So, I've had a few requests for a multi-chapter fic, and I know this isn't exactly what you guys had in mind, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!
I do have plans to start an actual multi chapter fic in the near future (sometime after Christmas probably) but for now, I'm just getting my feet wet and appeasing my inner squealing fangirl.

All chapters are stand alone, and probably won't be continued, but they may be referenced in other chapters. Who knows, they may all end up in the multi fic!

Tumblr Prompt by:celestineatma

None of the Walking Dead belongs to me.


The air was hot, and Carol could tell that the summer was rolling in. No more shifty weather, no more random cold fronts. From here on out, it was going to be hot. She liked it that way. Before the world had collapsed, she had always preferred the winter, but having spent it outside, half starved and constantly looking over her shoulder, she felt this was better.

It wasn't her watch, but she couldn't stop herself from pacing the fence, fingering the handle of the pistol on her belt, not wasting ammo, but always at the ready.

Rick had Judith, which was a welcome change. She didn't mind looking over the little girl, in fact, in the four days since she had met her, she had already fallen in love with the little one. The change was welcome because, not only did Rick need to spend more time with his children while he could, but it also gave Carol the time she needed to think.

It had been three days since Rick had returned from Woodbury with Glenn and Maggie, the other one-Micchone- tagging along. She hadn't had the time to do a head count, had been called into the cell block almost immediately. Both Glenn and Micchone had needed treatment; Hershel had needed as much help as he could get tending to them.

And then there had been the new group that Carl had bravely (and stupidly) brought back to the cells. Rick had had a fit, not trusting them, not wanting them around. They had begged, they had pleaded, and eventually Rick had given in. They were in cell block D with Axel, now that Oscar was a missing face.

Those three days had passed and Carol had had next to no time alone. She had been thankful of that at first, after the initial realization of loss had hit her.

After stitching up Glenn, she had the opportunity to count the faces. Two were missing.

Oscar had been shot off of Woodbury's protective wall. Maggie had told her tearfully, explaining how he had been lost helping Glenn over the wall.

Daryl's familiar face had been the only other one she had been unable to find. He wasn't with Rick, he wasn't outside, and he wasn't sitting stoically in the corner.

She remembered letting out a small, strangled whine that had caused everyone in the room to look at her.

"Carol? Are you okay?" Glenn asked, wincing slightly when he turned to look at her. The group had barely been back an hour, but with the combined healing power of herself and Hershel, Glenn was patched up and clean.

This was the first moment Carol had been able to think.

"Where's Daryl?" She asked, her voice cracking and catching in her throat. She could feel the familiar sting of tears in her eyes. She knew the answer.

"We don't know" Maggie murmured, quickly taking a seat beside Carol, pulling both of her hands into her own. Hershel and Beth watched, both intent on the whereabouts of their missing brother.

Maggie took little notice of her father and sister when she told Carol the truth. Her family would be upset, but Maggie knew how close Daryl and Carol had become, even if they themselves didn't.

"We don't know what happened to him," she admitted quietly, "He was right behind us, said he had our backs. There were some seriously heavy shots coming down. We made it over the wall, but he didn't…" She paused for a minute, taking the time to assess Carol's shaking hands, and silent tears.

"We wanted to wait, but the gun shots were bringing down the Walkers, and Glenn was hurt…" Maggie could feel her own voice starting to shake, and she looked at Glenn to finish, or at least say something. The group had already lost so many…

Hershel and Beth both looked stricken, Carol was distraught, and Glenn didn't have the heart to tell them his fears. He didn't think Daryl had made it, there had been to much heavy fire, and he had been alone. But the look of sadness on their faces was too much, so he lied.

"You know he will probably show up soon anyway. He's a crazy hillbilly and he's not about to get caught up like that. He probably stopped to hunt for some squirrels or something." Glenn paused; debating on whether or not to divulge a secret he had been he'd been holding on to.

"He's safe guys…he has to be. Merle…" He exhaled slowly, "His brother Merle? The one we lost back in Atlanta? He was there. Wanted to know where Daryl was. When I told Daryl, he got excited, he wanted to see him. Merle seemed like he had a pretty good relationship with that Governor guy, so he's probably just chilling out with his brother, drinking a beer or something."

They took the news of Merle in shock, but nodded their heads anyway, hoping that it was true, but knowing that it wasn't.

It had been three days since that conversation, and Carol had avoided thinking about it with everything she had.

Daryl wasn't coming back. She knew it. She hated it.

Even with that realization on her mind, she couldn't help but watch the dirt road at the front gate, waiting for him to come running.

She had the keys on her belt loop, but it was a lost cause.

She kept looking, whispering, "Please, Please, Please" under her breath, but he never showed up.

She wanted it.

But she knew that she wouldn't get it. The Good Lord and the world he created had a knack for that. They would give you something to love, and then snatch it away without a second thought.

The group had lost Dale, Andrea, T-Dog, and Lori, and so many others.

She had lost Sophia.

And now she had lost Daryl, even though she made a promise to herself that she wouldn't lose him too.

She sobbed quietly, ignoring the shuffling of dead feet, vacant eyes, and hungry growls waiting just outside the fence.

In her head she kept repeating everything that she had ever wanted to tell him, every little thing that she had kept to herself. She was thinking about his awkward smile, his gentle laughter, and the blue of his eyes.

She remembered watching him over the winter.

He had changed so much.

He was still tough, still rock solid, but she had seen him open himself up. He wasn't as closed, wasn't as stoic. She had made note of the childlike nature interlaced within it all. The thought of his stubbornness, and the way his eyes would light up at the slightest praise.

It made her smile.

But then she whimpered again, because somewhere within it all she had come to another startling realization.

She loved him.

She didn't know when it happened, but he had melted her heart and wormed his way in without even trying.

She choked on her own sobs, leaning desperately on the inner fence, hoping to stop herself from falling over. She had taken the keys from Carl, and she pulled on them now, trying to distract herself with the clinking sounds they made, and running her fingers along the various blunt edges.

It hurt too much to love.

"Carol?" The voice behind her belonged to Rick, who was making his way to stand in front of her.

Carol straitened herself up, wiping away the tears before looking up into his face. He looked haggard.

"I left Judith with Maggie," He laughed quietly; "I forgot how much work it was, taking care of a little one." Rick was providing a distraction, which Carol quickly took.

"Yes, but luckily, we are all more than willing to look after her. She has all of us." Carol smiled, but on the inside her heart was busting. That little girl had already lost more family then she even knew she had.

"I'm sorry Carol." Rick's cracking voice dragged her from her thoughts.

"Sorry?" She inquired

"We all miss Daryl…but I know…I know how much he meant to you." Carol couldn't really tell what he was apologizing for. Was he sorry for her loss? Sorry that he hadn't brought him back?

She put a hand gently on his shoulder.

"He meant a lot to all of us Rick." She couldn't take the idea of pity falling on her anymore.

"I wanted-" Rick's newest words were cut off by a loud pop, pop, pop behind them.

Carol let out an audible squeal.

Walkers were making their way towards the road, where two men were men where running, firing off rounds faster then they could really aim.

Daryl and Merle were closing in on the fence.

Rick and Carol both took the pistols from their waists, picking off the Walkers that the brothers missed.

"Get the gate!" Rick hollered, running down the strip between the fences, dropping walkers as they came. The noise of the gun fire had drawn Carl and Glenn outside. They started shooting as well.

Carol fumbled with the keys for a second before dashing to the gate, pulling it out just enough to allow the brothers through.

She had barely got the fence closed before Rick and Glenn came down on the pair, pulling Merle away and holding him back.

Carol skittered backwards, half expecting Daryl to go off, swinging and cussing on behalf of his brother. He didn't, instead he dropped his gun, motioned for Merle to do the same.

The tension in the air was palpable, but Carol could tell that Daryl was too tired to really fight, and that Merle was trying to prove something to them, or at least his brother.

He dropped the gun in his hands, and stopped struggling.

"Rick…" Daryl's voice was ragged, "I know ya'll have problems, I know…but he's my brother. He saved my ass. I ain't gonna let you hurt him." His voice was rough, determined, but Carol glanced up, and his eyes weren't as steeled as she had expected.

He and Rick had picked up a way of talking through without words. The message passing from one pair of eyes to the other was clear.

"We aren't gonna hurt him. But we are going to have to talk." Glenn's face contorted angrily, but he didn't argue with Rick. Clearly, his friendship with Daryl won out over his hatred of Merle.

"Good." Daryl said gruffly, steeling his voice, and eyes now that he knew he and his brother were safe.

"Now head back up to the cell, get some food and water, and let somebody fix you up. You look rough." Rick's face held nothing but authority, but once again, a look passed between him and Daryl, expressing nothing but kinship.

Daryl walked up the hill, Carol keeping pace easily, unable to keep the grin off her face. He was back, he had made it. Her little patchwork family hadn't lost as many pieces as she had feared.

"What you grinnin' at?" he murmured, stopping in his tracks and turning to face her. His eyes held contentment, and though his words seemed rough, his voiced had rolled out playfully. She grinned even more, and he finally grinned back.

"Just happy to have you back is all." Is what she said out loud, but in her head it was more like,

'I spent the last three days hoping and praying that I would get the chance to talk to you again, and to look into your eyes. I wanted nothing more then to see you come running through that fence, alive and safe.'

But the thing about Daryl was, he knew enough about her to know that already. Words didn't exactly come easy to him, but he could pick out a million conversations with just the way she looked at him.

He reached out gently to touch her arm. His gaze met hers, and she could almost see the gears working in his head, she could tell his desire to say something, he just didn't know how.

"Yea, Me too." Was all he said, and that was really all she needed. She had learned to read his behavior over the winter as well.

He wasn't much for physical contact, but when she hugged him, he hugged back, because, as awkward as stuff like hugs were for him, he really didn't care. His arms fit perfectly around her, and there was just something so relieving about the weight of her arms around his neck.


Comments? I love them! Ideas? Prompts? I'll try to make it happen!