Just a little something inspired by the little caryl moment in the 8b trailer and my own hopes and dreams. :)

She is the first thing he sees. Those blue eyes, that damn smile. Nothing else registers at first. Everything shifts to the background when she runs to him. It's all white noise once she's in his arms. The warmth of her arm going around his back, the feel of her pressed up awkwardly against his side, holding him in a way that threatens to make him feel something other than pain, smiling while she strokes Judith's cheek.

It's a flurry of her smile, and then, seconds later, her tears. Soaking his shirt as he pulls her into his chest, buries his nose in her hair. As Tara takes Judith from him and he holds onto Carol even tighter. It's all a disoriented blur, but he feels that bastard's eyes on him the entire time.

He finds Dwight hours later, sitting alone on a bench, staring off into nothing. If it were his choice, he still probably wouldn't hesitate to give this asshole what he really deserves, but it's not, so Daryl takes a seat next to him.

He reaches into his pocket and shoves the cigarette pack at Dwight without looking at him. "Here."

But Dwight shakes his head, chuckling a bit.

"The hell is so funny?"

"Nothing… nothing." Daryl squints at him, barely resisting the urge to punch him in the face. "Just… you keep them."

"What?"

Dwight just sighs, a shadow falling over his face. He's quiet for a long moment.

"Sherrie left me," he says, finally. "She left me a note and she left me those rings. Our rings."

"The hell are you telling me this shit for?" Daryl feels anger flare up inside him. He is not going to be having heart-to-hearts with this guy.

"She's gone, Daryl. I blew it. I lost her. And I'm not getting her back. So you take the rings. Please."

He doesn't quite know what the hell to say to that. All thoughts of socking Dwight in the jaw suddenly evaporate and are replaced by a feeling he can't quite pinpoint. The same feeling that washed over him not too long ago when he first pulled his cigarette pack out of his vest pocket, only to find three wedding rings stashed in it. The sight had made Daryl's guts twist up. Of course he finds rings in his own damn pocket on a day when he didn't even know if he'd see the one person he'd ever want to give them to, again.

And yet, the Hilltop gates had opened, and there she was.

"You want them," Dwight says. "I know you do. You wouldn't still be sitting here trying to give them to me if you didn't hope - just a little bit - that I'd say no."

Smug asshole.

"I saw you with that woman earlier," Dwight goes on. "Carol. I saw the way she ran to you. I saw you hugging her. I saw it and I knew -"

He pauses a moment, staring off into the setting sun and shaking his head slightly.

"- I used to have that."

Daryl kinda wants to fight back, kinda wants to snap at this asshole with some sharp words that will shut him the hell up. But he can't, really. As much as he hates Dwight, there's no point in denying this anymore.

Dwight looks at him then, face pained in a way that almost, almost makes Daryl feel sorry for him. Almost.

"Sherrie told me that you reminded her of me. Of how I used to be. You don't have to end up like me, Daryl. Just take the damn rings."

Daryl shakes his head. Can't think of anything else to do. Just drops the cigarette pack back into his pocket and sighs, defeated. He knows what he has to do. It's not like it isn't something he's wanted to do since… well, longer than he can remember. He's always managed to let Carol go. Always let her slip through his fingers. And yet somehow, always managed to find his way back to her again. At least when he slides a ring onto her finger, and a ring onto his, then he won't be letting her go. Not really. He takes a deep breath, knowing working up the nerve for this will take him the whole damn night. Not like he's ever been the brave one. But hell, he wants to try.

"Good luck," Dwight says.

Daryl takes one more deep breath before striding away. "Yeah. Whatever, asshole."