This is my take on what I think will happen if Carol and Daryl reunite in the season five premiere.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"More," Carol whispered at Ty before rushing over and grabbing the bag on the ground. They hid in the woods as a pack of walkers ambled by. Luckily, Judith was in a good mood, so they didn't have to worry about her screaming and drawing the walkers attention. They still held their breath though, not wanting to tempt fate. They'd been on the road for a few hours now, and there were loud explosions that were drawing the walkers to them. Carol was beginning to wonder if going to Terminus was a good idea. They saw smoke in the general direction of Terminus, but they had no where else to go. The walkers were pushing them forward, and they couldn't afford to go off the path. They tried once and were barely able to keep hidden.

Carol double checked once the walkers were gone, and they started down the road again. She kept her eyes and ears opened. She didn't want to risk either Ty or Judith. She was going to keep them safe. They'd made it this far, and Terminus didn't appear to be that far away if the signs were to correct. They had a few miles to go.

"What do you expect to find?" Tyreese asked.

"At Terminus?" He nodded. "Sanctuary?"

"I think Sasha may be there," he admitted. "She had to have seen the signs."

Carol didn't say anything. She knew Rick, and she knew he had made it out of there with Carl. She knew Michonne and Maggie and Glenn and Sasha had made it. She knew without a shadow of a doubt Daryl had gotten out of there and taken whoever was around with him. They were all survivors, and they weren't going to let a bunch of assholes best them. She wasn't sure about Beth. She wasn't like her sister, and she was barely exposed to this that winter on the road, and in the prison, she tended to Judy and the needs of the other children when Carol wasn't. If Beth made it out, she was probably with Maggie or Michonne or maybe even Daryl. She knew that Daryl wouldn't leave anyone alive behind. Beth probably made it out. She didn't have any more hope left to give, not after the grove.

They kept walking, looking and listening for any walkers. They hadn't talked a lot after they left the grove, just the occasional 'Do you want me to take Judith' or 'Does Judy need changed or fed'. Carol had a lot of respect for Tyreese. She never expected him to forgive her. She knew he was a good man, and he proved that. No one could make it alone anymore, and they needed each other, but she knew Tyreese was genuine about forgiving her.

Ty touched Carol's arm, and she turned. "She needs changed."

"I'll do it." She moved off the tracks and into the grass, laying a blanket down and taking Judith from Tyreese. She smiled lovingly down at Judith, gently pulling her pants down and beginning to change her diaper.

– – –

As Terminus burned behind them, they all bolted into the woods, keeping close and keeping their guard up. They had barely escaped that train car. If it hadn't been for Eugene and his vast well of knowledge, they would've lost a lot of people. They had to resort to a new kind of fighting, and it was darker than any of them had ever thought they could go. Without weapons, they had no choice but to play dirty. They had no choice.

They ran through the woods, stopping once they were far enough away to not be seen, and they caught their breath. Rick looked around and saw everyone had made it. He was relieved. He couldn't imagine losing any of them, even the ones he didn't fully know yet. They were a group now, and they would make it out of this together. He wasn't losing anyone, not after coming this far.

A sound caught their attention, they all tensed up, but it wasn't a walker stepping over a twig or multiple walkers groaning in their direction or even someone cocking a gun. It was the sound of cooing. They all turned and saw through the tree in the distance Tyreese, Carol and Judith.

Tyreese was keeping watch as Carol changed Judith. They all just stared for a moment. Sasha shifted her weight, trying to grasp the reality in front of her, Bob smiled at the sight of them and then Daryl took off running towards them. Rick stepped forward then fell into a run with Carl behind him. Maggie dipped her heart as she followed, and Sasha hurried over to where her big brother was. Tara looked at Glenn, and he nodded at her as he caught up to his wife with the others behind him.

Carol and Tyreese heard running, Carol shot up, about to grab her gun when Daryl's face came barreling out of the woods. She didn't move, her breathing failed her, and she didn't know how to speak anymore. She just stared in disbelief.

Rick picked up Judith, holding her tightly in his arms, crying from the depths of his soul. He grabbed Carl and hugged his family tightly. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Judith was alive. She had gotten out of there, and he had only Carol and Tyreese to thank. Carol, the woman who had killed Karen and David, the woman he banished, the woman who he didn't want his children around, had saved Judith. She and Tyreese had both saved Judith. He couldn't believe it. There were no words. How could there be?

Sasha tackled Tyreese in a big hug, smiling when she released him. Bob smiled at him too, glad to see him alive. He arched a brow at Sasha, but she was too happy to really take it into account right now. They had escaped hell and found a small piece of heaven. She was glad Maggie was so relentless in her search for Glenn. It was truly a miracle.

Daryl wasn't sure what to do now. He'd come running at her, but now what? He was never good at this type of thing. He had never been the lucky one to reunite with someone he'd loved until Merle, and he lost Merle. He was the one who was always watching from a distance. That's what he did best, but this time, he couldn't just watch this time. This wasn't just anybody they'd stumbled upon—it was Carol. She was alive and right in front of him. He thought after Rick banished her that she was gone and he thought he would never see her again, but here she was.

He closed the space between them gradually, and he oh-so slowly embraced her. Carol was the one who tense. He knew she knew he knew, because he was the only one back at the prison who would ask "Where's Carol" before anyone else, and Rick would have to answer. He didn't care about what Rick told him in that moment. His body had been coursing with adrenaline when they left Terminus, and at the sight of her, everything stopped—his heart, his breathing. He needed to hold her, to make sure this was real.

And it was. She was solid and warm against him, the scent of pecans and grass lingered on her, and it was like coming home. He was overwhelmed with emotions he couldn't swallow, and he didn't know what to say or if he should say anything. The only thing that came out of his month was, "Carol..."

"...Daryl." He felt her begin to hug him back, her hands gripping tightly at the leather vest, and she smiled against his shoulder, feeling a shudder pass through her. She felt a lightness inside of her. She was truly amazed to have him find her. She knew the others were there, but in that moment, only Daryl was there. They were together and the rest of it would matter later. Much later, she decided as her eyes burned with tears. She had missed him much more than she thought. He was the same, a little more rough and bruised, but he still smelled of rich earth. He still saw who she was, and even though he knew, his opinion of her hadn't changed. They didn't need words for her to know that—she just knew.

My mommy used to say everything works out the way it's supposed to. Carol smiled at the memory of Mika, an angel who didn't belong in this world. If they hadn't gone to the grove, lost Mika and Lizzie, they would've never found the others. Carol may have never seen Daryl again. She never would've known how he felt about her killing Karen and David or if he even cared about her anymore. She knew now, and they were all back together, even if it was for a short period of time.

Daryl didn't want to release her, but he knew they had to move with those assholes behind them. He held her for a moment more, and once he was ready to hear what Rick had to say to her, what the others had to say to her, did he released her. He gave her a barely noticeably nod, and she smiled at him with more love than he had ever known in his life, wiping away the tears in her eyes.

They turned and looked at the others, and Daryl had made a promise to himself—no matter what Rick said, he wasn't leaving her side. They were in this together. Their paths had collided after they lost Sophia and he lost Merle, forming a bond that couldn't be broken. Nothing would ever change that.