A/N - This came from a prompt I received on tumblr, that Carol has a song stuck in her head, and eventually Daryl starts singing it too, and gets caught. Enjoy, and please don't forget to leave feedback if you enjoyed it!

Daryl shook his head slightly as he ran his fingers over the bike's worn tires. He had spares for practically every other part, but tires...nothing. And if he didn't come across any spares soon, his bike would be unusable.

A drop of rain landed on the back of his hand, and he looked up at the gray sky. The weather had been so changeable lately, switching from blinding heat to torrential rain in the blink of an eye. "Dammit," he muttered under his breath, and he pushed the bike back inside Aaron and Eric's garage to continue working on it.

The bike had been sluggish starting up recently, so he pulled the battery out from its housing underneath the seat and checked the levels. Just as he suspected, it was low, so he topped it up with deionized water, and made a note to check in any hardware stores for more; it was another essential that could mean the difference between getting stranded or getting home safely.

A crash of thunder made him look up. Outside the rain was falling heavily, and the lights reflecting from somewhere upstairs made the pavements shine like silver.

Shine like silver?

He wondered briefly where the rather poetic thought had come from, and could feel a slight heat creeping across his cheeks and the back of his neck, even though he had not voiced anything out loud.

Pointless being all lyrical and sentimental when he had work to do.

After reinstalling the battery, he checked the oil and coolant levels. Both needed topping up, and he hummed a tune to himself as he did so. He frowned very slightly as he tried to remember precisely where he knew the tune from, but for the life of him, he couldn't place it.

But the tune wouldn't leave him alone, and he continued to hum it as he wiped his hands clean on an old rag.

Another crash of thunder and the sky darkened even further. Lights appeared in the windows of all the houses in Alexandria; they shone through the leaves on the birches outside, making the trees appear to be full of starlight.

The heat across his cheeks intensified. Full of starlight? What the hell was he thinking?

He returned to the bike; he'd oil and adjust the cables then call it a day. And hopefully get the damn tune out of his head.

"On my own, pretending he's beside me…"

He jumped and dropped the oil can with a clang, and turned around to see Eric grinning at him.

"The hell are ya doin', sneakin' up like that?"

"It's the song you were singing."

"Ain't singin' no damn songs," Daryl replied, returning his attention to the bike.

"I hadn't pegged you for a lover of musicals."

"Told ya, I ain't singin' no songs. Don't know where I heard it."

"It's a favorite of mine, you see. Aaron hates musicals, so I only really get to listen to it when you and him are out."

"Right."

"Carol, too. Turns out she's quite a fan."

His heart skipped several beats at the mention of Carol's name, and he glanced over at Eric before pretending to return his full attention to the bike.

"Especially of that song," continued Eric. "And she's got really quite a beautiful voice."

"Hadn't noticed," Daryl lied. Truth was, he had heard her singing several times. He'd never really paid attention to the words; he was too mesmerized by the sound of her voice.

"We tend to sing that one as a duet when you're away. Because, well… I miss him, and she…"

He stopped talking abruptly as Daryl glared at him.

"Anyway, I just wanted to remind you, it's pasta night tonight, so if you wanted to join us, you're more than welcome. And I wouldn't blame you at all if you didn't want to walk home in that rain."

He nodded with an awkward jerk of his head and didn't trust himself to look up once again. "Sounds good," he said quietly.

"I'll leave you to it then," replied Eric, and he left Daryl alone, but Daryl could still hear Eric singing the song that he now knew he must have heard from Carol, and for once he paid attention to the sound of the lyrics.

"I love him, but every day I'm learning. All my life, I've only been pretending. Without me, his world will go on turning; the world is full of happiness that I have never known."

Without thinking, he stormed out into the rain. He had to talk to her. And he was halfway there when a nagging voice in his head told him he was being a fool. That her singing some damn song didn't mean a thing.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed his soaking wet hair out of his eyes, and dejectedly walked back towards Aaron and Eric's place. If she truly felt that way about him, surely she would tell him?

After all, what kind of a fool would keep such feelings a secret?