Heterochromia Iridum

Hello, you! Sorry I'm a bit late, been busy with work. Still working to slowly include all the characters and give everyone some air time. I'm still missing a few people, but don't worry, I know. I'll try to get the next one up soon, hopefully by this weekend.

Thanks to fangirl0012345, TheHungryRainbow, RinWolf08, mayasquared, addicted2memories, Frankie, Lorento, Landraelle, Bactrian Camel, JanJan, Rumbling Frenzy, jeanf, Guest, and, JenTen all for reviewing. And thank you to everyone new that has added this story to their favourites or alert list!

Also, the response to the smut question was basically a unanimous yes haha, so that will be included eventually. All in due time, my pervs.

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 8: Owls

That morning, Deanna had come to her door early with a tedious task for the day. The time hadn't bothered Katty; she had been up most of the night, unable to remain asleep for longer than an hour at a time. Thinking back on it now, it was probably a result of retelling stories of her time at Woodbury to Daryl. Though the memories had been positive in a sense, it had unsettled her to her core and made it difficult to turn her brain off that night. Katty was accustomed to sleepless nights and early mornings; it was just another one to add to the count.

Deanna felt that during Katty's time in Alexandria, she hadn't spent much time with any residents that didn't include members of Rick's group, so she urged her to connect with different people today. She had hinted that she would be "keeping an eye out" to make sure she was socializing, and Katty had to resist rolling her eyes at the former politician. Katty wondered if it was a form of punishment for smacking her son around.

She was just on her way out the door to awkwardly meander and attempt to make nice with some Alexandrians, when a knock sounded at her door for the second time that morning. Katty scowled to herself when she felt her heart jump into her throat. It was a false hope, but she wanted it to be the hunter, saying a quick goodbye before he left with Aaron for the day. That wasn't in his character, but she couldn't help but be disappointed when a head of blonde hair greeted her instead.

"Hi, I didn't really get to introduce myself properly before," the familiar face looked nervous and Katty cocked her head at her. "I'm Jessie, I work at the pantry," Jessie inclined her face and nodded at the basket of food items in her arms, and Katty raised her eyebrows in recognition.

"Right, I remember. I'm Katty, nice to meet you. Come on in," Katty stepped aside so Jessie could walk through the doorway. Jessie quickly shuffled by her towards the kitchen and sent her a small, unsure smile. She probably thought that Katty was going to bring up what happened with Pete earlier. She definitely wanted to, but it was also obvious to her that a direct confrontation wouldn't do much to help the situation.

"Thanks for saving me from starvation, I keep forgetting to come by the Pantry and pick up stuff," Katty offered and attempted to diffuse the obvious nervous energy and tension that Jessie had brought in.

"Yeah, sorry, I meant to bring you this a few days ago, I've just been busy," the other woman replied, and Katty wondered if she meant she had been busy avoiding her.

Katty waved her off and started to unpack the basket while Jessie hovered nearby. "Don't apologize; it's not your job to make sure I eat. Aaron and Eric feed me like I'm a stray cat anyways." She joked, and Jessie laughed lightly as she leaned against the island in the kitchen. She looked a bit more relaxed, and Katty was thankful that the awkward tension had dissipated.

"Do you have kids?" she asked, "I see Carl with a couple boys and a girl his age; I was wondering who they were."

"Oh, that's Ron, Mikey, and Enid. Ron is mine, and I have another younger boy named Sam," Jessie's face lit up as she spoke about the two, more so when she mentioned Sam. Katty half listened as Jessie prattled on happily about her younger child, a smile on her face. Sam was innocent to the troubles and new monsters that the world held, unlike Ron who Jessie mentioned had encountered them before. Jessie told Katty that she wanted to keep it that way, preserve Sam's childhood appearance as long as she could, even though she knew it was a hollow, fruitless project.

"It's not stupid to want him to be a kid, Jessie," Katty had protested, "It's understandable." And she did think that. Katty just chose not to vocalize the rest of her train of thought. That she also felt that ultimately, whatever childhood Sam had was nonexistent at this point, and ignorance to the world was akin to a warrant for death.

The two women shared an unspoken acknowledgment in the form of matching sad smiles. The air around them was quiet for a few moments as they both reflected on the youth that had been lost in the apocalypse. When Katty looked back at Jessie, she was studying her. Katty arched an eyebrow at her.

"What?"

Jessie's lips quirked upwards again, and Katty noticed it was a much less somber smile this time. "Do you want a haircut?" the blonde asked her randomly.

Katty's expression must have been baffled, for Jessie laughed. "I was a hair stylist – and other things – before all of this. I can trim your hair for you if you want," she offered casually.

The idea of having her hair cut and styled now was completely foreign and ludicrous sounding to Katty at this point in time. Katty wanted to laugh and say that she could probably find something more useful to do with her time than have a haircut, but she paused. Jessie looked hopeful, and Katty wondered if she was hopeful for a new friend and not necessarily to practice her cutting techniques. Katty remembered Pete and the woman before who had been lying on the ground, and she changed her mind.

"Yeah, sure, that'd be great," she said instead.

She had tried to subtly ask where Pete was while they were walking over, and attempted to keep the displeasure out of her tone when mentioning Jessie's piece of shit husband. He was actually down in the infirmary doing work for once, so Katty didn't have to find an excuse to leave without a haircut.

The normalcy of the Anderson residence both unsettled her and relieved her. Past the modern décor that had been provided to them, Katty noticed that Jessie had worked hard to add personal touches to the house. There were drawings on the fridge, attached by magnets, toys on the coffee table, custom made paintings on the walls and another half finished one situated on the easel in a windowed corner of the open concept room.

"Your art is lovely," Katty commented genuinely. It was nice to see someone still found beauty in the world; enough to drape colour across a canvas from it. Or had she been painting from memory? The large painting on the wall was of a sunset over a body of water, speckled with clouds and hues of blues and greens.

Jessie smiled at her appreciatively. "Thanks, I actually used to go to college for art," she explained. "I'll show you the sculpture Sam and I are working on after, if you want," Katty nodded in response, curious as to what it was of. Jessie gestured for her to sit beside the island in the kitchen while she set up.

Katty used to get her hair done every seven weeks by the same woman who had done her hair since she was eighteen. In the summer she would always either get highlights or an ombre, and starting in the fall she would go darker. Sitting in Jessie's kitchen now, in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, Katty thought it was weird that she still felt like it was cheating on her old stylist Jazmin.

Some things never changed; the small talk as the stylist snipped your hair was one of them. Jessie insisted that she was only going to do a light trim, that Katty's hair was 'too pretty' to chop all of it off. Katty was secretly glad that she didn't have to tell her not to take a lot off. There was a nonsensical, superficial part of her that didn't want to give up the last remnants of her old self; her long hair. Even if a short cut would be more practical.

"I saw what happened between you and Aiden yesterday," Jessie commented, and it didn't sound judgemental or condescending, but Katty still stiffened. The blonde seemed to notice Katty's discomfort, and she continued her thought. "I know he's Deanna's son, but he's a pig. Women shouldn't be treated like that, it's good that you know how to defend yourself."

"That's ironic," The words slid from her mouth before Katty had the chance to close it. She heard Jessie's breath catch in her throat and felt her hands pause on her hair.

"What do you mean?" Jessie's voice was quiet, uncertain, and carried a defensive note. It pulled at Katty's heartstrings and she hesitated. She couldn't do it, not like this. She had known Jessie for maybe an hour and a half, Katty didn't have the right to say what she wanted to her. Even if her heart was in the right place.

"Just that the majority of people living here, other than Rick's group, have no idea how to defend themselves. Just funny you say that," she said, and censored herself for the second time with Jessie that morning. This was off to a rough start, she thought.

Jessie let out the breath that she had been holding, and continued to snip Katty's hair lightly. "Can't say you're wrong," Jessie hummed in agreement, "Would be nice to know though. Just in case the Roamers get in, right?"

"It's good to be able to defend yourself against the living, too," Katty commented, and she knew that Jessie understood the underlying message in her words. Jessie didn't respond right away, and Katty was afraid of an awkward silence, so she continued, "I was thinking of asking Rosita if she would help me put on some classes or something with whoever wanted to learn, just to help prepare everyone for the worst."

"I would go to those," Jessie replied immediately, and Katty smiled.

"I can't picture you sucker punching someone," Katty teased, and Jessie laughed as she finished up her haircut.

"Hey, I would have said the same thing about your skinny ass before I saw what happened yesterday," Jessie joked and pulled the white towel from Katty's shoulders. Katty quickly ran her hand through her hair and was relieved to find that Jessie truly had only trimmed the ends. It was still pretty long, Jessie had just fixed her straggly, uneven ends. It wasn't a Brazilian Blowout, Katty thought sarcastically, but she definitely didn't look like Hanson from Scary Movie anymore.

"Stay for a while," Jessie said and packed up the kitchen from her makeshift hair salon. Katty hopped up to grab the broom from the corner of the kitchen. "Boys should be getting back soon. I'll introduce you," she suggested, and Katty nodded. Jessie had chatted amiably about her two sons enough that Katty didn't feel uncomfortable about meeting them.

She swept and helped clean up for a few minutes, and then the front door opened and multiple voices filled the house. Katty recognized one as Carl's, and she grinned at the familiar face as he appeared through the white door.

Carl was one among a pretty girl, two boys around his age, and a younger boy trailing behind. Katty assumed that the youngest looking one was Sam, and had to fight to keep the surprise off of her face. It was strange seeing a child that actually looked their age, a face that hadn't been creased and worn from the stress of the world. She wondered if that had been how Carl had looked in the beginning of it all.

"Katty, what are you doing here?" Carl asked, surprised. The other faces stared at her curiously, and Katty tried not to notice how the unknown girl narrowed her eyes slightly in a calculating gaze.

"Jessie gave me a haircut," she brushed a hand through her shortened ends for emphasis.

Carl quirked an eyebrow as he scanned her hair, "It looks the same," he stated, and Katty snorted. Men.

She pretended to give Jessie a shifty look and cupped a hand halfway around her mouth to muffle her words. "I never said she was good at it."

Katty heard Jessie scoff and she laughed and caught the towel that was thrown at her. "I'm not opposed to shaving your head in your sleep, Katty," she threatened, but it was slightly less threatening with the smile gracing her face.

Katty blanched. "Please don't," she drawled at Jessie, "I'd look like Sid from Ice Age."

The four boys laughed and Katty thought she saw the other girl's lips twist slightly into a small smile. Katty wondered if she was distrustful or just shy.

"This is Ron and Sam," Jessie pointed at the two that Katty would have guessed were related to her. "And Mikey and Enid," she supplied as she gestured to the other two unfamiliar faces. They all muttered their greetings, and Katty looked at Enid as Ron and Sam spoke quickly to their mother about their morning so far.

Enid was staring at her passively, and Katty pondered what was going through her mind at that point.

"We look related," Katty commented dully at Enid, and Enid blinked in surprise at her. They really did. Brown hair, light coloured eyes, small build; Enid could have been her younger sister. All she needed was Katty's mismatched eyes. Enid didn't respond, just watched her speculatively.

"We're going to go play video games," she heard Ron tell Jessie, and then Enid decided to speak.

"I'm just going to go," she stated, her gaze fixed on Katty for another brief moment before she glanced at Ron.

"Oh, okay then," he replied, disappointed. Enid nodded at the boys and quickly turned and left out the door.

Mikey and Carl shrugged at each other and then followed Ron down the hallway. Sam was left standing where the group had been previously, and he looked dejected at being left out. Katty wracked her brain with a subject to distract the boy, when there was suddenly another knock at the door.

Jessie glanced over to the door and then turned towards Sam quickly. "Why don't you go show Katty the sculpture we were working on? She said earlier she wanted to see it," Jessie prompted the younger boy, and he looked over to Katty hopefully.

Katty nodded and smiled at Sam. He was innocent looking and Katty really didn't like the sad expression painted across his young features. She had a soft spot for kids.

"Okay, c'mon, this way," he cheerfully beckoned her forward and quickly walked towards another door. Sam opened it to reveal their garage, and Katty vaguely heard Jessie open the front door and start to chat with whoever was there.

The sculpture stuck out like a sore thumb in the garage, and Katty immediately walked towards it, leaving the door open. It was constructed of random metal odds and ends, and had a few distinguishing features that allowed her to guess what it was. Tool handles around the bottom of it resembles talons, and sheets of metal lain across each other, pleated in a way to look like feathers.

"Is it a bird?" She guessed, and Sam nodded, excited.

"An owl," he corrected, and strode forward towards the statue. He started to explain the different parts of the owl, why they had chosen which materials, and which he had helped attach. Katty half listened to his explanation, but smiled at the boy, asking questions in a prompt to keep Sam talking. She liked seeing a child excited about something, even if it was trivial in this day and age. There was too much sadness in this world.

"I like your accent," Sam complimented after a while, and looked at Katty. His expression was suddenly more serious than it had been previously, and Katty furrowed her brow in confusion. "I've heard you talk before," he admitted, and she was muddled as to why he sounded nervous and shy suddenly.

"And where did you hear me speak before?" She asked him. Jessie and her family had been here for a long time, so she doubted that she had met the boy before.

"I heard you talking to my dad. I was upstairs," Sam was frowning at his feet now, and Katty fixed a steady gaze on him as she waited for him to continue. Katty wasn't sure where this conversation was going, if the child was going to accost her for speaking to his father in that way or not.

"You're not scared of him," he looked up at her and his expression was a mix of being incredulous and jealous. Sam's eyes searched hers as she took in his words. Her heart dropped, and she tried to keep her expression neutral, not full of sympathy like she wanted. Everyone in his family was scared of Pete; it was odd to the boy that she had come along and stood up to him.

"No, I'm not," she responded firmly. Sam stared at her for a while and chewed his lip.

'I am,' his eyes said, and Katty wanted to hug Sam and scream and hit something – someone – and tell him it was going to be okay. But she didn't. She just stood there and looked for her words in useless places.

"Are – are you scared of those things?" Sam continued inquisitively, searching for something in her. "The monsters?"

"No," she replied honestly. Katty wanted to lie and say she was. Try to connect with him, find a similarity in a world where simple connections mattered immensely between people. Between survivors.

"I am," he replied quietly, this time with his mouth and not his eyes. Sam looked ashamed of his fear, and Katty frowned at him.

"Most people are," she supplied kindly. It wasn't cowardly to be afraid of something that would tear you apart or turn you into one of them. Fear kept you on your toes.

"Why aren't you?" he frowned back at her, and Katty knew he was looking for a way not to be afraid. An answer, a solution to fear. She felt bad that she didn't have one for the younger boy, and contemplated briefly what to tell him. In the end, Katty thought she should be honest in a way that Sam could relate to.

"Because I've found that the scariest monsters are the ones that are still alive."

Sam mulled over her answer and nodded to himself before he approached Katty with one last question. "What are you afraid of then?" he asked curiously, and Katty didn't have to think particularly hard to come up with an answer.

She thought of the first Biter attack that she had experienced, in the beginning when her small camp of people had been torn apart, along with her boyfriend. She had been the last one standing, and Katty would never forget that day or that feeling. Her thoughts drifted to Woodbury, being kept alone in the dark room. And finally, Calum's face flashed through her mind; the last time she saw him. The grim, serious expression on his typically grinning mug as he shoved her into a hiding spot from the herd and took off to find another. She hated that that was the last memory she had of him. The months after that were hard. And she hadn't realized how much she needed the presence of people, until she got to Alexandria.

"Ending up by myself again. I'm scared of being alone," she said thoughtfully as she stared at the metal face of the owl.

Owls are odd. Their symbolism is even odder. Wisdom, intuition, and the ability to see through deceit and masks. That was typically what people chose to recognize them for. Traditionally, the owl as a spirit animal was represented as the announcer of death, a life transition. Katty tried not to recognize the irony of masks and death in her current situation and pondered which one of these meanings would apply to her time in Alexandria.

"Sam, Katty; Carol's here," Jessie said quietly behind them, and Katty flinched slightly. Turning around to face both women, it was obvious that they have both been standing in the open doorway for a while.

Katty's eyes flicked between the two for a while, and then she gestured back towards the sculpture. "The owl is top, Jessie. Sam explained the parts and everything to me," she smiled over to the younger boy, who appeared deep in thought.

Jessie grinned and walked over to clasp a hand over Sam's shoulder. She said something, but Katty wasn't listening. She was wondering if the owl sculpture had nothing to do with her, and represented a dark change for the Anderson family. Katty glanced at the innocent face of Sam and stopped herself from her finishing her next thought.

"Katty, I figured you could come around with me to the different houses and check in on a few people. Meet some fresh faces," Carol offered with a smile. She was wearing another sweater that didn't suit her again, and Katty couldn't figure out why exactly it didn't. She didn't know her before the end of the world, who was she to say what Carol's style should be? There was something off about the older woman, though, that was for sure.

"Sure," she shrugged at Carol, not really having anything else to do. It wasn't a hard decision. It was still morning, and Deanna's task of meeting people still rang in her mind.

Katty bid both Jessie and Sam goodbye, and followed Carol outside. Katty didn't miss Sam's curious glances at Carol or the fact that Carol had all but ignored the boy. Weird.

"He needs to toughen up or he won't make it," Carol commented in a matter of fact tone as they walked away, and Katty glanced over to her. She agreed, but she hadn't wanted to utter the words aloud.

"He's Jessie's vice," Katty noted, "She won't lightly take away the childhood that he has left. It's a last ditch effort at protection."

"Well, it's not doing him any favours," Carol snapped. Katty thought that through the irritation, Carol seemed to conceal an underlying message of emotions. Was it designed from experience?

Katty was silent for a while as she deliberated whether to ask her question or not. She chewed her lip and decided to take a chance. "Have you lost a child, Carol?"

Carol stopped her pace and turned to Katty. Her eyes scanned her face, a hard expression on hers. Katty wasn't sure what she was searching for, but she seemed to either find it or give up and sighed.

"A long time ago. Her name was Sophia and she was twelve." She explained tersely. How awful for a mother to have to speak about her child in the past tense, Katty thought sadly. Carol's eyes gained a far away look as she remembered her child, before she looked at Katty with narrowed eyes. "Did Daryl tell you?"

Katty didn't know how to take that question. Why would Daryl tell her? Was he Sophia's father? Katty remembered her infatuation and suddenly felt guilty. She was still unsure if Daryl was involved with Carol, but though she was curious, it wasn't her business to pry into their private life. Neither of them liked sharing much, it seemed.

"No, was he meant to?" Katty tilted her head at Carol, unsure how to proceed in the conversation.

"No, he just –" Carol sighed and considered her words carefully for a moment before she started her sentence again. "When Sophia got lost, Daryl was really invested in finding her. You two talk a lot, so I wasn't sure if he mentioned anything."

"We don't talk a lot," She pointlessly responded. Katty shook her head and raised her eyebrows at the woman's explanation. "I'm sorry for your loss, Carol. It must be difficult to see children here."

"No," Carol denied, "It's fine. Like I said, it was a long time ago." Katty thought that Carol was experienced and proficient in putting up a strong front, but Katty didn't have to be a mother to guess that the other woman would probably carry around her child's death for her entire life.

"Can I ask you something odd, Carol?" Katty murmured after a moment of hesitation. The other woman stopped walking to fix her with a curious stare, prompting her to continue.

"Were you a cop?"

Carol's light eyes widened in shock before she let out a surprised laugh. "No, why would you ever say that?"

Katty no longer bought the defenseless housewife act, and Carol's dismissive laugh only perked Katty's interest more. She decided to push Carol a bit further and try to gauge her reaction. She glanced around to make sure no one was listening to them as she voiced her thoughts.

"You watch everyone when you're out walking with Judith. You make notes and sometimes add mapping details to that little notebook you have when you think no one's looking. Rick and Daryl talk to you, and it's easy to tell that they really respect your opinion when they do –"

"I'm just being careful. And I've been with them since the beginning," Carol dismissed easily, and Katty noticed she didn't meet her eyes. "They protect me, and I do the cooking and sewing, it's not –"

"I don't doubt that they would do anything to help their family," Katty cut her off, and she grinned at Carol, bouncing her eyes between both of the other woman's. This almost felt like a game, trying to catch her off-guard and make her slip up. "But they don't look at you like you need protecting. They aren't worried about you, Carol. I think there's a reason for that, and I think that you're entirely more self-sufficient than you let on."

Carol looked amused at Katty's long trill of assumptions, and she let out a short laugh as she rolled her eyes and started walking again. "Well, Katty. I can assure you that I definitely wasn't a cop before the end of the world, I was a housewife, even if you think I'm lying."

Katty followed closely beside her, and she replicated the teasing note that Carol had sent her way. "I don't think you're lying about being a housewife before," she countered, "I just think that you're so much more than that now," Carol opened her mouth again to respond, and Katty quickly continued. "I think it's smart, to appear unimposing in a foreign place. I'm not going to say anything to anyone, Carol," she added seriously, and sent Carol a small smile.

"We all have secrets, even you, Katty," Carol started, and Katty felt her stomach clench nervously. She wondered how much the woman had noticed about her, how much Katty had unintentionally let slip. "Enough about me, though," she was smiling at her, and Katty attempted to breath deeply to sooth the knots in her abdomen.

"I'm curious about the friend that you lost," Carol asked gently, and Katty gulped, hoping that she wouldn't cry talking about him.

"Calum," she said softly. "He's still alive, we just got separated," she explained confidently, and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he was still breathing somewhere.

"What makes you so sure? It's been months since you've seen him, right?" Her eyebrows were raised and Katty tried not to read Carol's expression as pitying. It would just annoy her if she did.

"He just is," she shrugged. "Calum was designed for the apocalypse. His dad taught him about weapons, firearms, and survival. His mum worked at the CDC in Atlanta before and during the lockout." She noticed that Carol's attention snapped to her more intensely, and Katty sent her a questioning look.

"What do you mean, before?"

"Project Wildfire was announced 131 days before the official day zero. There was room, so Calum's mum moved herself and Calum into the CDC up until about two weeks after the start of it all. They all had different areas there, but his mother was heavily involved in the etiology of Wildfire. They gave up and vacated when most other people did. His mum got bit, and shortly after he ran into me."

"Does he know what caused it?" she asked quickly. Katty had Carol's full attention, and she smiled sadly at the older woman.

"It's all just theories. Might as well be folklore at this point. Calum collaborated his mum's research with a man named –" her voice got caught in her throat briefly, but Katty forced herself to cough and continue. "A man named Milton in Woodbury. Calum would be better at explaining it, if he was here," she finished sadly.

"So how did he run into you?"

"Calum found me after we got bit and taken over by a herd outside of Atlanta –"

"Why do you say it like that?"

Katty started, and her eyes snapped back to Carols. She was looking at her with a narrowed expression, inquisitive eyes and a tight mouth.

"Say what?"

"We got bit and taken over," she repeated. "You said the same thing at dinner a few days ago."

Katty made sure she met Carol's eyes levelly as she quirked a brow at her. "How else would I say it. My entire group was slaughtered. I was the last one," she tried to keep the irritation out of her voice at the pointless question. Carol nodded briefly at her, but her expression still held an unasked question.

"Anyways," Katty continued, "that's how I know he's alive. He's a hell of a lot more capable, strong and smart than I could ever be. He deserves to be alive."

"Katty, you're here. That's proof enough that you are capable and deserve to be alive," Carol retaliated immediately at Katty's proclamation, and Katty shook her head. That couldn't be more wrong.

"I'm not, Carol. I'm just some amateur player that's been dealt a good hand."

Carol frowned at her negativity, but Katty just ignored it. She was being honest. Katty knew that she wasn't as comparably strong or smart as anyone in Rick's group. Luck was on her side; it always had been. That was it.

"If you found him, would you leave?" Carol asked bluntly. Apparently she was done with trying to talk Katty up. She was thankful for that fact.

"In a heartbeat. I owe everything to him."

"What about Daryl?" the question had been casual and calm, but it made Katty jump like Carol had yelled it at her.

Katty chewed her lip for a minute as she contemplated what kind of answer Carol wanted. Was this a baiting question? "What about Daryl?" she parroted back, and looked at Carol curiously. The other woman didn't look annoyed or accusatory, but with Carol, it was difficult to tell.

Carol smiled knowingly at Katty before she shrugged innocently. "It's just nice to see him talking with someone other than our group. We had a hard time before we got to Alexandria, and Daryl especially has been closed off lately."

Katty remembered Maggie telling her about the people they had lost. Maggie's family especially had been torn apart; her father and more recently, her sister. They had also apparently lost another couple men around that time as well. 'Hard time' was an understatement, Katty thought. But then again, death wasn't exactly uncommon in this harsh, unforgiving world.

"I guess we're both playing poker with our walls, then. It's hard to trust people," Katty murmured quietly to herself. She shuffled her feet on the ground and contemplated how to change the subject; it was starting to make her antsy.

"Well, maybe it's time for both of you to fold."

Katty frowned at her Timberlands and then looked towards Carol, confused. What the fuck did that mean? She saw the brief flash of another knowing smile as Carol turned and walked away, and Katty pulled a face, irritated. She always seemed to know something that Katty didn't. Carol hadn't seemed angry with how often Katty found herself in Daryl's company, at least. Maybe they weren't anything more than close friends.

Carol led her back to the house quickly to pick up Judith before they went to visit the first house. Katty had been confused to as of why, but understood quickly once the elderly couple answered the door. Bob and Natalie Miller had fawned over Judith like she should have been by her own grandparents. In their long life the two of them had had five children and a total of twelve grandchildren, and countless stories about each. Their parental gift showed; Judith was at ease in their company, being passed and bounced between them and cuddled. They talked lovingly about how Judith and her older brother Carl reminded them of their own kin, and Katty found herself being thankful of their presence in Alexandria.

Some would definitely view the elderly as a burden in a world where you had to be quick, strong, and agile, but Katty thought that different ages, perspectives, and walks of life were important when rebuilding civilization. Everyone had something to add.

Especially Natalie, apparently, as she made Katty turn bright red when she told her that she had 'child bearing hips' and needed to 'take someone's seed' before she was too old. Jesus Christ.

Katty had spluttered and babbled unintelligibly while Carol laughed beside her. Bob eventually took pity on her and redirected Katty's attention away from her embarrassment.

"Do you want children, Katty?"

"I do," Katty immediately responded, and then paused. "I did." She corrected. It was pointless to think that she had the chance of having a family now. At one point, she had thought that she would have loved to be a mother. She still would love to be a mother, but she wasn't selfish enough to risk her baby and the people around her for the sake of basically a pipe dream. It was a set up for a tragic story, one that Katty could foresee the ending to.

"Alexandria is safe," Natalie said kindly. "You don't have to be scared to make a life here, Katty."

Katty nodded, but silently disagreed with the elderly woman. It was a nice thought, but unless Alexandria went through some major changes, 'safe' was not a word that she would utter in the same sentence as the town.

They ended up staying a few hours, and Katty and Carol took turns asking the Miller's questions about their lives and making Judith giggle. After going through the house and making a list of supplies that they would pick up from the pantry for them, Carol and Katty said their goodbyes to the couple and left with Judith.

"They're sweet," Katty commented as she pushed Judith in her stroller, and Carol hummed in agreement.

"They are," she acknowledged. "So, did they change your mind about 'taking someone's seed'?" Carol teased as they approached the house she shared with some of Rick's group.

"The hell are ya two cluckin' about?" a rough voice asked, and Katty glanced up at the porch. Daryl was standing there with an incredulous look on his face. He lazily held a cigarette between two of his fingers as he eyeballed both of them suspiciously, and Katty prayed that he hadn't heard what Carol had just said.

She felt her face heat up as she let out a quick, short laugh and Carol followed suit beside her. Carol quickly leant down and grabbed Judith out of her stroller before walking up the steps of the porch.

The woman paused when she noticed that Katty couldn't think of a response for Daryl, and turned to face the gruff redneck. Katty was thankful that Carol was going to redirect the conversation, rather than leave it to her.

"Something that you could help Katty out with, actually," she supplied before turning and sending Katty a grin. Before Katty could scowl at her, Carol retreated inside and left Katty awkwardly standing there.

Daryl reached a hand out for Katty to grab as she made her way up the steps. She smiled to herself at the lack of faith that he apparently had for her when she navigated up stairs. She took his hand lightly and tried not to admit to herself that she liked the feel of how rough and calloused his was.

Instead of dropping her hand instantly like she thought he would, Daryl led her over to the furniture set in the corner of the veranda before releasing her hand and plopping himself into a cushioned chair.

"What'dya need help with?" he asked casually, Daryl's blue eyes locked on hers.

Katty tried to keep from laughing and sat down in the chair nearest him. "Uh, nothing," she started unconvincingly. "Carol is just teasing me." She turned and folded her body in the chair so that she was facing Daryl with her legs crossed. It was for comfort and also so she could study him better.

Daryl shrugged and took another drag before he offered the lit cigarette to Katty with a mocking twist of his lips. It was a teasing challenge, and Katty couldn't bite back a smile at their joke. She didn't really want it, but Katty wanted an excuse to touch Daryl, so she reached out an took the half smoked smoke from him and made sure to connect as much of their hands as she could get away with.

She could feel him watching her as she took a more confident inhale from the stick of nicotine, and Katty felt her body slightly tingle. Daryl scoffed lightly when Katty didn't dissolve into a fit of coughs and gasping breaths and mocked a round of applause for her.

"Jus' need ta teach ya smoke rings and ya won't need me anymore," he joked, and Katty laughed lightly.

"I'm sure there's a lot you could teach me, Daryl," she drawled and purposely ignored the suggestive message of her words, fixing him with a sideways grin.

Daryl rolled his eyes, "Stop," he groaned but Katty could hear in his rough voice that he wasn't serious.

Katty laughed and took another drag off of Daryl's cigarette before studying it. Bob and Natalie Miller drifted into the forefront of her mind, and she felt the smile slip from her face. She wouldn't ever need to quit smoking, she thought sadly. There wouldn't ever be a pregnancy to look forward to or a newborn to keep healthy. No prenatal vitamins, no swollen feet or diapers to change.

She thought back to her boyfriend at the start of the apocalypse. Tyler had been nice. It had been a new relationship, and honestly, she didn't care that much about him. Which made it worse when he died; she felt guilty that he hadn't been around people that loved him, just her who liked him enough. It was sad, though, to have a light snuffed out before it had a change to catch and flame. Maybe she could have loved him. Maybe they could have had a family, been happy, in a different reality.

Katty flicked her eyes towards Daryl, who was watching her interestedly. It was odd, knowing she would probably never fall in love, get married, or have a family. She wondered if Daryl ever had a chance to do any of that. At least Maggie and Glenn had started the list. Abraham and Rosita could be on their way, too, she thought.

She had apparently stared at Daryl for a minute too long, because when she went to hand the smoke back to him, Daryl took it but slid his hand to her wrist quickly. Katty snapped her mismatched eyes back up to his intense ones, and he studied her face briefly.

"What's wrong?" he mumbled at her with a frown.

Katty smiled at his concern, and he released his grip on her. She ran a hand through her newly cut hair and Daryl's eyes followed her path.

"It's nothing, Daryl. I'm just being a broody female," she dismissed with a joke and a smile that she hoped wasn't sad.

"Ya cut yer hair," he commented after a stretch of silence, and Katty paused to look at him with a surprised expression. It had evidently made him uncomfortable, since Daryl grouched a disgruntled sounding "What?" at her.

She just smiled and shook her head at the man that continued to surprise her. "Jessie did it this morning. I know it's dumb, I just –"

Daryl waved a hand in her direction. "Nah, looks good," he said, staring at the cigarette rolling between his fingers.

Katty refrained from making a big deal out of his compliment and composed herself. Inside, she may have been excited, but she just replied with a simple, "Thanks, Daryl."

Daryl grunted in response, and they fell into a silence. Daryl would occasionally pass the cigarette to Katty, and she would always take it. She wasn't exactly craving it, but Katty liked the spark that would appear whenever she took it from him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the curtain of the nearest window move, and Katty narrowed her eyes at it. Carol was taking a suspiciously long time to put Judith down for a nap. She had mentioned something about talking to Rick shortly, though, so Katty decided not to be too doubtful of Carol's intentions.

She was curious about Daryl, and she still felt the gloomy presence of her thoughts looming over her. Prying into his personal life seemed like a welcome distraction, and he seemed like he was in a good enough mood that Katty would chance the intrusion.

"Have you ever been in love?" she asked casually, and Daryl frowned at her, a quizzical expression on his face.

"What?"

"Have you ever been in love?" Katty repeated, and chewed her lip. She wasn't sure if he'd get annoyed with her question, so she added as an afterthought, "I haven't."

Daryl watched her for a while, and Katty felt his blue gaze running along her face once more. It was such a long pause, that she figured he held no intention to answer her question.

"Nah."

The monosyllabic word was short and low and Katty almost missed it, Daryl had spoken it so quietly. He was still looking at her, and Katty wished she had the power to read minds.

"What about that boyfriend of yours?" he continued, and Katty almost smiled at the forced casual tone of his voice.

"Nah," she echoed his earlier word. "Sometimes I feel bad that I didn't, but we weren't together that long." Daryl didn't reply, he just pulled another cigarette out and lit it.

"It's a little sad, though, isn't it? That there's a big chance neither of us will get the chance to fall in love," Katty clarified at the questioning look he sent her.

Daryl shook his head, "Love gives ya somethin' ta lose. Distracts ya, gets ya killed," he pointed out blandly, and Katty frowned.

"No," she disagreed firmly, "It gives you something to fight for and to come home for. It makes people stronger," Katty stated, and she firmly believed it. She wasn't sure what had happened in Daryl's life to make him think like that, but she hoped his opinion would eventually change.

He was looking at her again, and Katty was annoyed with herself that she still had trouble reading his expressions. Daryl made minute movements with his facial muscles, and Katty was still trying to memorize them. It might take a while, she admitted to herself as she stared back at him passively. She didn't mind staring at him as long as it took, though.

"I'm goin' out tomorrow mornin' with Rick and Carol," Daryl said suddenly, taking a hard right from their previous conversation. It probably made him uncomfortable, Katty thought. "So we won't go huntin' at dawn."

Katty felt the disappointment quickly creep up her frame and she tried to keep it off her face as much as she could. Admittedly, she had been looking forward to spending time with the hunter in his element. She didn't want to guilt trip him though or seem whiney, so she fought to keep neutral on the subject.

"Oh, alright," she stated, and inwardly winced at how dejected she sounded. So much for that plan.

Daryl snorted, "Stop actin' like I kicked yer puppy, girl. We'll go after I get back."

Katty felt her face brighten immediately, and she refused to be embarrassed at the amused expression on Daryl's.

"Sorry I took so long, Katty. Let's go," Carol rounded the corner from the doorway. Katty got up immediately and started to collect herself, and when she looked over at Carol again, she was shooting Daryl a pointed look. Glancing back at the redneck, they appeared to be having a silent conversation, and Daryl looked embarrassed. Katty tried to push the feeling away, but she was jealous of their connection.

It reminded her of how Calum and her worked together; they didn't need words to direct each other where to go or communicate what they wanted, a pointed look was all they required. Daryl and Carol made her miss that, and she felt a pang of loneliness alongside the jealousy for her missing friend.

"Katty?" She jerked back to the present moment at the sound of her name, and found that both of the aforementioned people were sending her concerned looks.

She forced a smile on her face, one that she hoped was reassuring. "Sorry, got lost for a second," Katty cheerfully explained and tried to wipe the negative thoughts from her mind for now. They would surely creep up, at night when she was trying to sleep, but Katty could at least try to ignore them for now.

"See you later, Daryl," Katty called back at him, drawling his name in her accent. She liked the small, almost unnoticeable response that she would sometimes get from him when she said his name. Daryl would stiffen slightly and sometimes his adam's apple would bob in his throat if she was watching carefully enough.

Carol tried to goad at her about Daryl when they got far enough away, but Katty ignored it for the most part. There was nothing to report other than her silly crush on him, and she didn't want to divulge that to anyone. They had enough material to embarrass her with without Katty contributing further.

The rest of the afternoon was basically spent meeting a few people and Carol catching up with random chatty women in Alexandria. It was perplexing to see Carol play the part of the unassuming housewife with the other women, and talk about trivial things and gossip that didn't matter. She introduced Katty to Shelly Neudermeyer, who had curly hair and fixed Katty with a sharp, judging gaze. Erin and Stacy were also introduced to Katty and were thoroughly pleasant with her. They talked with Carol about alternatives and substitutions for ingredients when baking, and attempted to include Katty in the conversation as well. Katty had a few ideas, but was ultimately unconcerned with their baking dilemmas, so she declined to add her two cents in the conversation.

She was still getting used to people having problems like irregularly shaped cookies and stale pasta.

Katty found herself fading in and out of every conversation that they pulled her into, and she knew she was being rude. Carol was kind enough and quick enough to save her from looking like a total asshole, though, and often cut in when she zoned out or prompted her to say something. She just couldn't force herself today, Katty felt like she was in a slump. Reminiscing on Calum along with the thought that she couldn't have her own family anymore; she just wanted to go to bed and wait to start her day over tomorrow.

Carol, observant and intelligent as she was, noticed Katty wasn't invested or even remotely interested, and made an excuse for her to go. Before she left, Stacy handed her a bag of clothing.

"Do you mind bringing this back to your house? I washed some clothes for Heath since he's out,"

Katty replied that she didn't know which room was Heath's, but Stacy just said for her to put it in one of the occupied rooms and the boys could sort it out when they returned. Katty shrugged and accepted the bag.

When she got back to the house, she glanced at the couple doors that she hadn't bothered to open before. Katty stood by what she thought when she first arrived and hadn't invaded their private spaces for her own curiosity. She didn't want to still, even though she had an excuse to. Katty just quickly picked a door at random and swung it open.

This room was large and a light grey colour, with a lot of wood accents strategically placed around the room. The bed was a smokey blue duvet color, with pillows painted different shades of grey and white to match. The covers were pristine; Katty would have tried to bounce a coin off of them if she had one. There were a couple of bare, fake plants that more resembled sticks than anything leafy and green. This room didn't contain anything personal or distinguishing, and Katty tried to picture the person that this room belonged to. Would Calum have liked a room like this?

She chewed her lip for a while as she looked around. Katty was lost in her thoughts of her missing friend once again, and sighed to herself. Dropping the bag of clothing unceremoniously on top of the pristine duvet, she quickly strode out of the room and shut the door. She didn't want to have to go in either of these rooms again. Katty decided to take a nap and try to forget about her negative thoughts.

How odd it was, to be in a town full of people, and feel so alone.

A/N: Hey, you! This is the longest one yet, because I know I'm a bit late updating.

Next chapter will be a bit funnier, can't wait to start on it. Katty and Daryl go hunting. Wonder how that will go. Review and tell me your guesses!

-Submechanophobia