She looked at him, and he hadn't changed a bit, his blue eyes still beautiful. His hair a little longer than it used to be, but still the hair she wanted to run her fingers through. He was still all she could ever want.

She almost lost her breath, she was afraid this would happen, she still loved him, and even after all she had been through.

Just with one look all those feelings came back like a rolling wave over her soul.

She could still feel love, if coming home only taught her that she would be grateful. Even if she never saw him again, if he told her to get lost. She would always remember that he, just by existing, helped her to know she did have a heart with love to give.

She had thought her heart was gone. She thought there was nothing left.

"Did you put that song on? "She asked, trying to get out of her own head for a while.

He nodded.

"I didn't think you were coming."

"Why? "He said, wrinkling his brows like he didn't understand.

"I don't know it's been a long time." She played with the drops of water sweating off her drink. This was harder than she thought. "Thought you were mad."

"I was." He nodded. "I was mad for a long time, I'm not anymore." He said softly.

He looked for the bartender, because he needed a drink, bad. Where was she? He needed some liquid courage and fast.

"Course I was gonna come." He answered like it was the stupidest question in the world. He really didn't know how to do this.

He needed alcohol now.

"Thanks, I never meant to stay away for so long." She said. "I was coming back when I turned 18. But shit happened."

"You're here now, better late than never, buy you a drink?" He said matter of factly.

And she nodded, this was a start. It was a good start.

He motioned to one of the bartenders, a blonde named Andrea. She came over, as Carol was nodding to him.

"What can I get you Daryl?" Andrea asked.

"Another of whatever she's drinking and two shots Glenlivit straight up."

"Sure." She said. "Long Island right?" Carol nodded at her, and Andrea went off to make their drinks.

"Whiskey?" She turned to him. "You're not kidding huh?" She laughed.

"Nope." He smiled. "This is a whiskey occasion."

She nodded, she had to agree with that. Her life was a whiskey occasion actually.

Andrea came back with their drinks.

"Who's your friend Daryl?"

"This is Carol, she used to live here, Andrea Walker, Carol Chambers." Daryl introduced them. "Andrea is the best bartender in town. You can talk her ear off and she don't tell no one your shit, aint that right Andrea?"

He nodded to Andrea and she smiled, and nodded. Andrea did keep everyone's secrets that wasn't a lie. She leaned over offering Carol her hand which she took and they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you Andrea." Carol smiled.

"Ditto, ya'll let me know if you need anything else. "Andrea said.

"Thanks Andrea." Carol said.

They both nodded and thanked her. Daryl raised his glass to her and she clicked hers to his. Two shots of whiskey between old friends. This night was actually better than she thought.

"To old friends?" She said with a question in her voice. Hoping he would see it that way.

"Yes." He said. "Definitely, to old friends."

They threw back the shots and put them on the bar, he motioned to Andrea for two more.

"It's so good to see you Daryl." She took his hand and looked down at their matching tattoos. "You didn't change it."

"Neither did you."

"Yeah, got me into some trouble too. But no way in hell was I ever changing it."

He looked at her confused, but she didn't say anything else. His eyes were soft as he looked at her and she couldn't look away, she never could.

The day her parents told her they were moving was the worst day of her life up to that point. She would have worse, but that day, at that age, she felt like her life was over.

She was sixteen and Daryl was seventeen. He was her best friend, they were in love, the first time for both of them, and her family was moving to Philadelphia.

They had sworn they would keep in touch and she planned to come back, but something happened that kept her rooted far away for a long time.

She never called him or came back, she couldn't. She regretted that now, but at the time life was out of her control.

"I thought you dropped off the planet." He said as Andrea placed two more shots in front of them and walked away, noticing they were deep in conversation.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, I had some problems, big problems, I'm real sorry Daryl." She said.

"Like I said you're here now." He looked over at her, handed her the next shot and threw it back. "All that matters."

"I missed you." She said, taking her shot. He was about to say it back to her, he opened his mouth to say it.

He didn't want her to think he was still mad. He had been mad at Merle at first, for inviting her out with them. But he quickly changed his mind on that.

When it came to her, in the end he would always forgive, and he would pick her every time.

He wasn't stupid.

He had missed her and he was going to tell her.

Then Merle was upon them. Handing them each a shot of something else.

"We getting shitfaced tonight?" Merle said putting an arm around each of their shoulders.

"I'm driving Merle." Carol said.

"And what a sweet ride that is too, where'd you get that gorgeous English piece of machinery."

"Stole it." She said clinking her glass with Merle's.

He laughed. Daryl finished his shot and waved to Andrea for another.

"From my husband." She turned to Daryl. "He who doesn't like tattoos."

Daryl and Merle both looked at her. Daryl's mouth dropped open. She was married? He couldn't wrap his head around that. She wasn't wearing a ring, he had checked. This was ten kinds of fucked up now.

He actually felt his chest ache at those words. My husband.

"We're getting divorced."

Merle noticed Daryl's shoulders sag slightly in relief, he wondered if Carol noticed. He looked at Daryl and winked, making sure she didn't see that.

"Well this is cause to celebrate Car, to your freedom." Merle raised the shot he had and drank it down. "And who better to show you a good time than your ole Pal Merle." Merle sat down on the other side of her. "C'mon baby brother, wipe that scowl off your face, your little girlfriend come back to you. No worse for wear either if I do say so myself. "

Daryl got even more pissed that Merle had said that. He and Carol had a thing in high school, what made him think it was still on? That would be up to them, to her. Still, though he didn't like Merle saying shit about her.

He had thought about her, and at first waited for her to come back. Finally he just figured it was never happening, he had made peace with it, and now here she was. He didn't know what it all meant yet.

He likely wouldn't either if they kept drinking like this.

And what the fuck did he mean by no worse for wear anyway? He better keep his eyes off her.

Just as Merle had said, there had been no one else since. Unless you counted the bar skanks he fucked from time to time when he couldn't stand himself anymore and needed it. He didn't do relationships.

Relationships got you hurt.

And Merle was about to get hurt if he didn't stop saying shit about her.

"Shut up Merle." He said.

Merle ignored him and turned to Carol.

"He gonna come looking for you." He asked.

"Maybe he'll come for the car." She shrugged. "If he figures out where I went. But not after me. "

"What is that a twelve cylinder that Jag you got out there?"

"Nah. Six it's an X J 6, 1992, series three, not worth much, especially since I had it converted to stick, but it's mine and I love it. Fuck him if he thinks I'm giving it to him." She huffed.

"That's my girl." Merle said. "Let him try, Daryl and I will tell him what's what. Right brother."

Merle looked at her then to Daryl. They would kick his ass right back to wherever he came from if he went near her.

Daryl put his hand over hers and squeezed he would protect her, no matter what. She smiled up at him.

"You aint got nothing to worry about as long as we is around, you hear me darlin." He turned to his brother. "Don't you worry one bit."

"What kind of asshole doesn't like tattoos?" Daryl asked.

"Indeed." Carol replied. "Didn't drive a stick either, it was doomed from day one."

She shoulder tapped Daryl with hers. He grinned that grin she loved so much.

"I remember what you told me when you taught me to drive a stick." She laughed and smiled at him. "Automatics are for pussies."

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Later Merle and Andrea watched them dancing, their foreheads together, they were laughing and smiling and talking. Like there was no one else in the world but them. They had already danced through "Simple Man" and were now working their way through "Aint Wasting Time No More."

They held each other close like it was the most natural thing in the world and ten years hadn't really gone by. They were a little wasted that was true too.

They were really wasted actually.

"I don't think I've ever seen Daryl dance with anybody before." Andrea remarked as she wiped down the bar.

"She aint just anybody, that girl there is the one that got away." Merle said, downing his drink.

"Obviously, that's two songs and they haven't come apart yet." Andrea said.

"And they won't, she was it for him, family moved away." He said. "And he just stopped caring about anything, you know?"

Andrea nodded, she got that.

"She's back now." She said lifting her voice that could have been a little of a sarcastic tone. But it wasn't not really.

"It would appear so, good thing too, he was wasting away. I think he might be all better real soon." He pointed over to them, now they were kissing a little bit. "Look at that Andrea, I think I may need a place to go tonight."

'/

"Missed you too." He finally got to say it. It felt good on his lips. It felt good to her ears. He moved her around the dance floor with precision, slowly. She didn't know where he had learned to dance but he definitely was leading, she was along for the ride right now. Doing everything he was doing just backwards. He was a good dancer and she was surprised and not surprised.

He had missed her, there was no point in pretending he hadn't. He could act like a douche and be nasty to her, but at the end of the day, he was glad she came back.

She was the only girl he had any interest in, she had set the bar, and he compared everyone he met to her.

No one had ever measured up. He quickly let go of all his resentment when he had seen her sitting there tonight.

She smiled at him but didn't move her head from his. They were dancing slow, barely moving, but pressed right against each other. Every few minutes he kissed her nice and gentle. Still leading, not letting her take a step on her own.

"And I like the red hair."

"I think you'd like my hair if it was purple." She laughed.

"I wish you had come back sooner, but I'm sure glad to see you now."

He breathed her in, pulling her close to him. This felt so good, he woke up this morning thinking it was just another day. And now? She was in his arms where she belonged.

"You smell like coconuts still. " That's how she always smelled before, he remembered that clearly.

He smiled, bringing his lips down her neck softly. He wasn't trying to make a scene, but she smelled good enough to eat.

"You smell like, booze, cigarettes and trouble." She laughed.

And he continued to lead her around the dancefloor like it was nothing at all.

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Merle had ditched them of course.

So at last call Daryl and Carol both stood up and both almost fell over. They were giggling, put their arms around each other, helping each other up.

"Oh shit we're drunk Daryl." She said.

"Again." He laughed. "Some things don't ever change yeah?" Andrea shook her head at them.

"Ya'll are walking right?" Andrea said, holding her hand out for their car keys.

They both took them out and handed them to her.

"We open at eleven, Tyreese is on tomorrow, you can get these from him."

"Ok, thanks Andrea, nice to meet you again." Carol slurred just a little bit.

"Yeah, tell my brother, thanks for leaving, didn't even see him go." He also slurred just a little bit.

"I will Daryl, you too be careful, get home safe."

Daryl nodded. Taking Carol by the hand and leading her outside.

"Come on, I promise to be a gentleman."

"Nice try but you forget. I know you." She laughed. "I'm sure nothing's changed."

"Aint been no altar boy." He remarked.

"Good me either."

He stopped walking and turned to her, pulling her close to him. They almost fell over again because he had pulled her too hard against him. She couldn't help herself from laughing.

When he finally regained his balance, he leaned into her ear, his breath hot on her neck. His lips touching the shell of her ear.

"Carol." He murmured.

She felt her whole body react to him. She thought she was shit faced drunk, but he had just lit a fire inside her like never before.

"I wanna do bad things to you." He whispered into her ear, taking her earlobe between his teeth. "Really, really bad things."

A/N: Let me know what you think.