Daryl
He stood at the gates of the kingdom bag at his feet waiting for the all clear to go when she came out of the building running down to him like After years of being held back, she had forgotten how to stop herself from clinging to the life before negan before terminus before everything fell apart he caught her just as the first all clear sounded she hid her face not wanting him to see how much him leaving was killing her she stuttered "i-iiits's going to be hard going on without you here you know for everyone." she pulled back and he sighs "It doesn't matter if it's 'hard', ya need to keep going. This could be the end for us don't let it be, keep an eye on Ezekiel he's not right in the head stay safe." he grabbed her chin making her look up at him "carol out of all the shit cant ya believe we'll make it through this." she glanced up her hair long enough now to hang in her face checking his face seeing if he believed a fraction of what he was saying but through the mess of greasy tendrils and dirt what lay there the look he gave spoke volumes to the opposite he was trying to convince her and himself too she sighed as she brushed her hand across his forehead brushing the hair from his eye's "Daryl how can we first Beth, now Glenn, the girls how can you believe we'll survive, trouble always finds us no matter where we are like the quarry, the farm, the prison, Alexandria too we can't hide can't run negan's gonna come back Daryl he'll find you its only a matter of when, you can't pretend like your not afraid I can see it in your eye's your terrified." he hummed softly nodding "yeah terrified but not for myself for you and everyone else, out there with the walkers thats the safest place for me I don't belong in a community not like rick, michonne or you never have only thing that kept me here and all those other places was you." he reached out and wiped her tears away with his thumb "you always said you wanted a man of honor well let me be that with me gone you'll be safe and when I take care of this I'll come back be the man you rightly deserve." she knew now what he was really doing he was going back to the place that locked him up nearly killed him and a sob escaped her throat "no Daryl you cant go back you wont be able to get to him." he smiled "no worries I got eyes on the inside can get me to him no-one'll ever know." she squeezed his hand as the next all clear sounded only two more "please at least take someone with you for back up it's not safe alone." He held her back with fingertips, breathing her name "carol, ya know I cant do that when I get there he'll be out collecting from Alexandria and here he'll know if someones missing and I work better alone can keep the situation better in control that way." he squeezed her shoulders "hey I may be leavin', but ya need to know that I will always come back for ya." she pulled him against her "i know you cant stay you have to finish this just please come back and be careful." he smiled as the next all clear sounded "i will come back promise." he hoisted his bag on his shoulder as the last all clear sounded and the gates opened she touched his cheek and brushed his hair back and reaches up and kisses his forehead "for luck." she whispers when she hugging him again he laughs "shoot women I could die and thats all you got." he grabs the back of her neck with one hand and lays the other on the small of her back bringing his mouth to hers kissing her softly till he felt a small moan against his mouth he stepped back running his hand across her cheek "thats luck darlin' you watch yourself here with Morgan k." she nods "no problem pookie." he squeezes her hand "see you soon." then he turns and walks away through the gate he glanced back as it closed and she smiled softly and blew him a kiss he smiled a the gates locked behind him and the guard approached him with a crossbow "miss carol said you where good with one of these we don't have anyone that can use it so his highness said you can have it and we have some back up weapons for you gun couple extra clips and this was from miss carol." he pulled out a grenade like the one she gave rick at the CDC he smirked "course it was, that women." he took it and stuck it in the side of his bag "tell her thanks this just might come in handy." the guard nodded Daryl slipped a hand in his vest pocket and realized something he pulled off the bag and his vest slipping the bag and crossbow back on his shoulder and looked at the guard folding the vest into a square and passing it over to the guard "give this to carol let her know- tell her you know this is just in case I don't make it back." the guards eyes dropped to the vest knowing now what it really meant "no problem I'll take it up myself make sure she gets it and knows." Daryl grunts in thanks and walks into the woods the moans of the dead covering up his retreat.
Carol
She knew this was coming he would have to go his safety depended on it and the pain from all the stuff that he's gone through weighed on him she saw it in his eyes while he was healing she ran to him when the first signal sounded she knew there would be three more she had time when she reached him she couldn't look into his eyes "i-iiits's going to be hard going on without you here you know for everyone." he sighed his signal that he was stressed out his hand hesitated but he fought through it and touched her chin "It doesn't matter if it's 'hard', ya need to keep going. This could be the end for us don't let it be, keep an eye on Ezekiel he's not right in the head stay safe." his hand stayed on her chin and she understood that he couldn't handle leaving again "carol out of all the shit cant ya believe we'll make it through this." looked up at him noticing her hair getting longer she looked at his face and in his eye's were tired and broken she saw fear deep in the blue-green soft pools of his eye's she brushed the hair from his forehead bring him what little comfort she could "Daryl how can we first Beth, now Glenn, the girls how can you believe we'll survive, trouble always finds us no matter where we are like the quarry, the farm, the prison, Alexandria too we can't hide, can't run negan's gonna come back Daryl he'll find you its only a matter of when, you cant pretend like your not afraid I can see it in your eye's your terrified." he hummed and for a second she thought he'd shut her out but he started talking "yeah terrified but not for myself for you and everyone else, out there with the walkers thats the safest place for me I don't belong in a community not like rick, michonne or you, never have, only thing that kept me here and all those other places was you." knowing that he was trying just for her caused tears to roll down her cheeks she felt a warmth ghost her cheek and realized he was wiping her tears away and was talking again "you always said you wanted a man of honor well let me be that with me gone you'll be safe and when I take care of this I'll come back be the man you rightly deserve." her heart exploded and she sobbed "no Daryl you cant go back you wont be able to get to him." his smile made her fears melt away "no worries I got eyes on the inside can get me to him no-one'll ever know." she grabbed his hand as the second all clear sounded she only had two more to go her fear creeped into her voice with each signal bringing them closer to his leaving "please at least take someone with you for back up it's not safe alone." he grabbed her shoulders grazing across her skin with his fingertips "carol, ya know I cant do that when I get there he'll be out collecting from Alexandria and here he'll know if someones missing and I work better alone can keep the situation better in control that way." her pain was getting harder and harder to reign in and he squeezed her shoulders "hey I may be leavin', but ya need to know that I will always come back for ya." her emotions getting the better of her she pulled herself against him and felt him relax against her his head falling into her shoulder like when she saved them from terminus she smiled "i know you cant stay you have to finish this just please come back and be careful." he pulled back and smiled as the next signal sounded punching a hole in her chest "i will come back promise." she backed up as he lifted his bag on his shoulder the final signal sounded and she saw the gates open she took a chance touched his cheek feeling him lean against it softly brushing his hair away and kissing his forehead smiling "for luck." she whispered stepping back then pulling him in a hug she saw a switch flip in his eyes and he chuckled causing her to smile bigger then he surprised her by pulling her tighter "shoot women I could die and thats all you got." a hand snaked to her lower back and one went to her neck and he kissed her she didn't know what she was expecting from his kiss but it was softer and gentler then she thought a small moan bubbled out of her and he backed up his hand brushed across her cheek "thats luck darlin' you watch yourself here with Morgan k." her fear brushed away with his hand her teasing automatic "no problem pookie." he grabbed her hand and squeezed "see you soon." he turned walking through the gate glancing back at her she hid her fear blowing a kiss to him seeing his smile as the gates locked behind him she sighed softly "pookie be careful take care of the threat and come back." Morgan approached behind her almost completely silent "how many suicide missions can one man possibly survive." Morgan squeezed her shoulder and sighed "i know I don't know him like you do but if anyone can do this its gonna be him he took a bullet, a beating and I don't know what else but he's strong that man he'll find away back for you." she nodded tears in her eye's "he took a bullet and an arrow for my baby girl back in Georgia didn't have to but that didn't stop him from wanting to search, kept looking even when everyone else wanted to give up." Morgan looked down at her "that death it brought you two together. Hey don't cry not here lets get you to your room." she nodded and he took her to her room and sat her on the bed "you need anything I'll be in the gym just relax awhile he'll be back I got a good feeling about that man he was made for this world but it hasn't broke his heart not yet if you live his heart will too so protect his heart protect yourself." Morgan turned and walked out but before the door closed she nodded "thanks Morgan really and sorry bout your son never got to tell you that." he nodded but kept walking the door shut and she shrugged off her jacket laying her gun on the bedside table pulling off her shoes when there was a knock at the door she padded over and opened it seeing the guard from the gate "miss carol I was told to bring this to you he wanted to say thanks for the grenade said it should help and that this was to keep you safe you know just in case something goes wrong." she takes it in her hands and nodded "thanks sir-." he nods "grant the names grant." she smiled softly "thanks sir grant." he bows and she closes the door sliding down against it the tears spilling down her face bringing the vest against her chest "Daryl don't be stupid come back I need you please." she took the vest and wrapped it around her pulling her arms through the sleeve-holes and taking deep breathes smelling his woodsy natural smell through the stench of the dead and cried "don't die now you cant you just showed me how you feel and I need you." she crawled into the window seat with a blanket and his vest and watched the people outside for while when a few people passed through the gates and she noticed who they where people from Alexandria rick and Judith, michonne and Maggie she smiled but stayed put they came for Ezekiel not her if they wanted to see her they could come up or send for her. She climbed out of the window and sat in the bed she sighs noticing a shirt hanging out from under the end of the bed she crawled to the end of the bed and pulled it up it was Daryl the one he wore when he came back blood on the shoulder dried out and stiff she picked it up and walked to her bathroom running the shirt under the water trying to scrub the blood out crying quietly not hearing the knock at the door.
Maggie.
After waiting a bit Maggie walked in her room and looked around noting the bed roll on the floor by the side of the bed and heard the water in the other room she walks in and saw a sight she wouldn't soon forget carol was standing in front of the sink wearing Daryl's vest she smiled softly and walked closer knocking on the wall carol looked up back at her from the mirror carol dropped the shirt into the sink and turned around Maggie smiled "hi I heard you were here." she pointed to the vest "so did this finally go somewhere." carol pulled her into her arms "I'm so sorry I heard Glenn, the baby, I-please let me know what can I do for you sweetie." Maggie smiled tears pooling in her eyes "you gotta promise me you'll come home when Daryl finishes what he needs to do bring him home we need you, both of you swear you will." carol nodded "oh honey I'll do it when he gets back we'll come home." carol took her hands and sat on the bed Maggie squeezed them and giggled "so anything happen between you two I mean with the vest something happened but judging by the bed roll in the corner it didn't go that far." carol smiled "yeah I guess we have something now I mean he kind of kissed me before he left but he might not make it back this time I'm worried." she nodded "carol he will make it back I promise he took a bullet and an arrow to find your little girl he took a bullet from one of negan's men and fought negan with no strength left was taken and tortured but he found you again now he's back to full strength and on a war path and in love he'll be back for you." she smiles grabbing the vest pocket knowing Daryl was keep something there she pulled out a braided piece of black leather and smiles seeing the small arrow head it held and slipped it on carols wrist a perfect fit carol's eyes widened Maggie smiled "he was always fiddling with something I knew it was for you he love's seeing your smile when he brought somethin back betcha he'll bring you something from this."carol flipped it over and saw the little flower engraved on it she smiled Maggie looked at it "a flower but why." carol ran a finger over it "not just a flower it's a Cherokee rose Daryl brought one back when he was out looking for Sophia guess it was where we kind of began to share with each other." she nodded "you know we lived long enough to catch on to who's killing for their survival and who kills just to kill and when they fight each other the one with something to fight for survives Daryl will survive because he has you. now come down visit with michonne and Judith take your mind off things for awhile." carol smiled "you know I'd love too just give me a minute I need to hang up that shirt and put my shoes on." carol stood and walked into the bathroom and hung the shirt on the rail above the tub and walked back in to the room and sat down putting her shoes back on and slid her jacket on over the vest not caring to leave it behind Maggie nodded as she slid her gun into her back like Daryl kept his hidden and smiled "alright lets go." they walked out and into the courtyard where rick and michonne and Judith where playing in the garden Maggie approached them and carol walked behind her and noticed the flower in Judith's hands and kneeled down next to her "hey little one what you got there." rick smiled down at Judith and looked over at carol "saw it outside the gate across the road we thought we would bring it to you make you feel better bout everything thats happening." carol smiled then looks over at Maggie "he'll be fine." Maggie smiled glancing at the flower "its that flower isn't it." carol nodded "Cherokee rose he'll be fine I know he will." Judith handed the flower over to carol and she smiled "awe thank you little one." when she let go of the flower Judith made a grabbing motion to her and carol handed the flower to Maggie and grabbed Judith who wrapped her little hands around Daryl's vest behind carols jacket and tugged on it burying her face in it were they could all see it rick and michonne's eyes widened and rick looked up in carol's eye's "he left it with you." she nodded "yeah he did." she looked down at Judith and brushed a hand though her hair and looked back up at them "he'll be safe, we will all be safe and back together in Alexandria and negan will be gone." Judith smiles up at carol and touches her cheek and carol notices a little bracelet on her wrist with beads saying "lil' ass kicker." she looks at rick "let me guess Daryl right." rick nodded "yup he wanted her to have something from him. How'd you know." carol pulled the sleeve of her jacket down and showed him "he left it in the pocket Maggie found it."