Disclaimer; The walking dead unfortunately doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Robert Kirkman. If it didn't Carol and Daryl would be living a happily ever after in a walker filled world, ah the bliss.
Chapter 1
Daryl and Merle sat carelessly strewn at the edge of the bar clutching their glasses of whiskey, Daryl impatiently tapped at the side of his glass while glancing around the bar. Merle had already had way too much to drink his eyes had glazed over to this shiny coated look and words were tumbling out of his mouth like a form of turrets, which is something he always had even without liquor. He would hurl abuse where he could hoping to start some fight to create a spark so that he could watch whoever faced him burn. He was leaning heavily on his shoulder now using him as a crutch so he looked like a capable human being which was already a task on a normal day. The bartender had his eye trained on the Dixons brothers he was a big guy with muscles bulging out from his tank top, tattoos covering every inch of him and he looked dirty as did everything in the bar. Wouldn't stop Merle though he'd never back down from a fight and he'd end up defending him like a fool, all he'd have to show for it tomorrow were cuts and bruises. "See that prick eyeballing me baby brother?!" he whispered menacingly into his ear. Daryl tried to push him away from him but struggled under his straggling weight, he tried to just ignore him but he nudged him impatiently in the side. He groaned and turned his head to look at this new "threat". For once he'd hit the nail on the head, the man looking hungry for trouble well he looked hungry for everything. His bloated face was red from the drink burning through his veins and his right eye drooped low down making him looked more haggard. He could almost hear the man snarl when Daryl caught his eye, this looked like trouble he threw back his drink. No point wasting spilling any alcohol on this bastard. The man sat at the back of the room his fat body was edging over the side of the table and he looked between Daryl and Merle with malice in his eyes. Daryl held his stare with cold eyes he wasn't afraid of some useless, fat, prick and if he wanted a fight that is exactly what he was going to get. Just as he was about to jump to his feet he heard a small quivering voice call "Ed you in here?" He glanced around curiosity getting the better of him; the woman clearly didn't belong in this bar she had silver, grey hair which was cropped and piercing blue eyes. She moved her body further in the bar and as if she had some sort of sixth sense that he was unable to draw his eyes away from her, she looked at him. He felt paralysed, he drew a deep agonising breath trying to look away but her eyes had captured him and only when she dropped her head was he released. What the fuck was that? Too much whiskey clearly. "What the fuck ya want?" She whimpered and quietly responded "I thought you said you wanted me to collect you." Ed's eyes threw daggers at her "Well wait a fucking few minutes! Go wait outside." She turned avoiding everyone's gaze in shame and fled from the bar with her tail between her legs, he clenched his fists to control his now ragged breathing. "Stupid bitch." Ed muttered exchanging a chuckle with his friend who looked as if Ed told him to drink his piss he'd jump at a chance to do it.
Daryl's growl was meant to be in his head but without realising it must've slipped out, got a keep a rein on the shit before he got the third degree. Merle drunkenly knocked into him "something catch your eye finally." He laughed his arm loudly dropping back down on the bar as he practically fell into his drink, he was a mess. Daryl panicked he wouldn't hear the end of this now "No. What ye on about just can't stand that fat bastard sitting down there is all…Don't get any fucking ideas." Merle with a snort like laugh managed to get out "Ya know lil' brother you act as if liking the look of a woman is a sin. I ain't going to think bad about ya. She don't look happily married ye could take her at the side of the bar, give her a good going over. I'd keep the fat bastard occupied." "Ye gonna give him a go? He don't look like your type Merle." "I'm serious. Just trying to be a good wingman get some tail from my lil' brother." He grinned. "When have ya ever been good full stop, now isn't the time to have some change of heart." Merle shrugged and hissed in laughter struggling to wave over the bartender to get him another, Daryl was sick of this he wasn't in the mood for another one of these nights he rarely was. "I'm going to take the bike home." Merle was ignoring him to spit out insults to some African American guy with a funny looking afro but the man was to buzzed to care, he just let the insults roll right off his back. "Merle ye listening? Ye okay for a ride home?" Merle waved him off and muttered "sure ye go do that."
He briskly walked out of the bar only feeling slightly tipsy, wanting to hear the roar of his bike as he thundered down the road away from this hell and into some solitude .He pushed the door vigorously away from him, it was only a flimsy wooden door it swung with enthusiasm and slammed loudly against the wall. The grey haired woman was standing with her arms across her chest she leapt but managed to regain her composure to look like as if it never happened, she must be used to that. "That door do something to you?" she asked with a small smile gracing her face. He was to stunned to speak for a second, he debated whether to answer her but his rational mind won out, he grunted and went to march as far from her as possible. Don't need no trouble today. She started to nervously pace back and forth and for some unknown reason to him legs willingly carried him to her, when normally they would be fleeing. Conversation where he couldn't shoot off his temper or shout was scarce and he didn't know had to not come across as some gruff red neck. He didn't know how to talk to this woman at all. What the hell was he doing over here? "Ye alright?" he managed to mutter. She looked up shocked by the sound of his voice "Yes. Fine. Thank you. I'm just waiting for my husband is all." She smiled weakly at him. "Ye he seems like a real fucking charmer, making ye wait for him like this. You're a real lucky lady." He spat a little too aggressively he didn't know why he was taking this so personally it wasn't none of his business. Tears sprang into her eyes but she bit the down on her lip to stop from the crying and tilted her head away from him. There was an unusual knot in his stomach it was churning and he had to get rid of it. It wasn't hard to see this woman was broken and she clearly already knew she was in a horrible situation. Anyone could see how nervy and jumpy she was Ed was too generous with his fists, good thing so was he. "Eh, my bad. It ain't none of my business." She gave him a grateful smile "no it's fine, it's my own fault all of this." Daryl sharply looked up at her "how could all of this be your fault? That is some of the stupidest shit I heard." "Well then you mustn't of met many people like Ed." "No I have." The silence etched on and he nervously starting biting at his nail unsure of what else to say until her small voice uttered "Carol." "Huh?" he grunted. "My name it's….Carol." she said nervously . He gave her a questioning look she didn't seriously want to get to know him did she? Most women like her would've run the opposite direction to get away from him. "Daryl." "Nice to meet you." She said with a big smile and he stumbled backwards his legs had turned to jelly what the fuck was wrong with him? There was denying she was beautiful but normally it didn't affect him like this. He was afraid to look back up and still see her smiling that dangerously at him. He nodded with his head down and managed to quietly say "yeah."
The door swung open and they both jumped causing a small chuckle to fall out of their mouths but he laughter quickly died when Carol realised who'd interrupted them. Ed her "husband" slowly walked towards her eyeing the two of them. Carol's ease was snatched away from her and nothing was left in her expression except fear, she diverted her gaze to the ground and grasped the handle of her jeep. "Problem." He snapped. She quickly shook her head "No I was just waiting for you." "Need company for that?" "No I was just…." Daryl cut across her recognising trouble while trying to control the rage that felt like he was burning his body "Hey I was just asking where ye got your truck. Thinking of buying myself one."
Ed snorted loudly "ask someone else like a car dealership, you know what that is. Does she look like she knows a dam thing about cars." He quickly looked at Carol who nodded for him to go and tried to push away everything and drag his now unmoving legs away. Traitorous legs ever fucking listen to me. He was stopped by the quiet threats Ed was whispering to her "What ye doing talking to another man?! Ya a whore now. Sorry to say even if ye wanted to no one would fucking take ye. Your good to no one. Your lucky to have me." Daryl spun around to see Ed's closed fist hitting Carol across the face, her head jerked to the right her lip split and bloody but she didn't make a noise. He pushed her face first into the side of the truck her head knocked with the metal of the truck causing a loud thud. He couldn't stop himself, he couldn't stand by and let him hit her. He was trying to stay out of it but he knew that somehow he was meant to help her. He grabbed the back of Ed's shirt hauling him backwards, he was sprawled out on the rocky gravel moaning and crying like a little bitch. He was too dazed and confused to do anything for a second he just stared with dumbstruck eyes. While he drew a breath to relax and bounced on the spot Ed went to tackle him like some football player, he defiantly didn't get out of school on a scholarship on football that's for sure. He was faster than Ed he struck first his fist connecting with his jaw and he spit out a clump of thick blood. Ed fell to the ground and instead of grounding himself he found he couldn't stop. The anger had built into a pounding headache and he body must've been overheating. He repeatedly struck Ed with blindingly hard punches feeling his anger ebb away the more he heard him moan. All he could see was Ed and all he could feel was rage he didn't care his knuckles were aching he'd been waiting to do this along time. He felt something pulling roughly at his shoulder, it was too strong to be a woman. Whoever it was had latched on and wasn't giving up. "Lil' brother stop!" He elbowed him in the stomach causing him to double over and stumble backwards and turned towards him snarling and he actually saw some fear in Merle's eyes. Fear for his brother's sanity. "Ye kill that bastard Daryl ye go to jail and for what? It ain't the same thing a' worth it for some woman either." He'd forgotten Carol was there she must regret talking to some murderous bastard for as long as she did, when he finally look at her he didn't see that she was afraid of him. Her mouth was open in shock and she fell to Ed's unconscious body. She stood up with great power in her voice " I know your trying to help." "Ye don't know nothing." She ignored him and continued on unfazed "Thank you but you've only made things worse than they already were. The only thing that could help is a bullet in his head but that's not your problem. None of this is." She took his hand and squeezed a jolt of electricity sparked through his hand and he quickly snatched it away from her. "Whatever." His voice barely a whisper. "I'll deal with his." She said it was such confidence it took strength to endure abuse and still hold onto hope, he'd lost it. "You'll deal with it will you? Cause ye seem to be doing so well just now. Why don't ye just fucking do something ye wanna live like some piece meat he can take hits at. That ain't living. Either fight back or just leave altogether it doesn't look like ye have anyone anyways." He spat his voice trembling with rage he couldn't control himself he couldn't watch someone like him being treated like he was and just taking it. He marched with determination back to his bike "Don't follow me." He growled at Merle swinging his leg powerfully over his bike and sending the engine roaring to life. His head was pounding, body was shaking, he needed the peacefulness of the forest. So he could forget everything about today.
He tiredly stumbled in the door at three in the morning rubbing his hands over his face, he felt drowsy he needed to collapse a sleep. Unfortunately Merle was up waiting for him it seemed and looking more sober than usual. This was all turned around him causing trouble while he was the golden boy today, what a fucking day it was. His signature grin slowly stretched across his worn face "Where did ye go? Off riding that woman?" He groaned he wasn't in the mood for this "No." He went to walk past him into his room but he roughly grabbed his arm pulling him back to look at him, he pushed his arm away and it fell eerily to the couch. "Daryl about today. It's nice ye trying to help some damsel in distress. But she don't need no help and ya don't need to be heading to jail. I can last in jail, ye can't. That sort of stunt will land ye in jail." "Like ye care." "Fuck off. I know yer angry. I know ye suffered worse but that man ain't pa." His body turned to ice at the mention of his pa he tried to brush it off "I ain't stupid. I can tell the difference." He could hear Merle sigh loudly as he stormed to his room, he fell back onto the couch the little worry he held had quickly dissipated as he popped another pill, wishing the world away as usual. Daryl ran his hands through his hair and roughly pulled his shirt over his head, even with his shirt off he still felt heavy, the weight of his scars pulling him down. He fell back on the bed, his hand was aching he hoped to god he hadn't sprained it but then again did it really matter if he did.
Carol eyes felt heavy as she pulled them apart, Ed had been merciless last night, he'd pounced on her with as much strength he could muster with his suffering body. Her right eye was swollen , she pulled the pus from her eyelashes apart which were sticking it closed. Her body screamed in protest as she pulled herself from the bed and she knew she should probably break down and cry at all of this. Wallow in self- pity but after so long dealing with this tirade it wasn't worth the effort anymore. Thankfully Ed was in work she couldn't take another hit her body would've just shut down and slipped into a comatose state and she would've let it happen. Her thoughts were raptured with Daryl, the image she held onto was the innocent laugh that had fallen from his lips probably unwillingly. He was uncharacteristically shy as he talked to her he'd mostly avoided her gaze and she wondered why'd he'd bothered at all. He had looked so strong and powerful as he had gripped the handlebars of his motorbike, his sleeveless top allowing any hot blooded woman to thankfully see his muscular arms. Despite his roughly, manly exterior he seemed unsure of himself and he kind of reminded her of herself. He looked slightly broken too in some shape or other. Daryl had tried to help her. He did help her. She was filled with a new found rage that she thought had been beaten away years before. He'd made her realise she shouldn't have to live like this, she didn't deserve this abuse. Ed had woken up groggily last night with more anger and the devil in him than she'd seen in a long time. She beaten the life out of her until she managed not to cry out anymore, to not feel anything, she nearly bit through her lip. Afterwards he had stripped her down and taken everything from her. She could barely walk today and the flashes of shame filled her head that she almost cried out every step she took. He'd shouted at her "Your only fucking mine." She couldn't take no more, she wouldn't and thanks to Daryl he'd given her the strength to fight. Tonight she would fight Ed and she didn't care if she might die, she rather die than keep living this hell.
