Ok so I had the most random urge to write something. here it is...
It was cold... colder than it had ever been and they didn't know what to expect when they finally called it a night. The stage thing was there was no wind, not even a breeze no frost or ice, it was just cold.
As they went about the nightly routine, checking windows and doors making sure the lace was secure, they had been settled here for months now and there hadn't been a problem though it didn't stop them from double checking. Just incase.
The younger of the group had went to bed bout a half hour ago and all was peaceful. Carol was milling about in the kitchen, probably making a batch of cookies. That is where she could be found more than none these days. She was good at pretending, good at playing housewife. Only the group knew she could be deadly and just how deadly.
He knew she couldn't understand his change of heart, about people, about the trust he found himself putting in the Alexandria people, it was just so not him she had yelled at him the previous night. Tension between the pair was growing, ever since that kiss she had planted on his forehead. And there wasn't a thing he could do to even begin to igure out how to stop it.
Rick entered the kitchen and Carol hesitated putting the milk back into the fridge, fridge... she had never thought she would ever use a fridge again.
" What's going on Carol, did something happen?"
She turned to look at him, shrugging her shoulders, defeat, I give up, I don't know what you're talking about he wasn't sure. Things were good, although there was still that fear between them both, how the relationship they once had suffered through everything that had happened recently.
"Nothings going on, I have no idea why you would think something had happened"
she replied, moving to sit herself down at the table.
"You just seem...Quiet, not yourself today." he moved to sit down opposite her.
He could see Abe, Rosita, Daryl, Tara and Eugene all sitting chatting in their seats or in Daryl's case sitting staring out the window shoulders slumped. Yep, something had definitely gone down between those two. They're usually inseperable.
"Nope, nothing wrong. Maybe tired. Late night last night" she chuckled. It was forced, so was her smile.
"Ok, Just thought I would check. You know if you need to talk..."
"I know" she cut him off "Thanks Rick" she smile.
Carol pulled the batch of cookies that she had been baking out of the oven as Rick made his way back through to the lounge, saying good night to them and she could hear him making his way up stairs.
Just as she was placing the cookies onto the cooling rack she could hear his footsteps approaching. Great just what she needed, confrontation in front of everyone who was sitting having a nice evening. She was sure she had seen a couple of wine bottles when she passed the archway earlier.
He walked to stand behind the table, keeping fair distance between them.
Before he could speak she put her hand up, facing the counter and the cookies. She couldn't look at him
"Please...Just don't. I don't have the energy for this tonight. I said all I had to say last night."
"I don't understand, I've been running it through in my head all day and I don't get it" he Replied
He made to move round the table a little bit, Closer to her. While she turned and pressed herself as far into the corner of the kitchen counter as she could.
"It doesn't matter if you get it or not Ok. I explained, this is the way it has to be. I'm well aware of the fact that there are people listening to us and I don't want to discuss it." she answered. Lowering her voice so the other's couldn't hear her. There was nothing worse than being caught evesdropping on someone's conversation.
"But why Though, You kissed me. Then YOU ran. If ever I thought one of us would run it would be me, not you!" Rounding the Table and standing in front of here, his voice well above the needed volume, loud enough fr the whole house to hear.
Shaking her head "I'm sorry, I am but it was a mistake. This can't happen. You know it can't everything I touch dies. I'm poison, bad egg whatever you want to call it and I'm done discussing it."
She moved to brush past him and he reached out and grasped her arm, turning her to face him slightly.
"What exactly makes you think that? I see it in your eye's ever time you look at me. I'm sick of hiding from it. I don't want to hide from it anymore. I just don't understand what's gotten into you!"
His temper was starting to fray, he just couldn't understand why she did what she did, realised it was a mistake and take off. He spent about an hour looking for her before he finally found her and there was a huge blowout.
"Daryl, Please, let me go. I Don't want to do this with you, not now. It's already turned what we had on its backside! I can't explain it to you any other way"
her eyes pleading with him, he released his hold on her arm and she turned to walk away.
"It's Tyreese ain't it. You and him" Sitting down. I all seemed so clear to him "I Get it. Why didn't you just say it"
Carol turned then. An incredulous look on her face.
"What are you talking about. There was no Tyreese and me."
He didn't look at her. Just looked at the table and his hands.
"I understand, You were out there a long time together. I get it. What I don't get is why you made the moves on me only to regret them and run afterwards"
He was getting angry, she could tell. Apparently so could the rest of the house and she was sure she could hear Ricks footsteps coming down the stairs over the bussing inside her ears as she tried to wrap her head around his accusation.
"What, you think that Tyreese and I were screwing like rabbits in that cottage or something? You have no idea what happened at that cottage so don't you dare even go there"
Daryl made to stand. Clearly pissed off, maybe not so much as Carol was. He didn't think he'd ever seen her this angry
"Well... what the fuck am I supposed to think Carol, You nor Ty will speak of that time so how the fuck am I meant to know what went on!"
Feeling a hand on his shoulder he turned to see Rick shaking his head.
"What?" he asked Rick "Oh, Don't tell me he knows" turning back to Carol, he was unsure if she was about to rip him a new one or cry.
"I told Rick.. yes. I needed to tell someone!" she yelled back standing taller than he ever thought he'd seen.
"I see" pushing the chair he had just vacated back into the table "You couldn't even tell me. You're the best friend I ever had, I thought at least I was close to being yours."
Walking himself out of the kitchen. He could see the wine happy people from the lounge and now Maggie, Glenn and Michonne standing facing the doorway. Just as he was walking out of the doorway Carol spoke again, spoke or shouted he wasn't sure.
"Do you really want to know what happened out there" Freezing on the spot he could hear Rick telling her she didn't have to tell him like this. He didn't turn.
" I'll fucking tell you then, We did our best with those girls! When I found tyreese, or should I say the girls. Ty was off trying to save a group of people and when I found the girls Lizzie had her hand over little Judith's mouth, smothering her to keep her quiet!" she yelled.
"Carol please think about this, he doesn't have to find out this way." Rick Pleaded with her.
"We were on our way to terminus" she was crying now he could tell. "we found this beautiful little pecan grove. You see we Thought maybe, just maybe that we could set it up as a home. Stay there just a while." she sniffled.
"go on turn around! Look at me! I Want to see how your Face changes when you get to hear the best bit!" she almost laughed but it wasn't a good laugh.
He almost felt guilty, as he turned but instantly felt it when he looked at her face. She was broken. This was the thing that broke Carol. Whatever she was about to tell him. He kept his face still, he wouldn't react how she was obviously expecting him to.
"Ty wasn't ready to deal with people yet, and he stood there telling me about the dreams he has of Karen. All the while not knowing it was me who killed her."
Daryl Lowered his head just slightly. Wishing she'd stop. Not because he didn't want to know but because he had started this...he didn't mean to this to happen
"I'm not done yet! look at ME!" He heard a snuffle from behind him and turned quickly to see Maggie and Michonne's eye's both filled with tears, clearly heartbroken seeing Carol break. Glenn had his head in his hands and Abe and rosita Both had their heads lowered. Eugene was nowhere to be seen, he turned back and looked her straight in the eye.
"We went to get water. Left the girls in the house, Safe...and we were coming back, I even told a few stupid jokes! We were happy! We were safe! Then we rounded the corner and there was lizzie. Standing above judith and her sister."
The tears were flowing down her face and she had sunk more onto her knees like she was going to colapse. He just wanted to run to her and hold her and tell her everything was ok.
"Blood all over her! She murdered her sister. Said it would be ok, that she would come back and that we would see that they were just like us! She even pointed her gun at me! I had to put Mika down! She was the one feeding the rats at the prison"
At this point Rick lowered his head, obviously aware of what was coming. Daryl was sure he had a pretty good idea, but he wanted to hear her say it.
"We talked, Ty and myself. What else could we do. We needed to stick together! I had no choice! I took her outside, she was sorry but only for pointing the gun she had at me! I told her we were going to pick some flowers for when Mika came back and I shot her in the head!"
Carol went down on her knee's and the whole lounge gasped inbetween the muffled sobs that could be heard.
"i killed her Daryl! I promised I would take care of them and I killed her, put her down like she was one of those things!"
Daryl didn't know what to say. He expected bad but this was the most horrible scenario he couldn't have even imagined.