Author's Note - I had to write this for therapeutic reasons. It's a bit sappy, maybe a bit corny - but it was important to me that I try my best to stay true to the characters - especially Morgan. There is a lot of talk about pairing Carol and Morgan. As a Caryler I believe that Carol's heart is already taken. They have shared too much for the show to ignore what they've been through and pair either of them with someone new. I truly hope you enjoy this. It felt good to write. I mean no disrespect to anyone or any of the characters.
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Rick walked out to the front porch with a glass in each hand. Out in front of the house there was a scene occurring that he never could have imagined several months ago. In her usual cargo pants, knee high boots and a tight tank top Carol was playing with his daughter Judith. What parent could ever imagine watching their child play with a woman who had a knife strapped to one hip and a gun to the other and know there might not be a person in the world they were safer with?
Rick would never doubt Carol's judgement again. He owed her too much. There would never be a way to repay this woman for what she had done for him and his family - even after the way he'd treated her. But he would try his best to pay her back with the utmost respect. It was respect and admiration she had earned over and over again.
It was easy to adore Carol once you knew her. She was nothing short of incredible. And that's exactly why he needed to have the conversation he was about to have. Some one was falling for Carol in a way that was only going to lead to animosity and maybe even heartbreak if Rick didn't nip it in the bud.
"Nice night," he said, initiating the conversation. When Morgan looked up Rick handed him a glass and sat down beside him. Carol was just far enough to be out of earshot and she was distracted by a giggling almost toddler. Judith hadn't had the opportunity to learn to walk until they came to Alexandria. In a normal world she would have been far behind her peers but in this world the fact she was alive and healthy made her unique and special.
Rick smiled watching Judith take a couple shaky steps and collapse into Carol's arms with a giggle. Morgan was grinning as well but Rick knew it was far more to do with the woman than the child. "Thanks," Morgan said, after taking a swig of the scotch. His eyes never left Carol, not until Rick sighed. "Something wrong? I mean, something new?" Morgan asked, turning to look at him.
Morgan was well aware that Rick's best friend was the only one still unaccounted for after the walker removal plan had backfired. Sasha and Abe had been missing too but they returned that morning - without Daryl. "I see the way you look at her," Rick started. "And believe me, I get it... But you can't. Not her."
Carol hid her emotions extremely well. Morgan didn't know her well enough to see it. And Rick might not have even known just how devastated she was if he hadn't been through it with her once before at the prison and if she hadn't broke down in his arms a few hours earlier. Daryl was missing and Carol was an absolute wreck inside. Rick hadn't realized just how deeply she loved his best friend - not until she crumbled and shook, sobbing quietly against his chest.
Rick promised her they would organize a search team after he gave everyone one day to rest. The following afternoon they would start out and try to find Daryl. Aaron had already stopped by and offered to help. He'd been with Daryl on the run when they met up with the group who they had since learned called themselves The Wolves. It was this group that had captured Daryl according to Abe and Sasha.
Carol had fought him hard. She wanted to go out immediately. Aaron was quite willing to join her and honestly, Rick would have been happy to go too. But they needed others. And others needed sleep. They had been dealing with a massive herd for two full days. People were exhausted. There were injuries and even a few deaths in the madness.
When Carol finally agreed to wait and Aaron left that's when she broke down. It had been just the two of them. No one else had seen her tears and Rick would never tell anyone what had happened. But what he did know for sure, even though he'd suspected it before, was that Carol was just as much in love with Daryl as he was with her.
Rick had known for a long time how Daryl felt about Carol. He'd never admitted it. He'd never spoke to Rick about it. But he knew. That moment in the woods after Carol blew up Terminus and allowed them all to escape… Rick could still see it in his mind. Daryl ran to her. No hesitation - just full tilt into her arms. Rick had never seen Daryl express such emotions in all the years he'd known him.
Then later, when he returned from Atlanta without Carol and without Beth… It was bad. Daryl felt a responsibility to save Beth but after losing Carol too the man was both determined and broken all at the same time. Rick knew Daryl would get over Beth's tragic death and he had. But if he'd lost Carol at that hospital… Daryl never would have been the same man again. No, Rick was fully aware of just how deeply Daryl was in love with Carol, and as his best friend and also Morgan's good friend he knew he had to intervene.
"Rick, I…" Morgan started to protest.
"Don't try to deny it. You're falling for her. I can tell," Rick replied. He took a sip of his drink. "But you gotta stop, now."
Morgan's face changed. He no longer tried to deny it. "Why? I've been here long enough to know she's not married," he started.
"No, she's not," Rick drawled. "But she's not free."
"She's not? Who?" Morgan's brow furrowed in thought. "Oh… Daryl?" he asked. It wasn't really a question, more of a statement - but he wait for confirmation. Rick nodded. "Well maybe…"
"Don't," Rick snapped. He hadn't meant for it to come out so angry. But what Morgan was about to say wasn't something he wanted to hear. "He'll be back. He's out there somewhere. We're gonna find him." Rick was pretty sure he would never forgive Morgan if there was even a little part of him that was hoping Daryl wouldn't return so he had a shot with Carol.
"I didn't… I didn't mean that," Morgan said with a sigh. "You're right. He'll be back." The was a long silence. "She's special," Morgan said softly. "I've been alone a long time. Never even thought about a woman since my wife…" Rick watched as Morgan twisted his wedding band around his finger that he still wore after all this time. He looked over and met Rick's eye. "She's the first one I've thought about taking this off for."
Rick felt awful. He'd been exactly where Morgan was. It was a different situation and he wasn't completely proud of how he'd acted. Rick had fallen for Jessie while she was still married to Pete. He couldn't fight the attraction. And just like Morgan was feeling - Jessie was the first woman who had caught his interest since Lori had died back at the prison. "Listen, I understand what you're going through. I really do," Rick said genuinely. "But you have to forget about her. I'm saying this for your own good too, I hope you know that."
Morgan was silent. Rick was pretty sure he understood. "Tell me how you know," Morgan said, moving his eyes back to Carol. "I need to hear it so I can…" he sighed. "I need to hear something that will make me stop."
Rick took a deep breath. What could he say? Where was he supposed to start? "They've always had a connection. Pretty much right from the start. She told you about Sophia?" Morgan nodded. Rick knew that a huge part of what had drawn Morgan to Carol was the fact that they had both lost their only child. "Did she tell you about Daryl? About how he almost died trying to find Sophia? About how he refused to give up? About how he held her in his arms when Sophia came out of the barn already turned?"
Morgan shook his head. "She only said that Sophia died and she still missed her terribly."
"Daryl changed because of Carol and that little girl. It gave him purpose and a reason to become part of the group. I don't know he would have stayed if that hadn't happened," Rick explained. "And at the prison. They got closer. Carol… she almost died. Daryl found her and saved her life." Rick smiled wistfully. Lori had died and his world had collapsed but seeing Carol alive had given him a moment of sunshine in a dark and gloomy time.
"Thank God he did," Morgan said softly.
"And then… I screwed up," Rick admitted. He refused to give the details and Morgan respected that. "I made a bad call that ended up separating Carol from the group." Rick wanted to come clean but it wasn't his story to tell. It was hers. "But she saved us. She saved us all," Rick said with a smile. "When I saw her and Daryl reunite in the woods outside Terminus… I knew," Rick looked at Carol. "She was standing there… She had a rifle and she'd found Daryl's crossbow that was taken from him. Daryl ran to her… he ran to her, hugged her… and he cried." Morgan looked shocked. "Once you get to know Daryl more you'll see that he's not nearly as gruff as he appears," Rick said. "He's actually a big softie. That's why Carol is so perfect for him. She's strong when he's not but he's always there when she needs him too."
"But how are you so sure she feels the same way?" Morgan asked. Rick wondered what Carol had done or said that was making Morgan so persistent that he had a shot.
"She hasn't told me how she feels," Rick admitted. "And it's not my place to say exactly why I know… but trust me… Carol is in love with Daryl." Rick glanced at her face. He could see the anxiety even through the smiles that Judith was bringing out. "When they see each other again I think everyone will know how they both feel… including each other," Rick made a bold prediction.
Again there was a long silence before Morgan spoke. "Count me in," he said. "What time we heading out tomorrow?"
Rick was filled with relief. His friend's words were a reminder of the kind of guy Morgan really was. In any other circumstance Carol would be lucky to have a man like Morgan. But the fact of the matter was - she already had the man who was perfect for her. Someone would come along for Morgan too and she would be a very lucky lady because Morgan was truly a classy guy. Rick thought about Michonne but a strange feeling swelled up inside him. Nah, Michonne wasn't the right girl for Morgan either but he couldn't quite come up with a good reason why.
"If I can hold Carol and Aaron off until noon I'll be surprised," Rick chuckled. "Gonna let people sleep in and start planning once people are rested."
"Well, whatever I can do to help, you let me know," Morgan said, finishing the last of his drink as Carol walked up holding Judith.
"You're coming?" Carol asked him. Morgan nodded. "Good. Thank you." Rick watched the look they exchanged and could tell that had a familiarity with one another already. But he knew for Carol it was nothing more than friendship. And he hoped that it would soon become clear for Morgan too. Rick fought away the tiny shadow of negativity that was wondering if Daryl was still alive. Nah, he was alive. They were going to go out the next day and they would find him.
"We should all get some sleep," Rick suggested, taking Judith from Carol as she passed her over. They wandered into the house and started to head for their rooms. Rick stopped when he saw Carol walk right past her room. Morgan noticed it too and the men shared a look. She was headed for Daryl's room.
"Should one of us make sure she's okay?" Morgan whispered.
Rick shook his head. "She just needs to feel close to him. We both know what that's like," he replied, thinking of Lori. He'd been so crazy when she died that he hallucinated her voice on the phone.
Morgan nodded and Rick caught the look of sadness, perhaps even defeat, on his face. The fact that Carol had gone into Daryl's room to sleep only added to the evidence that Rick had presented earlier. "Night," Morgan said, heading off to his own room.
Rick took Judith into their room and got her ready for bed. They played for a few minutes because he needed that moment of innocence to get ready to face the next day. Then he tucked her into her crib and stripped to his underwear to get in bed. We're gonna find him, was the last coherent thought Rick had before he drifted off to sleep.
A loud noise woke Rick and the next thing he knew there was yelling, screaming and gunfire. In his sleepy stooper he got out of bed and scrambled for clothes. "Carl, Carl," he yelled. His son was at his side in an instant. "Get your sister. Keep her safe…"
By the time Rick left his room everyone was appearing, weapons drawn. "We're being attacked," Carol yelled. "Wolves. It's gotta be the Wolves."
Rick took a deep breath, looked at the faces around the room and jumped right into his leadership mode. "These assholes have no idea who they are dealing with," he growled. "No way they are taking this place."
The next two hours were yet another two hours of complete insanity. Sasha and Spencer picked off attacker after attacker, but they had breached the gate earlier and many had streamed inside. Rick and the others fought and fought. They lost people in the attack and each person Rick saw go down only made him angrier and angrier. They got down to a standoff -finally. There were a few Wolves hiding behind a building, peeking out to take a shot every once in awhile. It was never long enough to get a good shot at them, but Carol, Rick, Abe and Morgan were in position and ready to fire any chance they got.
Eventually there was a long break between shots. "Do you think they moved?" Carol whispered.
Rick shrugged. "We gotta wait em out," he muttered.
"Look," Morgan hissed. "What's that?"
"Don't shoot… Don't shoot," Carol screamed, running towards the figure that had just emerged from behind the building.
"Carol," Rick yelled. What the fuck was she doing? He popped his head up and realized exactly who Carol was running to. But what if there were still more Wolves… Nah… it was clear by the time he watched Carol fly into Daryl's waiting arms that his bud had taken out the last of the enemy.
Rick stood up and smiled. He shared a look with some of the others. Abe, Glenn, Michonne.. and even Morgan. They were all grinning in return. It had been a horrible, tragic night… but at least there was a huge silver lining - Daryl was home. He was alive and he was safe.
Some of the others started to move towards Daryl. "Hey," Rick said gently. "Give em a moment…" As much as he wanted to look away and give Carol and Daryl a bit of privacy he just couldn't do it. He'd seen them hug before but this was different. Carol was clinging to him like she never wanted to let go. And when she finally did let go it was only to find his lips. Rick almost laughed at the look on Daryl's face. He was such an awkward little fuck sometimes. They would have to have a little chat. Rick was pretty sure Daryl could use a few pointers.
Within in a few seconds Rick was rethinking that. Daryl found his groove and suddenly it was like he was watching that money scene in romance movie. Rick looked away just long enough to check out Morgan's reaction. Much to his surprise Morgan was smiling. "You okay?" Rick whispered.
"Yeah," he nodded. "She deserves to be happy. And he makes her happy." Morgan touched Rick's shoulder. "You were right," he admitted.
"I'm sorry," Rick replied. He felt like he needed to say it even if Morgan was putting on a brave front.
"Don't be," Morgan gave him a smile. "Go welcome him home."
When Rick looked back he saw Carol and Daryl walking towards the group. Daryl looked a bit pink in the cheeks. He walked over and Carol stepped away so the men could hug. "Glad you're back. Thanks for saving our ass… oh and congrats Romeo," he added, teasing him.
"Fuck off," Daryl whispered back. But the look on his face when Rick pulled back told him that Daryl didn't mind the teasing at all. He was happy. Probably happier than Rick had ever seen him.
It took another couple of hours to clean up and get the injured looked after, bodies gathered up and all the horrible things that came after a battle. Rick was torn between the devastation of the casualties and the thrill of having Daryl home. Not only was Daryl home but just like he'd expected his two closest friends had finally taken the next step in their relationship and Rick was thrilled for them.
When they all got back to the house, exhausted, as the sun was just starting to rise people shuffled off to their rooms. Rick didn't miss the fact that once again Carol didn't go to her own room - she followed Daryl right into his. Rick smiled and wondered if they might happen to have an empty bedroom before too long.
He leaned into the crib and kissed his sleeping baby on the forehead. "Get some sleep," he whispered to Carl. "Daryl's safe. He's home."
Carl smiled at him, "I knew he'd be back."
"Me too," Rick replied with a yawn. "Me too."
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"Wanna hear something cute?" Carol said, as she stretched out beside Daryl, their bare legs twisted together.
"Hmm?" he grunted sleepily.
"I heard Rick talking to Morgan today…" she said, brushing his chest with her fingertips. Daryl felt his dick stirring again, even thought they had pretty much just finished. "He was warning Morgan off me, like a guard dog almost."
"What do you mean?" Daryl asked, her words catching his attention.
"Well, I guess Morgan was interested in me…" Carol started.
"What?" Daryl snapped, sitting up.
Carol giggled, "Relax." She gently eased him back onto the mattress. "You have nothing to worry about. I like Morgan, he's a wonderful guy… But I don't have a heart left to give away. It's been yours for a long, long time."
"I loved you first," Daryl huffed.
"I think you're wrong," she replied. "But I'm not in the mood to argue." Daryl felt her hand trail down his body, until she was cupping his nuts. Their first time had been great. It was everything he imagined it would be. But Daryl had a feeling the second time was going to be even better.
"What if I never came back?" Daryl asked. "You think you'd be with him?"
"I waited my whole life to find you," Carol said, leaning in to kiss him softly. "I would wait the rest… until I see you again." It didn't matter if it was true or not, it was what he needed to hear and what she needed to believe in that moment. They were together - finally, and Daryl knew there was never any chance for Morgan or any other man to take his place.
Before he had anymore time to think his dick was back inside her and Daryl was lost in bliss. She was special. She was perfect. And best of all… Carol… was his.