This story will eventually be multiple chapters long and I will try to update as often as possible. I would like to thank my wonderful sister, tillannanstans, for helping me proof-read each chapter before printing. I hope you'll like this story as much as I already do, it's become somewhat of an addiction to come up with what might happen to these characters and how do develop this story. Please tell me what you think with a review, constructive criticism is always welcome. If you are not a Caryl fan then please do not read and leave nasty reviews. This is my first fan fiction of any kind so I'm still trying to find my way around this world.

Declaimer: I do not own the walking dead or these characters.

Chapter 1

Tyreese looked over at the woman sleeping on the other side of the little fire they had sparkling between the to keep warm in the cold autumn-night. Looking at her sleeping form he just couldn't imagine how someone as strong as her could look so innocent and fragile whilst asleep. It was as if she became the woman she'd been before the world had gone to shit, she looked so happy and at peace. He didn't know what she had done before the dead started to walk the earth, but based on what he knew she was capable to do in order to protect those she care about, and the way she would cradle and talk to Judith when she cried, he imagined she might have had a family. Since she was alone now he figured she had lost them to this cruel world. He felt a slight pinch in his stomach at the thought of what she might have lost. After Lizzie she had told him about Karen and David and even though he understood now why she had done it he couldn't help but wish he'd had the chance to tell Karen he loved her before she left him. He knew that even if Carol hadn't killed them they wouldn't have lived much longer anyway, the disease had gone too far and they had both been suffering. Sometimes, when he was up on watch, he would pretend that Karen was there with him and that he would tell her how much he missed her but that he would stay away for the sake of her memory. She wouldn't want him to give up on life just because they couldn't share it with each other. He sighed at the thought of how little time they had gotten together.

His thoughts where interrupted by a slight whimper from Carol. He let his eyes rest on her sleeping form, wondering once again what she was dreaming. The previous smile in her face had been replaced by a frown and he wondered if maybe she dreamed about when she had lost her family? Tyreese was just about to rise and wake her from what he assumed was a nightmare when she suddenly spoke in her sleepy state.

" Daryl..." Was all he could hear from her mumbling. He smiled and eased back into the place he had been sitting. It hadn't been hard for anyone at the prison to see that Carol and the redneck had been best friends, even if neither of them was any good with showing their affection openly. He had been a little jealous of their close relationship, but at the same time he had been happy for them, knowing that you needed someone to watch your back in this new world.

§

She walked towards him with a smile slowly spreading across her face. She had already made up her mind about what she was going to do when she reached him, sitting against the wall and working on some new arrows. She slowed down a little to take him in, his face in a concentrated frown as he worked the wooden spike. When her eyes fell on his ridiculously muscular arms and traveled down to the big, rough, hands she felt a slight shiver cover her body. Carol had wanted Daryl Dixon for so long. When she had worked the fields, looked up and spotted him sitting there alone she'd decided that it was at least worth a shot. She had to try him and see if maybe their relationship had the possibility to turn into something more than friendship. She knew that there was a risk, that he might push her away and then keep his distance from her after that, but right now she wanted him so much that she couldn't bring herself to care. Although, if that where to happen she'd probably die on the spot of embarrassment. She slowed to almost a stop at the thought, maybe she should just sit down beside him and not do anything that would risk breaking the bond they had forged?
"Hi Carol", he interrupted her chain of thought with his gruff voice that made a shiver crawl down her spine. He didn't look up at her and she smiled at how easily he could read her footstep. When she didn't answer he looked up at her with a questioningly expression on his face. She sat down beside him and placed a kiss on his cheek quickly before he could stop her. He looked a little surprised and eyed her a minute before going back to working on the arrow.

"Stop that", he said. He always did, but she knew by the little smile that was playing on his lips that he didn't really mind when she did that. Carol decided that this was her chance. She smiled to herself and she took a deep breath before putting one of her hands over the one of his that was holding the knife. He flinched a little, he always did whenever someone touched him.

"What if I don't want to stop kissing you, what if I like it?", she catched his eyes and starred seriously into them. She noticed he at least didn't look repulsed by her statement and saw that as her cue. When he opened his mouth to answer she didn't hesitate. She leaned forward to kiss his lips and gave away a small moan when she felt his lips starting to move against hers. She let her hand wonder up into his hair and smiled a little when she heard the arrow he was working on hit the ground, but then he pulled away as if the sound from the arrow brought him back to the now. He eyed her a moment, trying to figure out what was happening here. She kept still, if he was to tell her to fuck of she guessed the easiest way to get out of the situation would be to just smile and go back to teasing him. But just as she thought he would get up and leave her, he always left whenever he felt uncomfortable in a situation, he leaned forward again to kiss her. As if he'd given in to the temptation of trying this she felt his hand go to her neck. The kiss deepened as she allowed his tung entrance to her mouth. Her other arm reached up to grab his bicep as he started to lay her down on the ground. Oh my God, this is even better than I hoped for, she thought as he let go of her lips to settle above her. He looked down at her with a question in his eyes, as if he still wasn't quite sure what was happening. Carol panicked at the thought of him moving away from her and pulled him down for another kiss before he could change his mind. When he leaned forward to devour her mouth once again she wrapped her arms around him and raised her hips to meet his. She felt his obvious arousal inside of his jeans and smirked against his lips. When she let her hands wander towards his jeans he groaned and let go of her lips to look at her, the fire in his eyes made her even wetter than before. She wanted him so bad it almost hurt.
" Please, I need you Daryl", she said and tried to drag him towards her again. When he came closer to claim her mouth with his she sighed happily and closed her eyes.

Carol woke up feeling empty and alone. It had been so real, the dream. But she should have known it couldn't have been, why would Daryl Dixon ever want her? Old, plain and not-even-the-slightest-sexy Carol Peletier. She shook her head a little as it laid on her arms and tried to go back to sleep, back to her dream where he was aching for her, where he was hard and wanting for her. She laid there a couple of minutes and considered maybe letting her fantasies be enough this night, as she had so many nights when she was back at the prison. She couldn't count the nights she'd fallen asleep wrapped up in her blanket as a cocoon and pretended that it was Daryl's arms holding and warming her. It made her feel safe, less lonely. Of course she'd never tell anyone about this, especially not Daryl, he'd probably get beyond embarrassed and maybe even disgusted at the idea of her snuggling up to him. Though he would never show her that, he was too kind-hearted to hurt her like that. She knew that, despite all the nasty words he'd thrown her way during their time in the group, he'd never hurt her in that way intensionally. He was good like that, and he had no idea that he was. She smiled at the thought of him red from embarrassment and shifting on his feet, not quite knowing how to handle the situation. She looked up and saw Tyreese on the other side of the fire. When she realized what she had dreamed and then remembered her thoughts about using her fantasies to relieve the tension that had set in her stomach she felt her face go red. She had completely forgotten about the big man keeping watch, what if she'd actually done it! She tried to hold back the little laughter that grew in her but failed and Tyreese looked up at her with a small smile.

"What's so funny?", he asked. Carol shook her head in disbelief at her own thoughts.

"Nothing, just a dream", she explained. His smile widened as his eyes got a curious glimmer in them.

"You looked quite happy lying there, what was it about?"
Carol let her mind wonder back to the dream and smiled a little, wishing it could have been true. Just as she was about to answer him that she'd rather not tell Judith started moving and making sounds at her side, slowly waking up, and she gratefully took up the little girl and started to cradle her in her hands. When she turned her attention back towards Tyreese she saw that he was almost asleep and she smiled as she and Judith began their watch.

§

As he looked around the small space they all apparently shared Daryl began to think about what Rick had said, although he would have agreed with his friend a month ago he wasn't sure this time. But then again, with everything they'd been through together and how much they where willing to give up for each other, he might be right. Maybe the people who had put them here were fucking with the wrong people. He knew that if they would just be able to get to their weapons they would be able to take them out in a fair fight. He eyed the man Glenn had introduced as Abraham and the girl, more of a young woman actually, named Rosita. If they where as good fighters as they claimed to be then they would defiantly have a shot at winning. That was, if they could get a hold of their weapons. He looked around the space again, and found Maggie sitting on the floor, beside Glenn, and waiting for Rick to tell them about the plan they all assumed he had. Well, all but Daryl, Michonne and Carl at least. They knew that the former sherif hadn't had time to come up with a proper plan yet. When he'd uttered the words it had been out of anger and will to survive, not because he knew how they where supposed to get out of this shit-hole. In order to give his friend some time to think, without having everyone staring at him, Daryl decided to tell Maggie about Beth. The wound from loosing her was still fresh in him, but he refused to think about her being dead, and he felt that if it had been his family he would want to know that they at least made it out of the prison fight. Even if they later on disappeared again. He walked towards her, trying to figure out how to explain it, he had never been good with words. He cleared his throat and sat down next to her.
" Maggie, there's somethin' I need to tell ya", he began and gave himself a little pat on the back, that wasn't such a bad start. He was getting the hang of this talking-shit. She looked at him with a question in her eyes, but the question was soon replaced with fear as she realized the only reason Daryl Dixon would need to tell her something was if it was bad news. He saw how she swallowed and determined she looked him straight in the eyes.

" She's dead isn't she?"
Daryl wasn't quite sure what to tell her, he didn't know if she was dead or not, he only knew that he'd lost her. So he just shook his head and began to tell her what had happened, how they'd gotten away together and that she'd been safe for a while, but then they had been swarmed and when he returned from leading the walkers away from her she had been gone. Maggie eyed him while he told her everything and when he looked into her eyes again he saw something he hadn't expected to find, gratitude.

"Thank you, Daryl", she said and leaned in to hug him. He flinched and moved away from her. What was it with these people? He just told her he'd lost her sister and she thanked him and wanted to hug him. Granted, Beth could be a real pain in the ass sometimes but he'd never imagined anyone would be thankful for her possible death. And what was it with the hug, didn't she have a husband to hug if she felt she needed one? He felt the rage crawl up on him, it was his defense-mechanism in uncomfortable situations. He wasn't some teddy bear she could just hug when she felt like it. Damn it, he was just trying to do the right thing and he ended up feeling uncomfortable and wishing he'd never told her.
She must have seen his confused, and somewhat enraged, countenance because she began to speak again. Great, he thought sarcastically, just great.

" Thank you for getting her out of the fight at the prison. It's not your fault she disappeared after, sounds like you did everything you could to keep her safe", She said, laying a hand on his shoulder. Thankfully she didn't go for that hug again. He looked up at her again, feeling a little guilty about the fact that he'd left out the story about the moonshine. She probably wouldn't have said those words if she'd known about that night. He had been drunk of his ass and if that had been the night the walkers attacked then they would both be dead by now. But it wasn't and if he told Maggie that her little sister had gotten drunk on moonshine he was sure Beth would kill him when they found her again. He realized then that he no longer had a problem with picturing Beth being alive. She'd told him that she wasn't ashamed of being alive, whilst others had died. As if she could read his thoughts Maggie smiled and nodded.
" She's alive, she's changed so much since the farm. She's a survivor. We'll find her when we get out of here", she said and Daryl nodded at her before he got back up and started investigating the cargo space for weak spots. They sure as hell needed to get out of here because being stuck in this cage was already starting to freak him out a little, he hated small and closed spaces.