Anything recognizable is the property of the appropriate owners. I do not make any claim to ownership, nor do I make any money from this.
Note: I have not seen past Season 4, Episode 9: After.
Carol took a moment to set down the basket of wet laundry and wipe her face. It was a hot day even in her long skirt, and everyone had been running around like crazy, trying to salvage anything of use from Woodbury and get the survivors settled in their new home at the prison. It would take some time for things to quiet down, but it was also refreshing seeing new faces. The grey haired woman had forgotten how much she enjoyed socializing and she smiled brightly as a big black man she recognized as having gotten into the prison before everything happened with Woodbury passed by.
Tyreese caught her smile and gave a little nod before seeming to decide he wanted to talk to her and he turned back to the grey haired woman. "Afternoon. Carol, right?"
"That's me. Did you need help with something?" It was natural for her to offer to help, that's what she did, take care of the residents.
"Now that you mention it, I could use a hand in one of the storage rooms." He gestured over his shoulder at the way he had come.
"Sure, let me drop this laundry off." Carol nodded towards the lines that had been set up in the yard.
"Let me carry it at least, since you're doing me a favor." He smiled warmly.
She let the big man take the basket and he hefted it easily. Carol couldn't help remembering T-Dog and his easy way with just about everyone, except Merle of course. No one had gotten along with Merle. Once the laundry was dropped off, the older woman followed Tyreese into the prison, not really paying attention as they made idle chit chat.
Daryl watched from across the yard as the greying woman passed the laundry basket to the big black man to deliver before they turned back towards the prison, headed for the lower levels. He shook his head and tried to tell himself that it wasn't his responsibility to look after the older woman. But for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that the muscular man was just a little too cheerful to be back with the group that had turned him out and more than likely got his sister killed.
The hunter continued to argue with himself, blaming his unease on the number of new faces and the very real possibility that the Governor had left an inside man to infiltrate the prison. But everyone else on the council had been in agreement that it was their responsibility to welcome all of the survivors. Daryl finally got impatient waiting for Carol to emerge again so he went looking for her, following her route into the prison while trying to think of some reason to draw her away from the heavily built man.
Finding the pair, however, took some time as they didn't appear to be in any of the closest storage rooms. Daryl stalked through the dark corridors, listening for any sign of Carol and Tyreese while chewing on the inside of his cheek. Something had his hackles up and he knew it wouldn't go away until he addressed whatever it was so he scanned the hallways for any sign of where they might have gone. Finally, at the end of one of the corridors, sunlight shown through an ajar door that was usually closed and he knew he had found her. But when he barely pushed the door open and made to announce himself, Daryl froze.
Carol was bent face first over some long dead administrator's desk, skirt hiked up over her hips as Tyreese fucked her hard.
He spun away again back into the hallway, biting down on his lip until he tasted blood. Daryl took off down the hallway, trying to outrun the image of Carol's grey eyes locking on his. The hunter burst out into the afternoon air, heavy with thunder clouds and bend double, hands on knees as he panted, hardly winded from his short run through the corridors, but unable to calm himself. Despite telling himself that it was none of his business, Daryl couldn't help thinking that he never knew Carol was such a slut. Tyreese hadn't even been back at the prison for 24 hours and they were already shacking up.
If he had known she would put out, maybe he would have...
But the hunter firmly pushed that thought away. Just because he had a thing for the older woman didn't make her his, especially since he had never done anything about his attraction to her in an entire year of knowing her. Couldn't fault her for moving on. But that didn't make him instinctively dislike the big black man any less. Daryl knew that jealousy could drive a man to do strange things and it would just be better if he kept his distance so he doubled back into the prison to the perch he had claimed as his space. He had his gear and was already back in the yard, ignoring the soft rain, when he heard quick footsteps behind him. Carol had a sweater wrapped tightly around her narrow frame as she jogged to catch up.
"Daryl, wait!" She called, loud enough for him to hear, but soft enough to not draw anyone else's attention.
The hunter knew what she wanted to talk to him about and he was not interested in that conversation in the slightest. "Don't need ta talk." He threw carelessly over his shoulder. Make it a non issue and maybe she would let it lay.
Carol, however, continued to hurry after him. "Please, it wasn't what it looked like."
There weren't a lot of ways he could misinterpret what he had seen. "None'a my business."
But before she could grab his elbow, she slipped on the wet grass and went down on one knee, crying out in pain. She remained sprawled in the muddy hill, calling after him. "I have to tell you!"
Daryl hunched his shoulders and slipped out of the gate. She didn't owe him any kind of explanation, so he wasn't going to make it any of his business. They were all adults so she could do whatever she wanted with Tyreese. And he, he would go lick his wounds in private. The bowman didn't look back.
Author's Note: I think I use this fandom to work through some of my own problems constructively, but this one is a lot darker than most. I don't even have the excuse of writing it for a request. So I guess I'm just asking everyone to leave the roast in the coffee pot and keep your comments to yourself if you have a problem with it.
