(Authors note: This is a AU account of how I would have liked the second half of season 4 to play out. IFD people seem to like it I will continue it into what I would like from season 5 as well. All criticisms are welcome as long as the are positive or constructive. Please if you are leaving a comment just to be negative don't bother it will be ignored.)

Prologue

She had been sent away, banished; from the one place she ever truly felt was her home. She stepped up and made a decision trying to protect them, but he didn't see it that way. She just couldn't sit around and watch more people she loved die. The guilt of what she had done would stick with her the rest of her life.

She just drove around never straying far from the prison. Rick told her to find another group, one that didn't know what she had done, but she couldn't just leave. She had made a promise to Ryan on his death bed to take care of his girls like they were her own. She had to make sure Mika and Lizzie were safe. When she had left Lizzie was sick, she needed the medicine and Carol wasn't even sure if Daryl and the others would make it in time.

She decided she would camp outside the prison for awhile. Just long enough to see if the mission was a success and everyone was ok. Just long enough to see Daryl one last time. Truth be told she had fallen hard for him way back on the farm. He had tried so hard to find her Sophia, risked his life so many times to bring her home. He had shown a side of himself to her that she hadn't realized was there. Over the months since leaving the farm they had gotten closer, he opened up to her more so than the others but still he had a guard up. She knew that he only saw her as a friend but that didn't change how she felt in her heart for him.

As she approached she could hear gun fire and explosions. She drove up as close as she could before jumping out of the old car and running the rest of the way. She was horrified when she came to see their home being destroyed. The fences where down and walkers were beginning to over run the yard. Whoever had attacked had a tank and already blew half the prison away. She knew it was him, the Governor. Karen had told them he had killed all but her in the Woodbury army but she always knew one day he would come back. Seeing the flames burning the one safe heaven they had tore at her already broken heart. The smell of smoke and death were thick in the air.

Carol made her way down to the prison yard taking out a few walkers as she went. She saw as Rick fought for his life against the Governor, she saw Michonne run him through and she saw a woman put a bullet in his head. The man was finally no longer a threat but it was too late. There was no saving or reclaiming the prison, it belonged to the dead now. She had thought about going after Rick and Carl, to help them but then she saw them.

Lizzie and Mika running off into the woods, they were armed but Carol couldn't let them go off alone. She had been teaching all the kids at the prison how to protect themselves and Lizzie had been the nest student. But she was confused about the walkers and it scared Carol. Then there was sweet Mika, she didn't want to hurt anyone even at the expense of her own life.

Carol ran off in the direction she saw them go in. They had a decent lead on her but thanks to some of the little tracking skills Daryl had taught her she was able to follow pretty closely. The sun was beginning to set and she thought she would never catch them, and then she heard it, walkers and the cries of a baby. Carol was confused she didn't see Judith in either girls arms when she saw them head off.

"Lizzie….. Walkers!" Mika called out to her sister as she pointed her gun in their direction.

Carol could see the panic in her face as Lizzie stood their with Judith trying to keep her quiet Carol assumed. Mike Fired and managed to take one down as she went to take aim at the other the gun jammed and Mika cried out again for Lizzie. Thankfully Carol made it in time and tackled the walker to the ground slamming her knife deep into its rotten skull.

"Carol!" Mika screamed throwing her arms tightly around Carol's neck.

"Are you all alright?" She asked pulling Mika loose and looking at her and then turning to face Lizzie. "How did you two get Judith out?"

"We didn't, Daryl grabbed her after we saved him from the bad people." Lizzie said as she moved closer and Carol took Judith from her.

"Daryl? Daryl is with you? Where?" Carol asked standing and looking around for him.

"We heard screaming and he told us to stand her until he got back."

Just as Carol was about to ask which way he went she heard a mans screams and more moans of the undead. She told both girls to follow closely as she hurried off towards the screaming, praying to herself that she find Daryl in one piece.

When they came out into the clearing they saw three walkers surrounding Daryl and a man she had never seen before. Daryl made quick taking down two of them with his knife but before he could get the third it had already sunk its teeth into the stranger. His cries of pain were blood curdling even as Daryl killed the walker his pain filled cries still echoed.

Daryl looked down at the man with pity in his eyes as he was trying to catch his breath. He looked so tired and defeated, like he had given up.

"Daryl….." Carol said softly.

She wasn't sure if Rick had time to tell Daryl that it was her who had killed Karen and David. She didn't know if Daryl would understand or if maybe he would have agreed with Rick about sending her away. Would he want her there with him and the girls? Would he think they were better off without her? He looked over at her and his face gave nothing away as he walked towards them.

Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him approach. He came face to face with her and just stared into her eyes.

"Where the hell you been woman?"