A/N: My creative writing professor in college could never stress his point enough: flashback sequences just don't work. Well, I'm doing it anyway. Set after 4x04 – Indifference. Officially AU. I trust you all will let me know if this works or not.

Side note: I apologize for the Rick-hate. But I needed to blow off some steam. I also apologize if any of the characters, at any point in time, seem OOC. And I apologize again for the short chapter. But it's a prologue. They're supposed to be short, right? :)

Summary: Daryl finds Carol and struggles to confront his feelings when he's thought to have lost her. Set after 4x04 – Indifference.

xxx

Found You

PROLOGUE

The rickety green minivan was well past its brink, the rpm needle steadily creeping its way into the red as he pressed the pedal further to the floor. He beat his fists on the steering wheel and screamed at the thing to move faster, the pile of tin sputtering and hissing in response, sometimes so violently that Daryl was sure this was the moment it would give out altogether. But it never broke down. Not for 30 miles yet.

He cast a nervous gaze in her direction, needing to see the comforting rise and fall of her chest. He watched her for a while, sparing casual glances at the road ahead as the rear tires kicked up gravel, leaving a trail of settling dust behind them. Her breathing hiccupped, her exhale coming out in the form of a wheeze, and inwardly, he panicked.

"Stay with me," He whispered, hands clenching the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were white from the skin pulled taut against the bone. "We're almost there. Just a lil longer."

"Daryl..." She coughed, choking on her ragged breaths. It was a struggle for her, Daryl noted; a struggle to talk, to move ... to breathe. It had been since he pulled her out of that car. How long has she been there like that, in and out of consciousness, drenched in sweat and struggling just to keep her breath? It had taken them days to get back with the supplies, he calculated, and she wasn't very far from the town drawn on his map. How long had the others lasted when they were like this? When they were this far gone?

"It's ... no .. use," She coughed again, Daryl wanting to shout out every obscenity in the book when that single cough led to a full-blown attack. He looked away from her then, his mind focusing on his blinding hatred for his former best friend as she fought to catch her breath and regain composure. "He .. They won't want me..."

He wanted to kill Rick for this, a slow, torturous death that guaranteed he knew every ounce of pain, every agonizing second. And he needed to be the one to do it. He needed to see that look in Rick's eyes, the shock and betrayal from being blindsided by his most trusted ally; the recognition as it filtered across his face when Rick finally knew how she felt when he had left her.

"He's gonna fix this," Daryl argued. "He's gonna make it right. He's gonna get you well, an' then you an' me, we can go anywhere."

She fought to sit up, her weak arms struggling against her weight, shaking her head as best she could against his claims. His arm crossed the space between them, landing lightly on her shoulder and keeping her firmly in place. "Don' move."

"They need .. you. You ... can't leave."

"Don' talk. Rest."

"Daryl.." She resisted, trying meekly to fight against the arm that still held her in place.

"No!" He said harshly, feeling her flinch against the steel in his voice. In an instant, he pulled his hand back mortified, as if touching her had suddenly burned him, all the while, the same angering thought reverberating within him. This was all Rick's fault.

"No you, no me," He said finally, his voice softening only slightly. "We're a packaged deal, an' if he don't want you, he don't want me." Daryl turned his head to look at her from across the van, trying his best to muster a smile and keep the edge out of his voice despite the rage that threatened to take control.

"Now rest. Please."

Her first instinct was to defy him, fight against his command and continue to say what she needed to say. Though she tried to hide it, it was written all over her sweat-drenched, hallowed face. But he was secretly thankful she just nodded instead, too weak to fight against the exhaustion that was sinking into her. She coughed again, her frail frame shaking significantly from the impact, and she settled herself down, laying her forehead against his arm that rested on top of the middle console.

She was burning up.