Catch Fire | Daryl Dixon

BYGONES

Kennedy's POV

The morning sun filtered through the thin curtains in Willow's room, casting soft, warm light on her tiny sleeping form. I stood in the doorway for a moment, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest as she snuggled deeper into her blanket. Her dark curls were scattered across her pillow, and her little face looked so peaceful, so innocent. She was the one constant in my life, the one thing that never changed, no matter what the world threw at me.

But I knew she'd be up soon, full of energy as always. Willow rarely stayed quiet for long once the day started, and she always had a million things to say. I smiled to myself, stepping quietly into her room and kneeling beside her bed. I reached out, gently brushing a stray curl away from her face.

"Morning," I whispered.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and she gave a sleepy yawn before blinking up at me with those wide, bright blue eyes. She rubbed her face with her tiny fists before a slow smile spread across her lips. "Mommy," she mumbled, still half-asleep.

I leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Ready to get up? We've got a big day ahead."

It took her a second, but then she sat up, her little face lighting up as she remembered. "Dog!" she squealed, throwing off the covers and hopping to her feet like she'd just won the lottery. "And Daddy!"

I bit back the wave of complicated emotions that came with hearing her talk about Daryl. He was back, yes. But what that meant, I still wasn't sure. For now, it was about Willow, and I couldn't let her see the storm inside me.

"Let's get you dressed first," I said, trying to keep my voice light as I pulled a fresh pair of clothes from her dresser. "Then we'll go see them."

Willow was practically bouncing with excitement as I helped her into her clothes, talking a mile a minute about the cows, the cake, and how she wanted to show Dog around the garden. She chattered about her dad too, like he'd been here all along and hadn't missed two and a half years of her life. There was no bitterness in her voice, no anger. Just pure, innocent joy. It made my heart ache.

Once she was dressed, we headed to the kitchen for breakfast. I set a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her, but she barely touched it, too busy talking about all the things she wanted to do with Dog and her dad today.

"Mommy, can we keep Dog forever?" she asked between bites, her face lighting up with that hopeful expression that always made it hard to say no.

"We'll see, sweetie," I said, trying to keep my tone neutral. I didn't know what Daryl's plans were, and the last thing I wanted was to get Willow's hopes up.

She looked up at me with those big blue eyes, her lips forming a little pout. "But he's my new best friend."

I smiled, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "I know, baby. We'll figure it out, okay?"

Willow beamed at me, apparently satisfied with that answer, and went back to nibbling on her toast. I couldn't help but watch her for a moment, the way her eyes sparkled with excitement. She didn't know how complicated everything was. She just knew her dad was here, and that was enough for her.

After breakfast, I grabbed her jacket and helped her into it, and we headed outside. As soon as we stepped onto the front porch, Dog came trotting up to us, his tail wagging as he practically bounded over to Willow like she was his long-lost friend.

"Doggy!" Willow squealed, dropping to her knees to hug him. Dog immediately licked her face, making her giggle uncontrollably.

I smiled, watching them for a moment before my eyes drifted past them, scanning the yard. And there he was. Daryl was leaning against the side of Glenn and Tara's house; his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Dog and Willow. He looked a little more relaxed than yesterday, but there was still that tension in his posture like he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.