In The Now
A/N: Sorry for such a delay friends! I kinda got side tracked with life. But heres another chapter, later than promised and I apologize for that!
McBrideReedusLover.~
Daryl was getting damn tired of John moving in on Carol. He acted overly sweet, and he just didn't trust the guy. Something was up with him, and he'd get to the bottom of it. He knew damn well he would. He wanted to save Carol from anymore hurt. She'd had enough bullshit thrown at her, she didn't need anything else to hurt her and weigh her down.
But he just had to figure out how he'd catch John in whatever act it was that he had going on. He never seemed to be doing anything wrong. The literal worst thing he saw was smoking, and hell, he did that himself. Daryl had done worse than just smoke, actually. He'd gotten drunk as hell, did drugs once or twice. Had been in jail. Right now he was looking to be the worse candidate.
It didn't set well with him. John seemed so nice, caring, loving and all that romantic shit. But Daryl, he was just... Daryl. Distant, stayed far away from affection as he could. He was the worst in romance. He just didn't seem like a good enough guy for her.
But god damn it he was better than John. They didn't even know his last name. He was just John, the asshole. Daryl smirked a little to himself. That was a good last name for the guy, asshole.
Now he had some choices to make. Did he go to Carol and attempt to confess his feelings? Hell no. But maybe, he could spend more time with her, get it so they worked together constantly. And make sure she was never alone with the prick of the century. It could work. And maybe she would realize that he did, well, like her. Maybe love her. But he wasn't experienced in that field, he had no idea how to tell if he loved her or not. Maybe in time he'd be able to figure it out. For now though, he knew for sure he liked her as more than a friend.
It was just trying to tell her about it, that was the challenge.
~In The Now~
Carol needed to get away from the people of the prison. Everyone was swarming her today, coming to her with different problems. Mostly about patches they needed in their clothes. She could only do so much for everyone before she snapped. So to avoid that, she disappeared to the peaceful place she liked to call her own. The library. Books everywhere for her to read. Quiet. Actual comfy chairs. It was just a nice place to get away. Sometimes she'd come down here to take a nap. But today she didn't feel like doing that.
She figured she'd be alone, but she heard footsteps in the library. She assumed it was Daryl, because he was the only one who would come visit her, but she was surprised to see John round the corner. Part of her was happy to see him, but the other part just wanted to be alone.
"You seem to know your way around the prison now, don't you?" Carol commented. He gave a chuckle, and a nod of his head. "What can I help you with?"
"Oh, I don't want to bother you, necessarily. I was just thinking maybe now could be that nice little tour of the library?" He suggested. "I found something you might enjoy." He pulled out an old cassette tape.
"Where did you find that?" Carol asked, standing and taking it from him. Old music, definitely, but music was better than the silence that filled the place. Usually, a library that was quiet was great, but in this day and age, it was eerie, almost scary.
"Found it laying around in a store. Thought it'd be nice to listen to." He then pulled out a portable tape player. "Also found this." A big grin spread across his face. "I came prepared Carol, trust me."
Carol returned the grin, before looking down at her feet. "I suppose I can show you around. Not much to see but, you'll get a feel for where the different books are." She waved her hand. "Come on."
She showed him the different genres, the romance, the sci-fi, the horror. All of it. She even told him some of her favorites. It was actually quite a nice pass time, and the faint sound of music made her feel happy. It created a better atmosphere.
"So that's everything, huh?" John asked when they finally made it back to where they started. "A shame, would like to stay with you a little longer. Maybe we could talk?" He suggested.
"Oh, well, sure." Carol smiled, sitting back down in her chair. "If you wanna talk, we can. But talk about what?"
He took a seat beside her. "Why don't we get to know each other a little better? I'd love to know about your past. What you were like. And I'd be willing to share my past experiences with you as well."
Carol frowned a bit. She didn't necessarily want to discuss her past. It wasn't filled with fond memories. Not much of her life was. "I don't know... I don't really want to talk about back then..."
John gave her a small nod. He wouldn't push her. "Then maybe... Just talk about what we like? Get to know the basics."
"Well... I suppose there is no harm in that." Carol crossed one leg over the other. "Since you brought it up, why don't you go first?"
"Depends what you want to know about me. You know my name, I'm roughly fourty five. Can't remember anymore." He chuckled. "I was visiting a small town here in Georgia when the shit hit. Now I'm here with you all. And I'm awfully glad you all took me in." John smiled at her, reaching over to take her hand. "That means a lot to a fellow like me. You didn't know me, yet you brought me in and allowed me to become part of your family. You, you allowed me to be your friend. And I couldn't be happier about that. You're a very special woman, Carol. Very special."
Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked away. She suddenly felt very hot, under the stare of John. She wouldn't deny the man had very good looks, and was very kind. If she was correct in her readings, he was interested in her. Really interested. It felt nice to have someone want her like he did. She set her gaze back upon his, and she smiled.
"I'm not that great... But thank you." She said softly, not making a move to pull her hand away from him. She didn't know what it was inside her, but she wanted to be closer to him, wanted to feel, well, wanted. And after so many years of loneliness, could she really be at fault for wanting a pair of arms to hold her, possibly someone to love her?
"You really are Carol." John patted her hand. "And it would be my greatest honor if you let me show you what a real man is like, and what a good relationship is like. If you would allow for us to take a step in that direction."
Her heart told her no, to not do it. Her heart wanted her to wait for the one she knew she loved. But her mind said to go for it, to experience real love. There was a battle going on inside her, and instead of following her heart, she chose to follow her mind.
"I would love that." She whispered. And that sealed the deal.
He stood up, and helped her stand as well. She was surprised, but welcomed his arms around her. Gently, she placed her hand on his cheek. She shut out the screaming of her heart, and she just let herself feel wanted and desired.
John was a good man, didn't move his hand any lower than she wanted. And he didn't try to push any further. That was another point for him, that he was good in her books, and good material. And when his lips descended upon hers, she didn't fight it, she welcomed it too.
~In The Now~
Heartbreak was the only word to describe the pain in his chest at what he saw in the library. He'd gone off to find Carol, to try and get as close as he could with her, and maybe be able to figure out his true feelings and confess them. But when he opened that door, he saw them standing there, in that tight embrace and the soft and gentle kisses. It destroyed him.
He turned quick, running from the room. Anger pumped through his veins, and he wanted to strangle the man alive for putting his hands on his woman.
But wait.
Carol wasn't his woman. That was the problem. Carol didn't belong to anyone. Didn't belong to him. Apparently, she belonged to John now. The man Daryl hated since the day he got here. And now he had a reason why.
A growl escaped his lips, and he stormed into one of the cells. Pouting was what he was doing right then, but he wouldn't admit that to himself. But yes, he was pouting like a big baby. But he was allowed to, wasn't he? After all, that stupid asshole swooped in and stole Carol away from him. He didn't deserve to be living. John deserved to be dead. Just for that simple action. Taking Carol away was punishable by death in Daryl's mind. And if Rick and the others weren't around, hell, he'd probably act upon it.
But what would that do to Carol? If she... Liked that man, and he killed him, she'd never forgive him. And he couldn't have that. He'd rather Carol a friend, than no Carol at all. However, it was going to be hard. Seeing Carol and John together, being all... That. It would kill him inside. He didn't know how much he'd be able to stand before he went insane.
Perhaps... Perhaps he should try to find something wrong with the man? Try to find a reason to get rid of the prick. Yes, that might work. Because something wasn't right with him. He wasn't good enough for Carol. And the last thing Daryl needed was for her to get hurt.
So a little spying might be in order. Snooping around. He was good at that. Good at finding things out. He smirked a little bit.
Time to put his new plan into action, and get his woman back.
A/N: This is a shorter chapter because I kind of was busy and just really wanted to push it out so y'all didn't think I gave up on it. Sorry!
McBrideReedusLover.~
