NOW
Over the next few days, it was obvious that Daryl had been right. The Kingdom was falling and quickly becoming inhabitable. Katie watched as the residents did their best to save their home, but it wasn't enough. The majority of the pipes had burst beyond repair. Fires broke out. The food supply was being quickly depleted.
But most of all, spirits were low. Alpha had broken these people. It was evident on all their faces. They were exhausted and losing hope.
Members of other communities had come to try and help patch the Kingdom back together. Katie met Michonne and Aaron from Alexandria, and saw a few familiar faces from her brief stay at Hilltop. They were mostly cordial to her, but she caught a few sideways glances from some members of the Hilltop. She understood why, but it still hurt. It didn't matter that she wanted nothing to do with Alpha anymore. She was still the enemy in some people's eyes. Guilty by association.
Between being an outcast and her botched attempt to kiss Daryl, she was exhausted. Her body ached and her emotions were fried.
Was she being dramatic? Katie wasn't sure. What she was sure of was this: she needed out. Her being there…. it wasn't working. It had been days and she and Daryl hadn't said a word to each other. And it hurt. It hurt like hell.
It didn't take long to pack up her meager belongings.
She'd been out on her own before. And she could do it again. All she needed was somewhere to hole up.
Grabbing Daryl's map, she spread it across the bed and studied it carefully. It was meticulously marked. Her finger ran along the thin paper, tracing the path from Hilltop to The Kingdom. She stopped at the barn they'd spent the night in. It would be the perfect place to stay for a couple of days until she planned out her next move.
She refolded the map and zipped it into the front pocket of her pack. Sorry, Daryl.
Daryl had thrown all his energy into trying to save the Kingdom. Staying busy was the only way to keep his mind off how he'd hurt Katie. She had pulled away from him and had been spending most of her time with Lydia. He didn't fault her, he deserved it.
Needing a place to process his thoughts, he ducked into a hidden spot, where the quiet felt too loud after a long day of fixing clanging, busted pipes. Clenching his fists open and closed he tried to tamp down the anger that simmered in his gut. Tried to resist the urge to break something.
His heart had screamed at him to stay that day instead of walking away from her. To give in to what they both wanted and just kiss her. But the reality was that he would probably screw it all up. And he couldn't bear to make her cry anymore.
Tears. Fucking tears. He hated them. But her tears? They always ripped him to shreds. And being the reason for those tears? Well, he should just go dig a grave and throw himself into it. He hated himself.
He had never deserved her. Not before and not now. She was a work of art and he was a nobody.
She was right- people didn't get second chances anymore. The universe had just handed them one on a silver platter and he didn't deserve this second chance.
She had always needed him to keep her safe. But she had just proven that was more than capable on her own. What did she need him for now? She had escaped Alpha. Risked her life to get to him. He was useless to her now.
Daryl shook his head. Trying to clear the thoughts.
Piss poor excuses, Dixon.
Thankfully, Hilltop had brought Dog along with them and Daryl was grateful to have his buddy back by his side. Dog didn't care if Daryl was an asshole.
He knew he was only delaying the inevitable. It was only a matter of time until she said something smart ass and he pinned her against the wall and kissed her just to shut her up. Then just kept kissing her.
"Fuck it." He muttered. He had a mess to fix. And he was going to fix it now by marching his ass to Katie and kissing her senseless.
He pushed off the building just as Carol rounded the corner. She stopped short when she saw him.
"Hey," he gruffed.
Carol's face was pinched in a way that made him think she was holding back tears. "What are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "Needed a minute."
"That makes two of us." She collapsed into a nearby bench.
Daryl froze, caught between two women. He took a tentative step towards Carol.
"How ya doing?" He asked, testing her mood.
"Shitty." She patted the empty spot next to her.
Daryl sat and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees and let his eyes focus lazily on the stretch of land before them.
Carol sighed. "Ezekiel."
Scratching the back of his head, Daryl glanced over his shoulder at her. "What about him?"
Carol's hands came to a prayer motion in front of her lips as she contemplated her answer. "He's delusional. This place can't be saved. He's wasting everybody's time and energy."
Daryl hummed. "We got some help now."
"Yeah. We have all this help and it's still crumbling." She glanced at Daryl. "He won't listen to me. Will you talk to him."
Daryl snorted. He and Ezekiel were cordial, but definitely not friends. "He ain't gonna listen to me. Ask Michonne."
Carol swiped at a tear that slowly was making its way down her cheek. "There's nothing worth saving here."
"It's his home. Cain't blame him for wanting to save it."
"It's a memory of a home."
"Maybe."
"You don't agree with me?" She asked, defensively.
"Didn't say that." He answered, picking at his thumb and trying to stay engaged in the conversation. All he wanted to do was go to Katie. Fix his mess.
Carol let out a sigh. "I see Henry everywhere I look."
Daryl nodded, his eyes on the ground. "I get it."
"It would be better if we just closed the doors to this place. Close it up and never come back."
"Better for who?"
"For everyone."
Daryl reached over and squeezed Carol's knee. She reached down and took his hand in her own, holding tightly. They sat quietly together. Friends lost in their own troubling thoughts.
"How's Katie?" Carol asked after their brief silence.
Daryl scrubbed at his beard, his mouth pursed in thought. "We're figuring it out."
"She's not what I pictured when you told me about her."
Daryl raised an eyebrow and Carol let out a sad attempt at a laugh. "What'd you expect?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. She's so short, and cute. Maybe someone a little more rough around the edges?"
Daryl snorted and reclaimed his hand before giving her knee a playful push and standing up. "Whatever. I was on my way to find her. You good?"
Carol shrugged. "Don't worry about me."
He looked down at her. "Too late for that."
Daryl hadn't gotten to Katie as quickly as he wanted to. After his chat with Carol, a few people had stopped him for help and he'd worked until it was too dark to see. Now he hurried to their shared room and busted through the door. He was fully expecting to find Katie on the other side. He was fully ready to kiss her perfect pink lips.
The inside of the room made his blood run cold. Except for a few of his own belongings, it was empty. He whipped his eyes around, looking for a note or explanation of where she had gone. He found nothing.
Daryl stalked outside, seeing Jerry walking across the yard, huddled around a fire. "Hey!"
Jerry turned and gave him a wide smile, then saw the rage simmering on Daryl's face. "Uh oh."
"Ya seen Katie?"
Jerry shook his head. "Naw man. Sorry."
Daryl spun in a circle, looking across the grounds. "She packed up her shit. It's gone."
"Double uh oh." Jerry noted.
Anger and fear simmered in Daryl's stomach. This was his fault. He should have kissed her when he had the damn chance.
He jogged over to one of the lookouts. Diane was on watch and he climbed up beside her.
"What's going on?" She asked.
Daryl leaned over the railing and squinted into the dark, looking for any sign of movement. "Ya seen anyone coming or going? I can't find Katie."
Diane shook her head. "No, sorry. It's been quiet. Want me to radio the south wall? Ask them if they've seen anything?"
"Naw, not yet." He climbed back down with the intention to look for Lydia. The girl might know where Katie went. Or she might have gone with her.
Alden and Aaron noticed the change in Daryl's behavior and made their way towards Daryl together.
"The lady friend's gone MIA." Jerry informed them when he saw the questioning looks on their faces.
"The skin?" Alden spat.
Jerry frowned at the use of the word 'skin'.
"If she's gone that can only mean one thing right?" Aaron and Jerry could practically see the adrenaline coursing through Alden's body as he processed the situation.
"Let's not jump to conclusions, man." Jerry said in an effort to be the voice of reason.
"Daryl!" Aaron called out, stopping his friend.
He turned and hollered back. "Ya seen Lydia? Katie?"
The three men shook their heads.
Daryl grunted and continued on his quest to locate at least one of the girls.
"Stop. We need to talk about this." Aaron said.
"About what?" Daryl growled at the delay. Katie was gone and these bozo's were wasting his damn time.
Alden stepped up. "I swear to god, Daryl. If you brought a fucking spy into the Kingdom…."
"She ain't no spy." He growled, stalking towards Alden. "This is between me and her."
"I'll get a search party together." Jerry jumped in between the two men before anything could start. "We'll get her back."
Daryl shook off his offer. "Naw. No way. I'm going alone."
"Let me come." Carol said, appearing out of nowhere.
He stared at his friend. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but this was something he needed to do alone. Shaking his head he frowned. "Ya need to stay here."
She took a step towards him. "What for? You need a second pair of eyes out there."
"Naw." His jaw clenched.
"Daryl, if she's going back to Alpha…. I need to know where Alpha is."
Daryl's frustration level was rising. He clenched his fists, trying to keep his composure. "She ain't going back to Alpha."
"How the hell do you know?" Alden spoke up.
"Cause, I know! I know her. She ain't going back." Daryl practically shouted. He needed to get out and start tracking before the trail ran cold. All these questions were just slowing him down.
A small crowd had gathered at the commotion and Ezekial stepped in. "What's going on here?"
"Daryl's girl is gone." Jerry supplied.
Ezekiel turned to Daryl. "You sure."
Daryl's jaw ticked in frustration, but he nodded. "Positive. She took her shit. And my map."
"What do you want to do?"
Daryl resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Ezekiel. "I'm gonna go fucking get her back."
Aaron spoke up. "What if this is a trap?"
Daryl was seething now. "Look. Me and her. We had a …" he waved his hand in the air, searching for the right word. "a miscommunication. She ain't a spy and it ain't a trap. I just need ta go find her."
He watched as the group around him all shared looks. Not interested in waiting any longer, he backed away from the crowd. Jogging, he collected his crossbow and pack before letting out a shrill whistle. Dog came running and followed him to the Kingdom's gates.
Carol reached for him, grabbing his forearm. She clutched him tightly. "Be careful."
"I will." He shouldered his pack and gave her a pointed look. "Don't follow me."
Ezekiel motioned for the gates to open and Daryl strode through them.
Goddammit, Katie. He hitched his crossbow up his shoulder as he exited the Kingdom into the dark night. What the hell you thinking, girl?
AN- Thanks for reading! I know that I don't update often, but this story is always living in my head rent free. I enjoy writing this story so much. If you are reading and enjoying plllleeeeaaasssseeee leave a review and let me know! I would love to hear from you. - CJ