Save me, Save you
Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or the characters except my own! The rest is all AMC!
summery: twenty-nine year old Kathryn Smith and her daughter three year old Jasmine have been on their own until they meet the Atlanta group on the highway. both mother and daughter carry with them a scared and frightening past but Kathryn is also carrying with her something more. Enter Daryl Dixon Hunter, tracker, and all around bad ass as well carries a dark past can they both save each other or will someone or something tear them apart?
Author's note: The song Kathryn sang was Sleep well, My Angel by: We Are the Fallen.
Theme song: Lose Control by: Evanescence/ In The Air Tonight by: Phil Collins
Chapter 8: Judge, Jury, Executioner, and Confession.
The afternoon seem to run slowly after the incident with Beth. Carol and Jasmine washed clothes as they watch Carl and Jasmine..Daryl had woken up saying he was going hunting, a blush on both adults faces, Carol smiled catching on to what went on between them both.
As both woman hung clothes, Rick and Shane's car pulled up in the drive, both men bloody and bruised pulled Randell out of the car and dragged the kid back to the barn.
By this time Daryl had come walking back with squirrels and rabbit on a string, Rick had stopped him before he could make it to the campfire asking him if he could interrogate Randell.
Daryl agreed to it telling Kathryn and Jasmine to stay away from the barn.
"Why Mr. Daryl? Is he a bad man like..." She looked at the ground as she stopped talking.
Daryl lifted the girl's head with one finger "Dunno yet, just want you and yer mama safe ok Half pint? Just do as I say ok?"
Jasmine nodded and hugged Daryl who hugged back. "Be safe Mr. Daryl I loves yous."
The three year old ran off to see Carl, Daryl looked down at Kathryn. "Stay by the house you'll be safe kay?"
Kathryn nodded and gave him a sad smile. "Do what you gotta do ok cowboy?"
Daryl chuckled and nodded as he hugged her, this had surprised everyone in camp besides Carol.
They all wait for Daryl to come back, Kathryn pacing wondering if it was the same group.
No, no she couldn't think that, that would mean she did lead them to this group, she wouldn't be able to live with herself then.
Looking up she saw Daryl walking back his eyes focused on her telling them about the gang of men.
Kathryn's fears were realized at the moment, Jasmine ran to Daryl hugging his leg as Carol asked what he did.
"Had a little chat, Kathryn…Jass need to talk to ya." He picked Jass up as he looked at Kathryn.
Nodding Kathryn fallowed him. "Look...it aint the men ya were talking about. Made sure with the kid."
Kathryn sighed "Okay? so what now?"
Daryl hugged Jasmine to him as he wrapped his arm around Kathryn. "Like Rick said, stay away, that guys dangerous."
As they walked back to their camp site Jasmine pats Daryl on the shoulder.
"I's gots a question Mr. Daryl." He looks at her a small smile crossing his face.
"Kay Half pint shoot." Jasmine smiles.
"Can I's call you daddy? You's remind me of my old one and I's wanted...to know if I's could." Darly stops in his tracks shock crossing his face.
This little girl wanted to call him daddy? She wanted him to be her father?
He walks over to the log in front of the fire and sits her on his lap. "Ya wanna call me daddy?"
It seemed to not register to him yet, he was a redneck and kids were usually afraid of him. Yet here was this brown haired angel looking at him with puppy dog eyes not even scared.
"Yes paweas it makes me really happy." She said holding her arms out showing how excited she would be.
Nodding Daryl smiled "Yeah...yeah ya can call me daddy."
Jasmine's eyes lit up and hugged him squealing in excitement, Kathryn smiled from her spot by the fire as she made lunch.
Kathryn watched as both Jasmine and Daryl talked, she felt like they were a real family.
Kathryn was finishing dinner when Dale came walking up.
"Thought the whole point of moving up here was to get away from you people."
Both Dale and Daryl started talking, Dale explained his concern about Daryl's role.
"Carol is worried about you, Kathryn I'm surprised your not." Kathryn looked up as she scooped soup into a bowl handing it off to Jasmine.
"I'm not, Daryl is doing what he thinks is right, I'm not going to control him. He's keeping us safe." She whisper.
Daryl looked down at his girls and back at Dale. "Groups broken, all I need to worry about are my girls."
They both stopped and thought about what he said, Kathryn blushed as Daryl looked at her and nodded.
"You both act like you don't care what happens to Randell." Daryl looks at him as he puts on his vest. "It's cause we don't like I said we are worrying about ourselves."
Dale looks at Kathryn. "What about you?"
Kathryn raises an eyebrow. "What about me?"
"Don't you care about what happens to the boy, think about your daughter..." Kathryn stood and got in Dale's face which was un-Kathyrn like for her.
"Don't tell me I don't care! I told you what happened to me! That boy was in a group like my old one! I am thinking about my daughter! I'm keeping her safe with or with out your help!" She turns and storms off to her tent, tears in her eyes.
Daryl sends Jasmine to her mother as he grabs his crossbow loading it.
He turns and looks at Dale. "Didn't peg you as a desperate son of a bitch going after like that."
Dale sighs. "I'm sorry but your opinion counts."
Daryl walks away telling the girls he'd be back after he was done hunting. "Man no one is looking at me for shit."
Dale continues to follow. "Carol, the girls, and I am right now. You also have Rick's ear."
Daryl walks back over to him. "He just looks to Shane, let him."
Dale then went after how he cared for Sophia and now he cares for both the mother and daughter.
This seemed to upset Daryl a little until Dale made the point of saying that Daryl and Rick are decent men.
"Yeah why's that?" He asks walking back to Dale. "Because he killed Otis?"
Dale's eyes widen and walks closer to Daryl. "Who told you that?"
Daryl shrugged. "Told some story, Otis covering his ass, Shane showing up with a dead guy's gun." Kathryn walked out of the tent Jasmine staying inside.
"Have to agree with Daryl the man is dangerous." She stepped up beside him.
Daryl nods, he turns and kisses Kathryn before leaving.
Dale turned to Kathryn. "Look, I'm...sorry about what I said if this is what you feel is right. I won't change your mind."
Kathryn smiled at the old man. "Thank you Dale that means a lot."
Dale nods, walking away as Jasmine walks out of the tent. "You and daddy are gunna take care of me right? Those bad men won't get us right?"
Kathryn kneels and hugs Jasmine. "Sweety no one, and I mean no one is going to get you. Not people…not walkers, no one. Daddy and I are going to take good care of you and your brother or sister, got it?"
Jasmine nodded hugging her mother. "Now let's see if we can't help around the farm what do you say?"
Jasmine nodded, grabbing her mother's hand walking back to the group, Hershel ended up stopping Kathryn.
"Why don't we go inside and we'll check the baby." He says Kathryn nods smiling.
"Sounds good. Jasmine sweety, why don't you go find Carl and I'll be back out in a bit?" Jass nods and runs off yelling Carl's name.
Hershel guides Kathryn inside the house and in the bedroom Carl was once in, Kathryn was nervous as always with these check ups.
Pulling her pants down Kathryn props her self up on the bed, Patricia comes in ready to help. Once the examination begun with Hershel putting his hand inside her, she tried not to scream.
It hurt no matter what as she grips onto Patricia's hand, tears flowing down her cheeks.
Once it was over Hershel looks up at her. "Have you been experiencing any pain?"He asks.
Kathryn nods. "A little I figure it's from stress."
Hershel nods. "It is, just take it easy I know everything lately has been stressful especially with the prisoner around."
She nods agreeing with him, he pats her leg smiling as she gets up to get dressed.
"I see you and that hunter, Daryl his name?" Kathryn nods a smile on her face "See you both walking around smiles on your faces, its good to see two broken people together building new lives for yourselves."
The young mother smiles thanking the vet, happy to know he approves of the relationship.
When Kathryn walked outside she saw Jasmine throwing a rock at a tree, the three year old look upset.
"Jass hunny what's wrong?" the mother asks, when she reaches her.
Jasmine looked, up tears stained her cheeks "Carl was mean to me mommy! He says I's not a big kid!" The little girl launching herself, clinging to Kathryn.
Kathryn hushed her, comforting her as best she could, Lori called her saying it was time for the meeting.
"The kids can stay with Jimmy." Kathryn nods as Carl tries to talk his mom into going into the meeting.
Kathryn spots Daryl and stands beside him as everyone gathered into the living room.
Once Rick started talking everyone but Kathryn got into it, debating where this was going. Keeping him prisoner was one thing but then they would have to ration due to a lean winter, putting him to work was another but Rick shot it down.
Dale looked desperate, Kathryn wanted to help the poor man she really did but everything that happened to her and her daughter was still fresh. She looked at Daryl who wraps his arm around her waist, she leans into him biting her lip.
Then the debate of killing him and how it was going to happen, Dale tried stopping it, saying they did this then there was no chance for civilization.
"Its already gone Dale...I'm sorry you heard what I said! There maybe some hope but...not a lot." She whispers, Daryl hugs her to him as Dale's eyes widen.
"We've been going around in circles, you wanna go around again?" Daryl asks twirling his finger in the air as he talked.
The conversation got so heated that Kathryn couldn't take it, the stress was getting to her. "I have to step out, Carol's right someone just...decide. I can't have this stress put on me or the baby."
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she briskly walked out slamming the front door.
Once the meeting was over Daryl walked out, seeing Kathryn on the porch swing rubbing her baby bump which had grown bigger over the last few days.
He sighs and walks over to her, "Hey...how ya holdin up?" Kathryn looks up and shrugs.
"Okay I guess...Hershel's right I don't need to be part of the whole, group drama that's going on." Daryl scoffs as he sits down beside her.
"He's right ya don't, that was to much should have sent you out when this started. That's on me." He mumbles, putting his arm around her shoulder, Kathryn lays her head on his.
"No, it's on both of us its not all you. I'm the one that has to carry him or her." She whispers looking up at him.
Daryl nods. "Rick, Shane, and I are going to hang the boy tonight want you and Jass in bed tonight don't need ya out here."
"Ok that's fine I hope you're safe tonight, don't need anything going wrong." He nods as Jasmine walks out and crawls into his lap.
That night Daryl tucks both Kathryn and Jasmine in for the night saying he'd be back after it was over.
An hour later he comes back Kathryn looks up."Everything ok? What happened?" She mumbled sleepily.
Daryl looks at her crawling into the tent, they decided that they would share one now that they were together. He began to explain that Carl had followed them into the barn wanting his dad to kill the kid.
Sighing, Kathryn pulls Daryl to her, she holds him as he holds her and this felt right to both of them.
That's when a scream came from the fields, both adults bolted up right telling Jasmine to stay in the tent.
Kathryn and Daryl ran out to meet the screams. Daryl realizing its Dale who is screaming, he runs faster taking out the walker that was on top of him.
"Help! Help us over here!" Daryl yells as he meets Kathryn telling her not to look.
Truth was she saw, shock seemed to come over her. Dale? No, why him? This couldn't be happening, not now.
Kathryn sobbed into Daryl's shirt as Hershel said there was nothing he could do.
Andrea begs Rick to do something do end Dale's suffering. Rick pulls out his gun but hesitates.
Daryl kisses Kathryn's forehead and walks over to Rick taking the gun, he kneels behind Dale's head.
Dale looks in Daryl's eyes as he meets the barrel of the gun. "Sorry brother." Daryl said as he shot him.
Kathryn turned away sobbing for the man, Daryl walks up to her taking her away from the scene.
He turns her around once their away and kisses her passionately, as he pulls away he looks in her eyes.
"I love you Kathryn. I love you and Jasmine and I promise you from this day on I'll always protect you both." Kathryn cries wrapping her arms around his neck and buries her face.
"I love you to Daryl Dixon, I too promise to protect you both always." It almost felt like a vow and to them it was, their own secret vow that no matter what they'll love and care for each other.