This story has much in common with another I wrote "Different School Together' which was my first Carol-Morgan story. I wrote that knowing that I would put Carol and Daryl back together, but the outcome is open on this one for me. I like the Carol and Morgan dynamic. I think they make a great team and I am in no hurry to break them up. I am not saying that Carol and Daryl will never get back together in this story.
Trusting
Carol with Judith waited in the woods outside Terminus while Tyreese checked out the place labelled as a sanctuary. She was tired and wanted a safe place for Judith. The autumn leaves were dry enough so that she could hear walkers coming toward them, but this was no place for a baby to be. Carol had stationed herself behind a large tree so that she was shielded from view in that direction. She heard a slight rustling sound that signaled her that something was moving out there. Judith was asleep and she pulled her knife out. Tyreese was not exactly a stealth warrior and she knew it wasn't him moving her way. She shifted Judith between her and the tree and prepared herself for yet another battle. One she would have to win to keep this child alive.
Carol raised her knife higher in the air. She listened as the noise moved toward them ever closer and seeming to slow as it approached them. One more step and the enemy would be in view. She saw the outline of a man move past the tree and sliced her knife toward his neck.
The man was quick enough to move his arm to deflect her blow and she stepped back quickly. He was a Black man about her age. He held his hand up in a warning way, "Don't mean no harm to you. I saw the signs for Terminus and decided to look the place over. If I wanted to hurt you I would have already." His voice was rusty as if he had not talked to anyone in a while. He looked as tired and worn out as she felt and Carol knew instinctively that she could trust this man.
She lowered her weapon and the man glanced behind her, "My God, you have a baby out here. I have been watching Terminus for some time and I think it's a trap. There are snipers on the roof and you have to be careful or the guards along the fence will snap you up. I just saw a big guy get caught a few minutes ago."
Carol froze, "What did he look like, the man who got caught?"
"Big Black man, wore a wood hat. My name is Morgan, Morgan Jones." He dropped all his weapons and held out his empty hand and Carol shook his hand. "Is that the man you were with?"
Carol nodded her head, too tired to lie and pretend that she was part of a large group. Morgan looked at her and the baby. He had gradually came back to his right mind. He was used to being alone and it would be safer to travel without a woman and a baby, but they needed him. Maybe he needed them too.
He looked at the quickly sinking sun. "Let's get somewhere safer than this place for the night, I'll tell you what I saw and you can make your own decision. I have a vehicle hidden back there and I think we should get a few miles away before dark. You can go with me or you can stay here. I won't hurt you, but I want to get out of here now. Will you come with me?"
Carol knew Tyreese should have been back way before this. He had been gone for over an hour and he had promised to be only take a quick look. She had Judith to protect and she nodded. "My name is Carol and this is Judith".
Morgan remembered Rick telling him that his baby girl was named Judith but there wasn't time to talk about that now. He picked up all the bags and let Carol carry Judith. He was glad to note that Carol could walk silently through the woods. They soon found his truck and they headed off in a different direction that Carol had approached Terminus. Carol relaxed against the truck seat and watched Morgan. He watched the road ahead, behind and on all sides. He drove for several miles and then they began watching together for a place to stay. They chose a small house up a side road. Morgan told her to stay in the truck and he would check the house out by himself. She slid over to the driver's seat and saw that he had left the keys in the ignition. He went in a side door and soon opened the front door with a smile on his face. The place was empty of walkers and she and Judith were soon inside. Morgan had an electric drill and several sheets of plywood in the truck. Together they covered the large windows of the house in minutes. He had water and food in the truck and then he moved the truck behind the house. There was propane left in the tank and he hustled down to the creek and brought up water to wash and flush the commode.
Carol prepared some food that she had found in the pantry over the stove and heated some water to bathe Judith in. Morgan moved heavy furniture across the doors and they were safe inside and Carol hoped that she had made the right choice because they were at his mercy. Morgan took some of the hot water to wash his hands and they sat down together and ate.
Morgan had lit the space heater and it warmed the small house quickly. There were two bedrooms, a small bath, and a tiny kitchen and a more comfortably sized living room. He found an oil lamp and as the day crashed around them the house had enough light so that they could see each other.
Morgan began, "My name is Morgan and when this started I was married and had a son named Duane. We were trying to get to Atlanta when my wife was bitten. I just stayed in that little town and eventually my son was bitten also. I lost my mind with loneliness. About six months a group came by and I joined them. We lived about two hours from here and they took care of me when I first joined them. Good people. They all caught the flu and I went to look for some medicine. I got caught in a herd and didn't get back as soon as I wanted. They all died of the flu. I was left all alone again. I buried them and then just took off. I saw the signs for Terminus and headed this way."
Carol sighed and then told her story. Morgan should know her story, all of it. He kept moving closer to her because her voice became more and more faint and he seemed to understand that she needed to have someone close to her. He held her hand as she said what she had had to do to Lizzie. She finished her story in the tears that had threatened to erupt all through the story.
Morgan kept hold of her hand. It wasn't soft and tender like his wife's hand had been. Carol's hand were calloused from hard work but the fingers were long and slender. She was a beautiful woman with startling blue eyes and silver hair. In her early forties he thought, close to his age. She pulled her hand away to wipe away the tears and he pulled himself back from her.
"Terminus is a trap. The snipers aren't out there to knock back the walkers. They are to make sure that no one gets in except through that open front door. They took your friend in from a locked gate. I saw a railway car and several brick buildings. I couldn't see anything inside. It won't be easy to get inside."
Carol was worried about Tyreese. "I wish we had tried to go after Tyreese. He is a good man."
"They would be on high alert after they found Tyreese out beyond the walls. Probably send patrols out to look. My first priority is keeping you and that baby safe. I know Rick Grimes and that is his baby, right?" Morgan had been adding things up in his head. His old friend Rick had taken part of his gun stash to protect a prison. Carol had mentioned that she had been banished from a prison.
Carol remembered Carl telling her about his trip back home with his dad and Michonne to get weapons. He had spoken of a man named Morgan who had taken care of Rick after he came out of his coma. Carl had said that the man had lost his mind and wouldn't leave the town his wife and son had died in. She nodded, "Lori died giving birth to Judith. Tyreese and the girls rescued her after the prison fell. I found them following the tracks. Do you think that other survivors might be following the tracks?"
Morgan nodded. "That makes sense to me. I heard it on the radio and there were signs along the roads. Winter is coming and that makes the need to find shelter even more pressing."
"We need to write something on those signs so people won't get caught in that trap, but first we need to get in there and check it out."
"Carol, we can go back in the morning but you'll stay with the truck. You and Jude should stay here but I don't like leaving you here either. I'll scout tomorrow and we'll gather what we might need. I have a couple of rifles and quite a bit of ammo. Can you shoot a rifle?"
Carol nodded, "Yes, I have a pistol but it's almost out of ammo."
Morgan opened up his bag and rummaged through until he found a pistol and a box of shells. "Here take this, not much of a kick and these shells have some stopping power." He handed them to Carol. "Now, go to bed and get some rest. I am going to sleep myself. Tomorrow we will need all the energy we can get."
Carol had found some blankets still in their plastic wraps and the couch made a comfortable bed. Morgan had taken a blanket and a large plastic bin from the pantry and made a bed for Judith. He put that beside of the couch. Judith needed to stretch and play a bit so they put a blanket down on the floor and let Judith scramble around. Carol had to smile at Judith's fascination with Morgan. She patted his cheeks and he kissed her hands. He also romped with her and soon tired her out. She crawled back to Carol and cuddled close before she went to sleep.
Morgan had sat down at the table and watched Carol hold Judith and the way the baby relaxed in her arms. He vowed to himself that he would put them first. He would do everything he could to save others from going to Terminus and to rescue Tyreese but protecting Carol and Judith came first.
Carol kicked off her boots and socks and went to sleep. Morgan dragged a mattress off of a twin bed into the living room and took the last blanket. He turned the lamp off and clicked on a solar night light that he had brought with him. It gave enough illumination to make a good night light. He turned so that he could see Carol and the box that the Judith slept in. He closed his eyes and hoped that tonight he would not have any bad dreams.
Carol woke up in the night. Morgan and Judith were sleeping and she prayed that Tyreese would be found today. Morgan needed her to help but he was putting Judith first and she put her hand out and touched the child. Judith must be kept safe.
Morgan woke up and glanced at his watch. He eased out of bed and went outside to look around. It was very still outside and he let the cool air wake him up completely while he thought of ways to make this come out right. Nothing came to mind but he did decide to make a few gasoline bombs this morning. A diversion might be necessary today. He found some gasoline in the small shed and there had been some empty wine bottles in the kitchen.
Carol was up feeding Judith by the time he got back. Judith won his heart by holding her arms up for him to take her. Morgan smiled at both of them and said, "I'll finish feeding her if you'll make breakfast."
Carol handed him the spoon and the hand towel she had found a kitchen cabinet. "She spits it out when she is done. You have been warned". She had water boiling for oatmeal. Judith was kicking and bobbing around and Morgan was laughing at her antics and trying to feed her. He was getting more on him than in Judith, but they both seemed to be having a good time.
After breakfast they packed everything up. Morgan had taken the empty wine bottles out and put gasoline in them. He had cut up a couple of towels to use as fuses. It was barely light when they started and Morgan drove slowly. He parked farther away today and backed the truck into the forest. Judith was asleep and Carol got out and Morgan carried the weapons. They went toward Terminus quietly. Morgan held his hand up, "Let me go scout around, I'll be back in fifteen minutes, if I am not go to the truck and go back to the house. I'll walk back there." He handed her his watch and took off stealthily through the woods.
Morgan was back in ten minutes. "There is a guard at the fence but he's hiding. I need to go all the way around and check the sides out. I want you to take the truck back to the house and wait for me there. There are more snipers on the roof and it is too dangerous for the baby. I'll pack this stuff in and get in one of the trees to watch. I need all the information I can get." He walked her back to the truck and held the door open for her to slide in.
Carol put Judith in truck and Morgan put his hand on her arm. She stopped and turned toward him. He gave her a quick warm kiss and said, "I'll be there, trust me".
Carol drove out of the woods carefully and headed back to the house. Morgan had surprised her by the kiss and she surprised herself by not being frightened by it. Morgan would never demand what she didn't want to give. She hoped it was not a goodbye kiss, because he was going to try something reckless.
Carol had gone less than a half mile when she saw a forlorn blond girl walking down the road. She recognized Beth Greene and she stopped the truck and let her in. Beth looked half wild and filthy. Carol gave her some water and Beth told her story in between gulps and sobs. Beth and Daryl had left the prison together and spent several days wandering around. They had found a house and were staying there when Beth had been kidnapped out of there by a man dressed in a priest's collar. He seemed to think that he was saving Beth from Daryl and she began to realize that he was insane. She had pretended to be sleepy and had managed to escape. She had been out here for two days by herself.
Carol got back to the house and cleaned Beth up. She was dehydrated and exhausted and soon fell asleep on the couch. Carol hid the truck behind the house and began to boil water for drinking. Carol found some clothes in one of the bedrooms and she washed them out and put next to the heater to dry. Judith played on the floor on her blanket and wondered if Morgan would ever come back.
Beth woke up and changed her clothes. She was more coherent now and she talked about getting drunk with Daryl on moonshine and how he had ridden her piggyback when she hurt her ankle. Carol tried to imagine the Daryl she knew and the Daryl that Beth had traveled with and they didn't seem like the same person. Beth was behaving like a teenager with a crush and it sounded a lot like Daryl had been reliving some boyhood fantasy of his own.
Carol was past thinking Daryl was hers. He had spent two years being her friend and not crossing the line into more. Some part of her had believed that Daryl would come after her when she was banished. That he would not leave her to die out there alone and finally she had come back for the girls only to find the prison in ruins. The last sparks of her love for him sparked out in the torrent of Beth's words. Daryl wouldn't go against anything Rick decreed and Rick had sentenced her to banishment knowing that she would soon die out her all alone. Rick decreed and Daryl had agreed. He was her judge, jury, and executioner too.
Carol had no more room in her heart for sorrow over Daryl falling for Beth. She had learned to accept a good deal of pain in her life and she could bear this too. Carol pushed the pain back to a manageable level and focused on waiting for Morgan. Together they could rescue Tyreese and maybe others in that place. She was glad when she heard his steps on the front porch and his voice calling, "Don't shoot, it me, Morgan".
AN
I love Carol and I refuse to write an easy path for Carol and Daryl to reunite. Carol is going to turn to Morgan at least for a while and maybe forever.
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