"Know what day it is?" Daryl mumbled into her hair as she began to wake up.
"Huh?" She asked groggily. The early morning sunlight caught in her eyelashes and danced across her cheek as she opened one eye, before grumbling nonsensically against the brightness and shutting it again.
"I said, do you what day it is today?" He jostled her slightly. "Carol, wake up. Carol."
She rolled over to face him. "… Tuesday?" She offered, squinting at him in bafflement. He sighed dramatically. "I don't know, Daryl… I'm not awake ye-" She cut herself off with a colossal yawn. "Is it an important day today, or can I sleep for a few more minutes?"
He considered for a moment. As far as he knew he had nothing urgent to do this morning. "Could probably stand to catch a few more z's." She smiled drowsily up at him and he pecked her on the nose playfully before she rolled back over and snuggled back against him. He wrapped an arm around her and nuzzled the back of her neck.
She sighed in contentment.
Daryl lay quietly for a few minutes, letting her hair tickle his face while she dozed.
Without meaning to, he shut his eyes and within a few more minutes they were both asleep.
The sun was well and truly up by the time Carol woke again. Daryl was snoozing lightly, still wrapped around her. He opened one eye, then the other, as she rolled onto her back and stretched, groaning with satisfaction as her joints popped. She propped herself up onto her elbow.
"So what day is it, then?"
He grinned lopsidedly up at her, shifting to put one arm under his head. "It's Easter."
She grinned. "So what's the plan?"
He leaned over the side of the bed and reached under it, groping for something. With a rustle of plastic, he dropped a bag in her lap with a flourish.
She gaped at him. "Where did you possibly find these?" She exclaimed as she tipped the small solid chocolate eggs onto the bedspread.
He swiped one and peeled the foil off of it before placing it in her palm. He did the same to another one and popped it n his mouth. She copied him and chewed slowly.
"Oh my God." She managed, "you found chocolate."
"Went on a run with Glenn last week for some more fencing shit, found them under the front desk at the hardware place… I thought, uh…"
"Hmm?" She prompted, still savouring the chocolate. "You thought?" She queried when he didn't continue.
"It's kinda stupid." He warned. "But, I thought we could have an Easter Egg hunt for the kids, something fun for 'em, y'know?" He looked embarrassed. She beamed. "I mean we could just give 'em out at breakfast but-"
"I think it's perfect. We could do it in the orchard, hide them in nests in the grass and in the trees…" She enthused. "I'll get Mrs. McLeod to supervise breakfast; we could sneak out now while the kids are eating… Daryl, they're going to love it!"
A couple of hours later and all the children returned in a triumphant gaggle to the farmyard, each cradling one egg in their cupped palms.
"Thank you Mr. Daryl and Mrs. Carol!" They chorused as they went past, hopping with excitement.
"They're so sweet." Carol smiled benevolently, reaching out to stroke Mika's hair as she walked by carrying a toddler on her hip.
"Yeah," Daryl smirked. "'Til they're all runnin' round on massive sugar highs."