"This is fuckin' stupid." Daryl huffed again as he walked through the brush. "If they were surrounded at that house, how in the hell would it make sense to try and run through a brush like this.. Aint nowhere you can step without getting stuck by a thorn or an old hunter's trap." I rolled my eyes at Daryl, walking past him. He quickly pulled me back, and we had a stare off for a moment. "I'm staying in front... Last thing I need is you getting caught in somethin' and being hurt more..." I scoffed. "So you getting hurt would be better?" Daryl narrowed his eyes. "I aint gonna get hurt, Princess. I'm a bit smarter than you think." "Oh really?" I could tell egging him on wasn't the best to do right now. But he was pretty much asking for it. He even called me princess! "I'm smart enough to know it's a waist of time searching for dead people." I watched Rachel's head bow down, and I didn't know what to even say to Daryl really. Rachel slowly turned around and walked back to where we had parked the truck, while I turned to Daryl. "That didn't stop us from lookin' for your brother during winter, did it?" Daryl slowly turned, the most hate filled look coming acrossed his face. "I thought he was dead too, but I followed you anywhere so you could get your family back. Hell Daryl, I left my family so you could have yours!" He opened his mouth to make what I was sure was gonna be a smart ass remark, and I could've just ended it there, letting him say what he wanted then going, but I let my anger get the best of me. "But obviously that was just one big mistake, huh?" I turned around and began walking back to the truck, hearing footsteps behind me. I got into the passenger side, and Daryl came around the driver's side. The door slammed shut, shaking the whole truck. Daryl's whole body was tense, and a scowl was plastured to his face. I knew what I said had to have hurt him, and I already began to feel bad for it all. But what he said hurt Rachel, and for some reason that hurt me... I squeezed my eyes shut, hardly wanting to even return to the prison, because I knew that once we had Daryl and I would finish our 'conversation' and I knew there was a very likely outcome... I took a breath, trying to prepare for the worst.
The car ride was completely silent and tention clouded the air. Daryl roughly stopped the truck, causing me to fly forward into the dash. I groaned from the pain, but Daryl only hopped out of the truck and slammed it behind himself. I slowly got out and went into the prison. I stopped when I saw a familiar blonde standing in the middle of a circle of our group members. I rolled my eyes and sat down with Rick, who looked my body up and down slowly before shaking his head lightly. "Look what he did to her... Your... boyfriend, or whatever he is... You expect me to negotiate with someone who did that to someone I care about?" Rick seemed angry, but in a soft way... In a Rick sort of way. Andrea gulped a bit. "If it was Carol, or Beth, or Maggie, you wouldn't care as much as you do... He saw her as an attacker, it's an honest mistake when people are invading your home." "What did you say?" Andrea lifted her head a bit to Rick. "Maybe you're right... Maybe, let's say, I wouldn't care as much if it weren't Kat... But if it were Maggie, picture me as Glenn... If it were Beth, picture me as Hershel. If it were Carol, picture me as... Daryl... The point is, no matter WHAT group member it was, he'd have one angry son of a bitch ready to kill him... I will not negotiate with him, Andrea." Rick growled towards her. "At least meet with him... You can talk and if you can't agree then you can't agree.. But you have to try!" Rick looked at me, almost asking if it were alright. I slowly nodded to him. "Okay, but we aren't bringing armies... 3 people.." Andrea agreed, giving Rick a time and place. Rick sent her off, then sent everyone back to their everyday chores. "Kat.." He gave me a small smile. "I'm sorry.." I shook my head, and couldn't help but smile a bit back. "It's what's best for the group, Rick... If you have to make a deal with the governor it's what you have to do. I understand." Rick's hand slid to my cheek, and I slowly closed my eyes. It wasn't a romantic gesture, although I'd believe anyone watching might think it would be. Rick was more of the big brother type of man towards me. I also knew he wouldn't see anyone else like that, even with Lori's passing... She was the only women that would cross his mind like that after the outbrake, and I couldn't say I blamed him... He was the most loyal man I had ever met. He moved his hand from my cheek, and he gave me a slight nod. "Go ahead..."
I spent hours doing anything and everything possible, avoiding Daryl as much as I could. He seemed to be doing the same, but I could see out the corner of my eye that he would look at me every so often. Eventually, everyone started to go to bed. I huffed as I noticed I was the last one up. The last thing I wanted to do was crawl into bed with Daryl, just to feel him shove me as far as possible or whatever, so I walked up the steps and tried to pass by the bed as quickly as possible to one of the cells. I felt a catch on my leg tho, and turned my head to see Daryl's hand with a firm grasp on my ankle. He pulled me down onto the bed, making me make a slight whimper sound from the pain. He looked me in the eyes and his jaw clenched tightly. "What are we?" I asked. I could tell by the tone of his voice he was trying to stay calm. I studied his face, but couldn't find what he wanted me to say. I shrugged. He released his grip on me huffing and going to lay down, but I grabbed his shoulder and made sure he faced me. "What the hell do you want me to say, Dixon?" I growled. "It's not what I want you to say.. It's what I didn't want you to say." He responded. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, then sighed. "Daryl, I'd follow you to the edge of the Earth and not think twice about it... But god damn it sometimes you're the most hateful man I've ever met! Even... No, Especially to me... Like today, what you said was bullshit. Every single place we went when we were on the road we stopped to look for your brother... Then you don't even care to try to help me find mine." He sighed, and it seemed like all the anger flooded out of his system. I laid down, and he hovered over me, his forearm holding himself up. "I never put you in as much danger as you've been putting yourself in, Kat... You're hurt bad enough and looking for a group of people where over half aint ever killed a walker is a lost cause...God damn Kat I'm trying to keep you alive!" "I'm a big girl Daryl. I know how to keep myself alive." I growled back. "That's 'bout the only thing you know." He mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Are you calling me stupid?" "Ain't calling you smart, that's for sure." I finally stood up and walked away from Daryl, not wanting to continue the argument. "You're such a coward, walkin' away like that." He called, hardly quiet enough for no one to hear. I turned and tilted my head. "Or maybe I'm just the better person." I responded, taking a step towards the bed. "Maybe, I'm a better person than the temperamental redneck... Maybe, I don't feel like arguing, but rather actually getting some sleep tonight.." His jaw clenched tightly, and he stood up also. We stand about a foot away from the other, glaring each other down. "Or maybe you're a coward of fighing. Maybe you wanna run away from your problems. Maybe, you got too many daddy issues so you can't argue with a man without getting scared." His own mouth shot open at his last comment, and I only nodded a second. "Wait, Kat." He began, stepping to grab me. I stepped back. "You know what, you're a prick... " I growled through my teeth. I turned and walked away, storming out of the prison walls and sitting on top of one of the cars. I leaned back and huffed. "Why do I have to love you?"
