He had known people who have done it. A lot of people in this group did it. Just...always have, he guessed. But he never thought he would start. The dead were dead and they didn't need live company. But that's what he thought before, even still thought it about the others, before Carol. Before he found her scarf by T-dog's mutilated corpse. Before she was gone. He still thought it was stupid to talk to the dead...but not with her. She was lonely enough alive. It all started with that one Cherokee rose.
It was the day after Carol died. Daryl woke up way to early that morning. He wiped the sleep away from his eyes. He stared at the floor and tried not to think about it...about her. He couldn't, she was always his every distraction. He missed her, hell he even missed those embarrassing little flirts that she gave him. There were so many chances he had to tell her how he felt.
He got up and walked around outside. The cool air would do him good. No matter how cheesey it sounded, the cold would sooth his aching heart. He stopped by the patch of weeds tangled in the fence and he saw it. That Cherokee rose. Its had no flaws. No tears no bugs that he could see. It was perfect...like her. He picked it and almost hesitated, but he went out to her grave to...give it to her.
He gently placed it on her grave. His hand shook as he got closer to her. He sat back and looked at her cross and imagined her sitting there across from him.
"Ya' know, I always kinda loved you"
He laughed at himself when there was obviously no reply.
"Look at me, talking to you. And you ain't even here...You gotta believe me, I wanted to save you. I always wanna save you."
He imagined her smiling. He always thought she had the most beautiful smile.
"I'm sorry, Carol...I automatically ran after Rick, when I got back inside the prison...I just wanted to find you..."
He trailed off and then burst into tears.
"I made a promise to myself that I was gonna keep you safe, even if it meant I would die..."
He dug his hand into the grass and imagined that he was holding her hand. She had held his hand only once before...
Daryl was stressed out and tired from all the moving around and constantly keeping watch. He was cold. He gave Carol his jacket and when she went to sleep he gave her his poncho as a blanket. Basically everything made him crabby.
"Daryl?"
That voice... It just calmed him down. He loved her beautiful voice.
"Daryl, I figured you might want this"
She held his poncho out to him.
"Daryl, you're gonna get yourself hurt if you keep putting yourself out like this"
"I ain't gonna get hurt!" He had no idea why he snapped at her like that. He dug his face into his hands, showing that he was sorry.
"I think you already did" she knelt down next to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. She pecked his cheek and grabbed his hands in her free one.
"Don't overwork yourself, Daryl, I need you"
And that's all it took for him to hopelessly fall in love with her
"You were the most important thing in my life and now you're gone..."
He let a few more tears slip down his cheek.
"I just need to hear you say my name...just let me know that you still care..."
Of course, she said nothing.
He sat up. Wiped his tears the best he could. Then, kissed his fingers and brushed her cross with them.
"I'm coming back tonight"
He stood up and turned to leave.
"I-I love you"
And with that, he walked away
"Hey, you" he smiled at the cross when he came back that night, bearing another flower for her.
"Told you I'd be back"
He felt his smile dissappear as he started crying.
"I can't pretend I'm happy right now... I loved you...I honestly did"
He dug his hand into the grass again.
"Please, Carol, don't leave me here alone"
He layed down on the grass and forced his eyes closed, trying hard to bring her back into his life.