A/N: So...me again. lol I keep having these Caryl ideas but they're mostly just scenes or drabbles. I find the idea of them struggling to achieve a sense of normalcy really fascinating and definitely think it could bring them closer. Let me know your thoughts? :)
Normalcy
Day 1:
They'd arrived in Alexandria only a couple of hours ago and were still sticking together. Those who had dared, had taken a shower; others had wandered around town to assess the situation. But now they were all cooped up again in the living room trying to sleep.
She couldn't but not even the knowledge that she wasn't the only one was enough to help her. Instead she continued lying in the dark with her gaze directed up at the ceiling. The one particular spot she'd found seemed safe enough…at least for now. Since the outbreak she had come to learn that danger didn't always just exist around her, threatening to overwhelm her when she let down her guard, but that it could also be found behind her closed lids, in the few moments when her body gave in to fatigue. Then flashes of memories zapped through her mind, too terrible to be called nightmares. Sophia, Karen and David, Lizzie and Mika, Beth, Tyreese. The list of names would never stop and likewise the list of so-called safe places continued to grow. So nowadays the adrenalin kept pumping, kept her awake and alert at all times.
Carol glanced around, checking for slow, awkward movement and reminding herself where the quickest exit routes were. She did a brief head count as well and found that one was missing; Daryl, of course. He'd been acting like a caged lion all day and pretty much every day since they'd lost Beth.
She rose quietly and smoothly and stalked through the dark towards the door, nodding at Rick in passing who lay silent and watchful as well. She didn't have to walk much further to reach Daryl. He was perching on the fence of the porch, crossbow ready and peering into the night.
"Can't sleep?" he asked without averting his eyes, when she leaned against the wood right next to him.
"Looks like it," she nodded "and you?"
"Nah…keeping watch," he shrugged.
He looked tense and focused and Carol couldn't shake the impression that he was waiting for any excuse to pounce.
"I think Rick's got a plan," she continued, eyeing the perimeter.
"Good…there's something off about this place."
"You're only going to raise suspicion if you keep acting like this," she advised, carefully placing a hand between his shoulder blades.
"Don't care…" he muttered and she nodded.
"Just be careful," she then said and placed a light kiss on the crown of his head.
Her back was turned once more when he abandoned his vigilance for a few seconds to look after her retreating figure.