Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews and support. It means so much to me as a newbie author and fan of so many of you guys here. This story does not have a set end game yet. The characters and interactions are going to be very fluid. I'm waffling on who I want to win the girl. They need to earn it, she's so worth it. This next chapter will focus on Carol and Daryl. I will probably alternate the chapters as such. Again, thanks for the support, follows and views. CAROL ON!
Chapter 2: Gone Cold
Carol sat in the quiet solitude of Rick's cell, watching Judith sleep peacefully in her pack and play. She wasn't sure how long she had sat there, could have been a half an hour or more. Their block was completely deserted, save for Beth in her cell. It was so quiet Carol could hear the scribbling of Beth's pencil as she wrote away in her journal and the occasional low hum as it seemed Beth worked out a lyric or two in her mind. Carol felt completely at peace in the moment and closed her eyes and soaked it all in.
Her ears perked up when she heard quiet footsteps approaching the cell. Carol assumed it would be Rick coming to check on the baby and she was a bit shocked when the sight of a very dirty and exhausted Daryl appeared at the entrance to the cell.
"Been looking for you. We just got back and I didn't see you out there. Rick didn't tell me you had the baby." Carol could hear his exhaustion in his voice, it was even more gravelly than usual. He glanced over at Judith and his face softened as he took in the sight of the slumbering baby. His eyes cut back over to Carol and he visibly sighed, shoulders slouching down, his body relaxing before her eyes.
"I'm sorry I didn't come see you when you got back. The baby was fussy and Rick looked like he needed a break. Seems like he's not the only one. You look beat, was the trip rough? Any leads on that bastard's whereabouts?" Carol stood up from the bunk and slowly approached Daryl, putting her hand gently on his forearm. He surprised her again when he didn't react to her touching him. He was getting better at accepting affection. In fact, he reached over with his other hand and briefly brushed her hand with his fingers before tucking them into his jeans pocket. She left her hand on his arm but didn't add pressure. Just a simple touch but Carol felt it from her head to her toes. If she could bottle the electricity she felt when she touched him she could power the entire prison, she thought begrudgingly. She pushed that thought out of her mind quickly before it overwhelmed her. So many thoughts about him had done the same to her in the past but dwelling on them only made the ache in her chest more pronounced. She was done with feeling sad and helpless. She would never jeopardize their close relationship for fanciful feelings or girlish dreams. Those were things of the old world, not the new existence she was evolving in.
Daryl let out a deep breath before he answered her. "Nothing. No trace of that murdering asshole anywhere. Michonne's convinced we're close, but I just can't do it anymore. As much as I want to slit his throat and watch him bleed out in front of me for what he did to Merle, I don't think I can do this anymore." Daryl hung his head as he finished. "I go out there, time and time again for what? Leave the prison, abandon the Council, you, asskicker, gone for days at a time when I could be back here, providing, protecting!" He spat angrily. The frustration was coming off him in waves.
Carol became anxious at the sudden outburst of emotion from the man in front of her. She grasped his arm a little more firmly and took her other and grasped his filthy chin, which was blackened with dirt and god knows what else. She turned him with her fingers and looked him straight in the eye.
"Daryl, don't you think what you're out there doing is for nothing. It's something you need to do, for Merle, for Andrea, for all of us. You are out there protecting and providing. You're looking for the maniac that killed half the people in his town and tried to kill all of us. That's your code, the kind of man you are. The man who fights for the people he cares about, who protects them even when it endangers his own life. So don't you dare think what you have been doing means nothing. It means everything!" She was breathless by the time she stopped talking and took her thumb and rubbed gently at a particular nasty looking scrape on the side of his face by his mouth. She could feel Daryl panting, his breath ghosting on her fingers that still held his scruffy chin.
Daryl had been frozen in place during her little pep talk, eyes red rimmed and half closed. He closed his eyes completely, sighed audibly and opened them again, looking at Carol with an unreadable gaze.
"You sure know how to talk a man off the ledge, don't cha woman? I could have used some of your little tirades out on the road. I swear, some nights I heard you chewing my ear off, telling me to put my big boy pants on and deal with shit. I should have had taken you with me from the beginning. You probably would have found ole Phillip and chastised his ass to death." Daryl chuckled and Carol let her hand slip from his face and let go of his arm.
"I'm sure you and Michonne did just fine on your own. I would have just gotten in the way. No way I wanted to be the third wheel in your adventure." Carol was amazed at how she was able to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Daryl tilted his head and frowned, shifting forward into her space just a tiny bit. Suddenly, Carol was inundated with the scent that was all Daryl, leather, blood, pine and sweat. She shuddered ever so slightly and tried to take a step back, but was quickly stopped by two strong hands gripping her.
"Whatcha mean?" Daryl stammered, "Ya think me and Michonne are out there doing anything more than looking for that sumbitch?" He looked at Carol almost angrily and Carol looked away as her pulse raced the longer he gripped her.
'Daryl, I wasn't implying anything. It isn't any of my business anyway. What you two do out there, on the road, I know that it is a very private, personal thing. You guys have a very special bond. That's all I meant. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable. Like I said, none of my business." Carol felt his hands begin to relax and she took the opportunity to step back away from him. She turned to check on the baby, worried she might have woken from their exchange. Luckily, Judith simply pursed her lips and snuggled into her soft yellow blanket.
Rick chose that very moment to show up at the entrance to his cell. He glanced between the man and woman standing in an uncomfortable silence. Carol almost hugged him, she was that relieved for the interruption. Things hadn't been that tense between her and Daryl since the night after the farm.
Daryl made no effort to move from the door way, however, he angled his body so Rick could squeeze in. Rick peeked at Judith, bending over to tuck the blanket around her. Carol couldn't help the warm smile that graced her face as she watched the devoted father tend to his little girl. She looked up, expecting Daryl to be watching Judith also, but instead found his eyes focused on her. He then shifted his gaze to Rick, then back to Carol, the intensity was startling. Rick stood and moved close to where Carol was.
"Thank you for helping me with her today. Beth said she was going to have a girls night with Judith and Maggie and Carl said he was going to hang out with Patrick tonight. I was wondering if you wanted another movie night. One of the Woodbury folks let me borrow Pride and Prejudice. I know you've been reading it to the girls and I must tell you I have an unabashed love for all things Keira Knightly." Rick grinned as he held up the DVD in his hand. Carol took the DVD from him, running her fingers across the front of the case.
"Imma go take a shower and wash all this shit off me." Daryl interjected suddenly. "I'll see y'all at dinner." With that, he turned quickly and disappeared from the doorway. Carol suddenly felt a lump in her throat and didn't even have a chance to reply before he was gone, his footsteps echoing down the cell block.
"He okay?" Rick asked, "He took out of here like a bat out of hell. Did something happen on his trip? He didn't mention anything when they pulled in today. He didn't say much of anything, as a matter of fact." Rick's brow was creased in concern. Carol knew how much he cared for and respected Daryl. They were as close as brothers. It made her happy to know the two men trusted each other, especially since Shane and Merle were both gone. Carol wasn't sure if it their lives depended on it, if Daryl could choose between her and Rick. They were both the two most important people in his life. Carol was grateful for her place there and she was certain Rick felt the same gratitude.
"I think he's frustrated that the trail seems to have gone cold," Carol answered. "He told me just now he doesn't want to go out again." Carol tucked the DVD under her arm and headed for the door.
Rick's eyebrows raised, he huffed and replied, "Good. It'll be nice to have him back in the fold. We've all missed his presence. I know it's been hard for him to leave so often, for so long. I know he especially doesn't like leaving you." He added meaningfully.
"Rick." Carol narrowed her eyes at him and he smiled, throwing his hands up in a show of surrender. Carol couldn't help but give a giggle and wag her finger at him. "I'll see you at my place, 8 o'clock sharp. I have a Mr. Darcy and you have a Keira Knightly to swoon over together."
She stepped out of the cell, heading towards her own. Her eyes cut towards the end of the hall. Daryl was standing there in the dimly lit block, looking right at her. She couldn't see his expression on his face. He had a towel slung over his shoulder and a bag of what Carol assumed was clean clothes in his hand. He turned and stomped off towards the directions of the showers. Carol stood and watched him walk away, the ache inside a little more pronounced than ever before.