Complicated ✔

Ch. 58 - Birthday Girl

DARYL'S POV

Rick, Carl, and Michonne had left out early this morning, just as the sun was rising in the sky. Walking out of the cell I'd recently claimed as my own and walked the short distance to where Kat's was. Peering in at her still sleeping form, I almost didn't have the heart to wake her but I planned on trying to spend the day with her and make up for lost time. Getting one last look at the sleeping beauty before me, I walked into the cell and gently shook her shoulders to wake her, being careful of her stitched up side. "Kat wake up," I whispered as she slowly tried to swat my hand away from her shoulders.

"Go away," she groaned before seeming to try and fall back to sleep. "Wake up birthday girl," I said as I brushed the red hair out of her face. The feel of my fingers against the skin on her face seemed to wake her up enough to slowly open those eyes of her and peer up at me with tired blue eyes. "What do you want Daryl," she groaned out. "I promised you we'd do something," I said smiling at her, "just you and me, for your birthday." "But why does it have to be now," she whined. "Because if Hershel or Glenn or Maggie see you up moving around more than you need to be," I said standing up, "they'll ruin our day. Now get up."

KATHRYN'S POV

Finally getting the point that he wasn't leaving unless I got up, I shooed Daryl from my cell so that I could get changed since he seemed so set on just us two going out away from the others. I know if he planned to take me out to the woods so that we're away from the group, then it'll be risky because of the threat from the Governor. But I have faith that he'll keep me safe no matter what. Of course we could just go to one of the towers furthest away from them. But both scenarioes made me wonder what he planned to do. I know I've all but forgiven him, but I'm not so sure I'm ready for us to just jump back to where we had been before.

Pushing the thoughts from my head, once I was fully dressed, I walked out of my cell and slowly down the stairs to where Daryl was standing at the door to the area with the cells. He had his back to me as he leaned against the door jam, but at the sound of my approaching footsteps, he turned his head to look back at me. With a small smile appearing on his face, he straightened up and turned to face me. "Thought ya went back to sleep," he said in a whisper once I reached him. "Sorry," I said my face heating up, "got lost in thought for a moment. Was trying to figure out what you had planned."

"You could've asked," he said smirking down at me. "Yeah but would you have told me," I asked smirking back at him. "Nope," he said, his smirk growing to a full blown grin. "Yeah I thought as much," I said smiling before beginning to walk out into the commons area and then out of the cell block altogether, "so where are we going?" "Well your dad will most likely find out from either Hershel or Glenn that you were MIA when he gets back," he said as we walked towards the fence, "so I figured to keep from getting him even more upset about anything, we'll stay within the fence to the prison." "So to the tower again then," I asked looking up at him, "I would ask if we're just going to walk around but I don't think he'd be too happy knowing I was walking around and risking the chance of popping a stitch."

DARYL'S POV

"And I don't think you'd like to pop a stitch either," I said looking down at her as we made our way to what was quickly becoming our spot, "from what I remember you don't like needles and it's just as bad when you have to get stitched up." I watched as a blush colored her cheeks, but she didn't answer, just kept walking and kept facing forward to where we were walking. When we reached the tower, I allowered her to enter first and then climb up the ladder. I waited below, incase she lost her grip and fell.

When she was up and on the upper level to the tower, I began climbing up and found her sitting on the matress that was left in the tower for the night watchers. I still couldn't believe I'd chosen my brother over her when Rick didn't want him coming back to the prison, and then her actually forgiving me for leaving. Shaking those thoughts from my head, I turned my attention back to her so that I could help her actually enjoy her birthday even with her dad and brother gone to get us more weapons. "Why are you doing this," she finally asked after a few minutes of silence between us.

"Because you don't deserve to be worried about your brother and father on your birthday," I said as I looked over to her, "you've got enough on your plate to worry about right now. Don't need that added to the mix." "But they're all the family I have left besides my new baby sister in the prison," she said looking at me. "I'm aware of that Kat," I said sitting beside her and wrapping my arm around her shoulders as she leaned her head against me, "but today should be about you too, not just your family." She remained silent after that, just resting her head against my shoulder and when I looked down at her she had her eyes closed but I could tell she was still awake.

"Happy birthday Kat," I said as I placed my free hand under her chin and lifted her head to look at me as she slowly opened her blue eyes. After making eye contact for a second, I leaned down and kissed her deeply. As the kiss continued, my hand lowered down from her chin and rested on her thigh. When I went to move it further up her thigh, her hand shot out and stopped me before she pulled away and looked up at me. "No," she whispered shaking her head, "not right now. I may have forgiven you Daryl but I still need time be sure that you won't leave like that if I get attached again."

"I understand," I said nodding as I looked down to her, "but I'm not leaving you again. The only way I'll leave your side like that is if I'm dead." "Please don't talk like that," she said shaking her head, "I don't want to think about what it'd be like if you weren't here." I didn't answer her on that one, I just brought her lips to mine again. I wasn't going to push her into something she didn't want. She had every right to keep things from going the way it had been for now, she's only trying to protect herself from being hurt again. That's what makes her strong in my opinion, she's a survivor. And I intend to stick around as long as possible to make sure she continues to survive in this world.