It had been a particularly hard day spent looking after the ever-growing baby Judith and preparing endless meals to sustain their group. Since Carol's banishment from the prison and then subsequent reunion with the survivors of the Governor's attack life had been relatively quiet. Months had been spent on the road, searching for a new place to call home before they inadvertently stumbled upon their current lodgements. The farm the group claimed as their own was well protected from the outside world. Fences were erected, crops were planted and livestock was reared. The quiet corner of the countryside offered the weary bunch of souls a much needed slice of sanctuary they thought was gone forever when the prison had fallen.
A lot had changed between the surviving members of their group since the discovery of the farm, none more so than Daryl and Carol. The lingering looks and playful banter they shared had finally flourished into a full-fledged relationship. Daryl had been unable to voice his feelings but as always with the brooding man, actions spoke louder than words. For the first time in longer than she cared to remember Carol was happy. She never thought her happiness would come in the form of a surly redneck who brandished a crossbow, but the new world they existed in now was filled with surprises.
The weary woman was looking forward to escaping to the bed that had been calling her name all day. When she finally dragged herself into their room there was something hindering her falling down onto the mattress though. A bouquet of Cherokee Roses was resting on her pillow, held together with a grimy piece of twine. There was only one person who would go to the trouble of bringing her these flowers and the thoughtfulness of the man made her heart swell. But the flowers weren't the only item blocking her access to her pillow. Carol raised the candle she was carrying to better illuminate what else was resting there. A small object caught the light, sending a cascade of prisms bouncing across her pillow.
Drawing closer, she found it was a ring that had caught the flickering flames. It wasn't just any ring though. A sparking solitary diamond was responsible for throwing the tiny rainbows out into the quickly darkening room. Her breath caught in her throat at the possible implication of what that ring could mean.
"So what do you think?" Daryl's voice drawled behind her, catching the woman off-guard.
Carol spun around to find the hunter leaning against the timber doorway of their room. Despite the appearance of nonchalance he was trying to project the woman was familiar enough with his tells to know he was anything but relaxed as he stood there. The years spend together since 'The Turn' had educated her in quiet communication of the man, making her fluent in all manner of language Daryl spoke, silent or otherwise.
His hands were jammed tightly under his armpits - a sure sign he was nervous about something. The blue eyes that she constantly found herself lost in were trained on the floor directly beneath his feet. He shifted his weight from one foot to the next, for all his effort looking like a schoolboy awaiting his punishment to be delivered by a tyrant of a teacher.
Carol knew what the ring meant. The significance of the symbol wasn't lost on her. She just hadn't expected he would be the one to make a move like this. He who was too timid to voice his feelings for her had just asked her an incredibly important question.
"You ain't gotta say yes," he said softly, finally bringing his gaze up from the floor to meet her eyes. The redneck shrugged his shoulders before raising his right hand to his lips and gnawing on the fingernail of his thumb. Another nervous habit he'd been unable to kick in all the years she'd known him. "Glenn got somethin' for Maggie on the run today. Got me thinkin' I ain't never done that for you. Figured it was overdue."
The ability to form coherent thought, much less concise words escaped Carol at that moment. The capacity the man had for thoughtfulness astounded her. She knew that what she and Daryl shared was special. He had never declared his feelings to her but the intensity of his watchful gaze always glued to her whenever she moved about their home confirmed the words he was unable to speak. Daryl loved her. She knew that without a doubt. He told her every day in subtle ways that spoke louder than words ever could.
Her hand went to the diamond solitaire and ran along the edge of the piece. She plucked the item up from the pillow, toying with it. She watched the facets of the precious stone catch the light, throwing prisms of light across her skin. It was a beautiful gift to receive. The implications of accepting the gift were not lost on her.
The mere thought that Daryl had taken the time to pick something special out just for her brought a tear to her eye. She moved her hand to swipe away the offending droplet before he caught sight of it but his watchful gaze always caught her out. His eyes narrowed as he followed the path of the tear trailing down her cheek.
One look at his face and Carol knew he had misunderstood her tears. Like a wounded animal, he pulled away from her, squaring his shoulders and closing himself off from her. The man stepped backwards out of the doorframe and into the safety of the hallway behind.
He was running away. It was behaviour learned over a lifetime of pain. Her inability to speak had been misconstrued as rejection.
"Forget it," he said, the poorly disguised hurt clearly evident as he spoke. "It's not-"
"Yes." Carol's voice ran out across the room, halting Daryl in his tracks. He froze on the spot, his attention landing squarely back on her. She wiped anther tear from her face before taking a step towards him. "My answer is yes." She slipped the diamond ring on her finger, feeling satisfaction as it came to rest comfortably on her hand.
Just like him for her, the ring was a perfect fit.
A smile brighter than the diamond's shine overtook Daryl's face. He crossed the room in several large strides to stop right before her. He reached out and touched her chin gently with the tips of his fingers.
"You sure?" he asked shakily, his eye searching hers as he spoke.
Carol cupped his cheek with her newly adorned hand. The scruff of his beard tickled her palm but she refused to let go. "Of course I'm sure," she answered before leaning in to touch her lips gently against his.
Carol glanced down at the gold band encircling her left ring finger. It had been little over a week since Daryl's unconventional proposal and their impromptu exchange of vows that followed. Like everything between them, the act had been unconventional but brimming with emotion.
The weight she felt on her finger was familiar, but it was still a surprise for her to catch sight of the new piece of jewellery. She found herself transfixed but the facets of the diamond as the light was caught in them. She had never owned anything as beautiful as this. But it wasn't the diamond that she found beautiful, it was the gesture behind it.
Never in a million years would she have expected to be embroiled in the state of matrimony again considering the nightmare her first marriage turned out to be. This new world was filled with more surprised than she ever thought possible.
Carol couldn't control the grin from spreading across her face when she caught sight of Daryl, her husband, strutting towards her purposefully. As he drew nearer Carol could see he was holding several Cherokee Roses bunched together in his fist. He still had been unable to say those three words she knew he felt in his heart for her, she knew his actions spoke louder than his words ever could.
Daryl smiled shyly when she caught his eye before he ducked his head away from her. Carol could see a faint blush staining his cheeks but despite this his gait did not lessen. For all his brooding and inability to say how he felt, Daryl Dixon was the most romantic man she had ever know.
Actions really did speak louder than words.
A/N: Thank you for reading. This one-shot was written in response to a prompt on thecaryldaily on tumblr. The prompt was 'how would Daryl propose to Carol?' Everything else was entirely the writer's choice. I wanted to write Daryl as too shy to come out and say the actual words, hence the 'So what do you think?' question. I just wanted to write something sweet and hopefully true to character. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm still working on my other fics still, but I've been dying to upload this and just had to wait for the go-ahead to do so. Thanks again for reading :)