"You did what?!" Daryl yelled, clearly pissed.

He wasn't exactly listening to reason as Rick tried to explain his banishment. "She murdered two innocent people. May of been planning to do the same to others who were sick. She couldn't be trusted."

Daryl stood there shaking his head. "You're wrong." He hissed and turned to leave.

Rick was quick to follow, treading his heels. "Where you going?" Extending his arm he grabbed Daryl's shoulder to stop him and was instantly rejected as he jerked away.

"To find her." Angered he took a step back.

"You don't get to make that choice." Rick narrowed his eyes at Daryl's disrespect of his decision.

"I ain't askin'. I'm no prisoner here." He stalked off to gather some of his things and peeled out on his bike without another word spoken.

Knowing the area well that Rick and Carol had gone on the supply run, he felt there was a good chance he'd find her.

The day was warm and few hours left before the sun set, so he took that moment to just enjoy the quiet ride along the abandoned road. Had been a long time since he was so alone out in the open, but it helped calm him from the anger that was recently present.

It amazed him the amount of walkers that surrounded the prison while so few were outside the location. Passing maybe three before reaching the neighborhood and once there none in sight. That didn't mean he let his guard down. He scanned the area the best he could from the roads of the neighborhood. For any sign she had been there or was still around. Figuring if she was, she'd hear the familiar sound of his bike and show herself. She was long gone and the daylight was quickly fading.

Finding shelter in a house that stood alone from the rest allowed him a garage to store his bike from potential looters and the warmth from all the doors and windows still intact. He entered with caution intentionally making noise to draw out any walkers from hiding and to his surprise all was silent.

Thankfully the place hadn't been raided and some canned goods remained in the cabinets. After filling his bag to the brim he set in motion checking out the second floor in case any walkers were trapped. The sight of the first room he entered made his stomach turn uncomfortably. The smell alone making him feel sick. Laying in the bed were two decomposing bodies that fell victim to apparent suicide and he quickly closed the door trying to hold back the bile that threatened to rise. He thought over time that was a smell he'd be used to.

After checking the rest of the house he found comfort in a room that belonged to a teenage girl. The walls were covered in your typical teen girl celebrity crushes and hundreds of pictures of her and her friends. Sadness crept in while thoughts of Sophia washed over. He wished this was the life she could grown up in, happy with friends, but instead she was torn from existence.

Making sure the door was secured he sighed and fell back on to the bed. Hoping to rest his mind enough to get some sleep.

Two days had passed and still no sign of Carol. No cars broken down that looked like hers, no notes left, nothing. His heart sank slightly as he feared he'd never see her again. Until he caught a glance at the tail end of a car from behind an old gas station.

Slamming on the brakes and spinning the bike around he sighed in relief when he knew it was hers. The feeling was short lived when he noticed the driver side window shattered and blood everywhere. Turning when a walker approached coming out of the bathroom he quickly put an arrow through its eye. It fell with a loud thud and he swiftly moved inside where the trail of blood lead.

"Carol?" Keeping his voice low he called out after hearing a crash from the back that echoed through the store. He shot another walker in the forehead that was blocking his way and rounded the corner.

Two pairs of feet came in to sight. A set of muddy old boots and boots of a woman he recognized. The corpse moved as Carol pulled her knife from its skull and shoved it off her body.

"Hey." She said with a soft smile as if very casual.

He saw how bloody her arm was and went to help her stand, holding her still to get a better look.

"Were you bit?"

She shook her head trying to hide the wound, embarrassed. "Just cut from the window." He smiled then and pulled her into a hug. Both relieved to see each other once again.

The reunion was a bit overwhelming for Carol as tears spilled down her cheeks. The time she was alone she tried to be brave and handle the dangers of the new world on her own. She had grown over the past year and became a stronger woman, but had been scared to death not being around a familiar face.

Taking in Daryl's scent made everything so real and when he reached up to wipe her tears away with his thumb she knew she was safe.

Kissing the top of her head he moved to pull a handkerchief from his pocket and wrap her arm. Hopefully once back at the prison Hershel could care for it properly. "You ok to drive?"

"I'm fine." At least she hoped . The pain in her arm was throbbing, but it wouldn't keep her from operating the vehicle.

After Daryl collected his arrows they went outside to clean the broken glass from the driver seat. The blood had dried, starting to congeal which left a dark stained when wiped away. Wasn't really much they could do about it, but it didn't bother Carol as she sat down and shut the door.

"Just follow me and flash your lights if you need anything. I know a place we can stay the night."

She nodded and started the car, doing as asked and followed closely down the road.

The growl from his bike along the silent country side made her smile. It was nothing but red neck and man, everything Daryl. She was happy he still had that little part of him from his life before. One of the things she cherished about his personality. The shy, gentle, quiet type, but one look in his direction and you knew he meant business.

He turned into the neighborhood Rick had left her in and rejection flooded her body once more. Literally making her shiver as she remembered the nights alone cowering in a corner praying she'd see the sun rise. Never imagining how hard it was to survive out here alone until then.

They parked in the garage and entered the house. Carol took note of the covered windows and how prepared he had been.

"Hungry?" He asked tossing his bag on the kitchen table and grabbed her hand dragging her over to the sink.

"Happen to have any steak or baked potatoes in there?" Nodding in the direction of his bag jokingly trying to get back into their playful routine.

"Maybe some squirrel." He grinned and wet a towel, slowly unwrapping his handkerchief from her arm. She hissed in pain as some dry blood peeled at the wound.

"Sorry." Meeting her eyes for a second he looked back down to concentrate on gently cleaning her arm the best he could. She stood there biting her lip at the stinging and watched as he put a clean bandage around it. Before she could thank him he hopped up to sit on the counter with his legs spread, arms between them with his palms pressed against the smooth counter top.

"Why'd you do it?" He hadn't meant to sound so blunt, but it was something they were going to have to talk about before heading back to the prison.

That caught her off guard and a confused look spread across her face, taking a moment to sink in. There really wasn't an easy way to explain her actions and being confronted by him made it even more difficult. "I thought it was the right thing to do."

He raised his eye brow and she continued, sighing. "Our own kind were turning into walkers. I thought the best thing to do was step in and prevent it from happening. I was scared and also trying to do the heroic thing. For Lizzie and Mika, I didn't want anything bad to happen to anyone I cared about. It's not like I'm the best known for making the right choices. Look at Ed? Sophia?" She looked away then and he instantly felt bad for asking. Understanding where she was coming from.

"Rick had no right to leave you here." Hopping off the counter he walked over to the table where his bag was.

Carol stayed put watching. "Didn't think you cared."

He frowned and turned to her direction. "I've always cared."