A/N: Warning: major character death. Do not continue if it's not your cup of tea.
This is a major cheesefest that happened while I was trying to be dramatic. Please don't kill me! Note: title is from the song of the same name by My Chemical Romance.
Early Sunsets Over Monroeville
Carol loved the sunset. She had always been fascinated with watching it and not only that, dusk was her favourite time of day. The beauty of the sun's descent was a pleasant sight, of course, but with it came a sense of peacefulness that Ed – and her former life in general – could never spare her, with the exception being her precious Sophia.
Sometimes she would sit with her daughter on the porch of their house while her husband was away on his "hunting" trips. They'd be wrapped up tight in each other's embrace and would marvel at the lovely palette of colours that was the sky.
She had told Daryl all of this over time. Following the defeat of the Governor, the group, in addition to the Woodbury refugees, decided to move over to the abandoned town. Rick had mentioned it'd be better for the children and elderly and the majority of them couldn't help but agree. The prison was going to become crowded and their towers were destroyed.
It'd be the better choice to try to salvage the broken community.
The original group bid goodbye to what they once considered their own haven and once again headed out in hope of sanctuary.
Every evening during his shift following the move, Carol had come up to the walls of the main gate with his meal and they usually sat in a comfortable silence until one of them broke it with their words. During that time they'd also observe the phases of the sun above the forest and whatever was spoken ranged from simple nostalgia of their old lives to how their day had been.
One night, he decided to ask her if she had any hobbies. She told him about her love for painting and about how she had always dreamed of being an art teacher. And when he asked her what her favourite thing to paint was, her eyes traced the sight in front of them and he knew the answer. Then, smiling sweetly in remembrance, she had fully explained her enjoyment of nature.
Daryl had cherished that moment for what it was, a rare insight that revealed who Carol genuinely was, aside from the strong survivor this new world had encouraged. She was an immeasurably compassionate, gentle, and spirited woman. Sure she could now quite easily tote a gun and had a pretty impressive shot, but seeing her talk about one of her biggest fascinations had increased his utter respect for her.
In turn, he had also opened up to her about his abuse and lack of real relationships and she took it all in kind, never once looking at him any different.
And though the sun soon began to disappear behind wintry clouds, the brightness that bloomed between them never faltered.
Spring came and went and life in Woodbury was actually the closest thing they had all come to past society. They were well aware that walkers still threatened their safety, their humanity, but it gave a much needed normalcy to distract them all from the nightmares that snarled from outside of their walls.
Summer expired just as quickly and Fall, never one to coddle them any, brought sickness and death and passed ever-slowly. Multiple members of their group passed on one-by-one from an untreatable fever and, much to everyone's despair, Carol was one of them.
Daryl had never felt so betrayed in his life. Aside from Merle leaving him with his Pa and then again during their war with the Governor, he had never felt that much left behind. Their relationship was a close one and had ended up saving him from the Dixon curse.
Because of her, he had a family that he cared about and would die for and it made him all the more upset. She was supposed to be there for Judith, for Rick, hell, she was supposed to have been there for him.
He regretted not saying it before but he really did have strong feelings for her. He may have even loved her. But as much as he hated himself for not acting on it, he had a vague notion that she knew. The woman had always been intuitive, picking up on even the slightest, most insignificant things. She read him like a book and that had scared the hell out of him.
But he wouldn't have had it any differently. He was going to miss her. Her soft palm in his, her arms wrapped around him during their rides on his bike, her smile. Thinking of her reunited with Sophia made it partially easier to cope. But as she was being buried, he cried just like he had with Merle.
It was difficult living without those two, but he knew she would want him to keep going - as far as he possibly could.
She had. She had fought hard every day and he was going to honor her by doing the same damn thing.
Carol herself was like the sunset. She was aware of her distance but she easily brought warmth to everyone she touched and her radiance guided him like a light in the dark. She gave beauty to everything she cradled and she burned with a fiery passion.
But also like the sunset, she was there for a moment and then she was gone.
He made sure to watch for that quick glimpse of her every day.