AN: so, I'm not on Tumblr and really have no desire to join( I have no need for another website addiction in my life :))but I was curious by the people posting fics based on the USS Caryl spring fling prompts and looked them up. So this is not an official entry, I just liked the prompt of The Rain. Probably will be about 3 chapters, definetly not to long. Next chapter will be Carol's perspective. AU Caryl takes place in the break between season 3 and 4 around the time Daryl and Michonne were hunting the Governor. Let me know what you think:)

The Rain

I do not own or profit from The Walking Dead

Chapter 1

Daryl watched as the door of the guard tower closed with a soft click. Fuck...if there was ever a time in his life when he wished he could travel back in time and kick his own ass the last half hour, hell even the last five minutes would be it. He had no one to blame but himself for his fuck up, he'd opened his mouth and all the wrong words had fallen out.

He'd gotten back to the Prison just yesterday after being gone with Michonne for over a week on a hunt for the Governor. The run had sucked, bad weather had kept them cooped up for days at some shitty old trailer in the woods. Not even the moonshine still they'd found in the back had cheered him up. Michonne had decided to try the moonshine and gotten smashed. He'd listened to a night of Rick this, and Rick that until he'd been ready to go insane. Finally he'd snapped at her and told her to shut the fuck up. She'd had the gall to start fucking laughing her drunk ass off at him.

"That's rich coming from you" she'd snuffed out between her snorts and giggles.

"What the fuck are talking about?" He'd responded

"Are you being deliberately obtuse? Seriously you don't realize what I have to listen too? Carol this, Carol that...Carol, Carol, Carol...you talk in your sleep too...and it's all more of the same, only then, you're a lot less cranky, if you know what I mean" she'd dissolved then in a fit of drunken giggles at her own joke. He hadn't bothered to answer her and she'd thankfully past the fuck out, snoring so loudly he couldn't have slept that night even if he tried.

He'd sat out on the covered porch of the shitty old trailer and watched the rain thinking about what Michonne had said.

He didn't realize that his feelings were that obvious. Fuck they'd only become obvious to himself recently.

He'd know for a long time that he cared about Carol, she'd become his best friend. But lately things had started to change for him. He thought about her in ways that he didn't think about any of his other friends. That's for damn sure.

When he was at the prison he found himself finding reasons to spend time with her. When he was away with Michonne he worried about her constantly. Not just about her safety, things like was she eating enough, working too hard, getting enough sleep, having nightmares.

He would dream of her too. His cheeks flushed at the thought of what Michonne might have overheard in his sleep. The dreams had been his first clue that his feelings were more than friendly for Carol. He would wake breathless with want. The last time he'd had a dream like that at the prison about Carol he'd awoken in his cell, and the urge to make his way to Carol in her bed and reenact that dream had been almost too much to bear. The next day while he'd been sitting with Glenn eating he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off of her.

"What's with all the amped up eye fucking you're giving Carol today?" Glenn had asked curiously. He'd sat there glaring, internally sputtering trying to figure out what to say, when Rick had sat down next to them, effectively changing the subject.

Truth was, he was a coward. He'd never had a serious relationship before, his previous experiences usually tended to involve booze. He wanted Carol, he wasn't sure what to do about it and now he was worried he may have lost his chance. Which had been the real reason he'd been such an asshole on the run with Michonne.

New groups had been filtering into the prison on almost a daily basis. The Decatur group had come in two weeks ago, one of their members, Jason had taken an instant liking to Carol. He'd scoffed at first, thinking Carol would run the man of quickly, but she hadn't.

He'd started seeing the two in quiet conversation, or laughing together. Jason had taken to helping Carol manage her boatload of responsibilities and she seemed to deeply appreciate his efforts. Everyday Daryl felt like she was slipping further and further away from him and she would soon be out of his reach. He'd felt panicked at the thought of losing her. He'd realized the truth that night as he sat there, he loved Carol and he was totally clueless about what to do about it.

The next day there had been a break in the rain and Michonne had suggested heading back to The Prison, as the clouds were still ominous. The noise of the bike usually alerted The Prison of their imminent return long before they came in to view and he had gotten used to Carol being out at the gates to meet him, but yesterday she'd been nowhere to be seen. His heart had dropped to his knees initially until Carl had told him she was in the prison going over the schedules and rosters with Jason.

He hadn't seen her until that night at supper and he knew from her eyes she'd been a little hurt at the distance and coldness in his voice. He couldn't stop himself, he couldn't fathom her with someone else but him, it hurt to much, he was rapidly trying to rebuild the crumbling walls that he'd placed around his heart. He didn't want to feel this hurt, he may never recover from it.

He'd done his best to avoid her all day today, not wanting to see her smiling at the dumbass Jason her sweet smiles. He didn't want to see that twinkle in her eyes for anyone else but him. He was such an idiot, why did he wait so long?

The sky's had opened up, pouring out another drenching of rain and he'd stood on the balcony of the watchtower letting himself be soaked, moodily brooding, when he'd seen her making her way up to the tower with a covered plate. God damn it, couldn't she let him suffer in peace?

He gone inside, to wait for her, listening as she lightly made her way up the steps. Opening the door she'd given him a bright smile, and his heart had broken all over again. Fuck my life he thought, this isn't fair. She had a raincoat on about three sizes to big for her, the hood pulled up, she was so freakin adorable. This really was unfair, he was so far gone it was scary.

"Thought you might be hungry"she said as she said with a smile, gesturing to the plate.

"Thanks" he shrugged noncommitedly.

"So, I never got a chance to find out how the run went?" She said a little awkwardly, suddenly unsure of herself.

"Was fine" he grunted out.

She was quiet for a long time staring out at the rain falling down outside. She spoke again quietly some time later "Daryl I need to talk to you about something, ...it's about Jason." He suddenly couldn't breath as she continued on

"He and I, we've been spending a lot of time together, and well he wants more, ...he wants to be more than friends, and I guess I wanted to know how you feel about that?"

He wanted to scream at her that he would most definitely be bothered by that, he wanted to get on his knees and beg her to give him a chance, he wanted to curl up on the watchtower floor and cry. He really had lost his chance.

Looking up at her he found her staring at him intently, an odd look on her face. His supreme fear of the hurt that her rejection would cause him seemed to overtake his brain and he found himself croaking out

"That's none of my concern"

Her brow had quirked slightly at his tone and she'd nodded, put her hood up, going back out the door and closing it with a soft click. He watched as she made her way back into the prison running threw the rain.

What the fuck did he just do?