. Katty figured that her comment about 'real meat' had reminded him, and she glanced over her shoulder at him, interested. "Goin' out with Aaron tomorrow, so maybe the day after." He scratched his chin idly as he looked out the kitchen window.

Katty slowed her cleaning as she contemplated ways to ask if she could accompany him. Many phrases slipped into her mind, but she wasn't sure which one Daryl would say yes to. He would probably get annoyed if she started to ramble about reasons why he should let her. Anything eloquent sounding would be lost on the man, so Katty figured the direct approach would probably be best.

"Can I come with you?" She asked offhandedly, without turning around. Maybe if she wasn't staring at him, he'd feel less defensive and would permit it.

He was quiet for a few minutes, and Katty finally decided to suck it up and face him. Looking at him now, his eyebrows were raised and he looked surprised.

"Ya want ta go huntin'?"

She chewed her lip, "Yeah, why not? I know some stuff, I'm not completely useless."

Daryl cocked an eyebrow and looked dubious. "Ya know how ta keep quiet?"

"You won't even know I'm there," Katty replied with what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

He still looked doubtful of her ability to remain silent, and Katty sighed. "I'll help carry stuff and it means you won't have to ask Aaron to go with you," she bribed with a hopeful look.

Daryl licked his lips and thought it over for a long minute, before he gave a noncommittal shrug. "As long as ya keep yer mouth shut and don't scare away everythin', fine," he grumbled roughly, but Katty grinned at him, ignoring the slight jab. It reminded her of when she would whine at Merle to take her hunting, though he was typically a lot ruder than what Daryl had grouched at her.

"I'm leavin' at dawn. If yer not there, I'll leave without ya," he continued, and Katty nodded enthusiastically.

"Don't worry, Daryl. I'll surprise you," she responded confidently, and turned back to finish washing their dishes. She definitely heard him mutter, "Hope not," but she ignored it, refusing to allow Daryl to ruin her good mood. Day after tomorrow, she'd be out hunting with Daryl.

"If you come across any liquor when you're out tomorrow, you should grab it. We'll have bevs with dinner next time," Katty commented as she walked Daryl to the door shortly after their previous conversation.

Daryl shot her an amused look while they stood on the porch outside. "Don't ya think you should take a break after last night?" he cheeked, and Katty raised her eyebrows at him.

"Oh please, don't act like you didn't enjoy me entertaining you." She scoffed at him, and Daryl responded with an expression that demonstrated he hadn't been impressed with her antics.

"Come on," she laughed, "Stealing your smoke, calling you daddy, making you walk me home. I'm a delight," Katty listed before she had truly thought over the contents of her archived memories of last night.

Daryl let out a bewildered scoff and shook his head. In the dim light, Katty could barely make out a pink tint to his cheeks again, and she smiled at the hunter.

"I just mean, if you want to come by for dinner again sometime, feel free. Alcohol or not," she clarified in a softer voice as she ran her eyes along Daryl's face once more. He nodded stiffy, and she said goodnight to him.

As he walked down the porch steps and in the direction of the other house, Katty watched him.

"Stay safe out there tomorrow," she called out to him after a second of deliberation. Daryl responded with a lazy wave over his shoulder, and didn't turn around or stop walking.

Katty felt herself smiling at the noncommittal response; it represented Daryl well. She wasn't ever quite sure what was in his head, or how he felt, but he definitely had a lot going on.

Maybe one day she would figure it out.

A/N: Hey, you! Next one probably wont go up 'til beginning of next week, depending on how busy I get.

I'm planning out future chapters, and I wanted to ask what you guys thought about smut. Originally I had planned on including smut, but I'm wondering if people would prefer if it was just implied? I'm comfortable writing either, just curious what you thought.

Leave a review and let me know!

-Submechanophobia