AN: you guys are so amazing. hope ya like it... i really like this chapter...

XOXO Aj

Carol woke the next morning to the sun seeping threw the curtains of the old motel room. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, looking around she saw that she was alone, no Daryl, Merle, or dad.

So she stood up and limped over to the small table where she found a bottle of water and a little pack of pop tarts with a note,

Carol,
Went to talk with john, be back later, stay inside, or with dale. Don't know where Kerri is...
Daryl

She sighed and picked up the pop tart and started eating. Once she finished she got out a pair of shorts and a loose t-shirt to change into. She slipped on a pair of small sneakers and picked up her crutches. She was sick of being stuck in this room, it's already noon.

She hobbled down to the office and dale turned at the sound if the bell. He smiled at her

"Miss baker. How can I help you?"

"Just bored, came to see if you needed any help with anything..."

"Well, sit, please, gotta heal, and if you want to, you could go throw this pile of 'stuff' and make two piles, one for the motel, the other for the diner?"

"Absolutely" she smiled as she sat in one of the chairs near the door.

She only slightly focused on the work in front of her, instead thought if Daryl. And the first time they met.

xXx

She was 8 in the third grade, walking with her class from recess. He was 7 in second grade, walking with his class to recess.

That day she happen to be sporting 3 fractured ribs and a huge bruise across her face, both from "falling of her bike". He was also decorated, healing belt marks, and a blue cast around his wrist.

She walked with her head down, looking at nothing but her feet and hearing nothing but her rumbling stomach from the lunch she didn't have.

He walked up to her and pulled out a granola bar, "here..." He said, pushing it toward her.

"W-why?" She asked, but taking it still. She didn't know this boy, why was he giving her his food.

"Because I don't like them, and you don't have a lunch box"

She looked worried, like he was secretly working for Kerri and this was poisoned, but she took it anyways and hugged him.

He flinched and pulled back at her touch.

"I-I'm sor-sorry..." She said.

"It's alright, have a good snack" he said, smiling slightly.

xXx

"Carol?" She snapped out if her joyful memories at the sound of her fathers voice. "Cally? What are you doing?"

"Hm? Oh, just helping dale with some files..."

"Well, I'm sure that he appreciates that, but we need to get going..."

"She sure was helpful Mr. Baker, wonderful gal ya got there"

"Thank you sir, I know" he said, taking her hand and lifting her from the ground. She grabbed her crutches and followed him outside.

"Where are we going?"

"Just back to the room, Daryl went home for a bit, he's coming back he said. I still am going to stay at home, Kerri's gone, the cops showed up and asked her to let them look around, she said yes, they went downstairs and when they came up she was gone"

"T-they went down stairs?" She stopped suddenly. "D-did you?"

"Well, no, I didn't go down myself, they said it was a crime scene"

She started to tremble a bit and he stepped so that he was in front of her.

"What's wrong Cally? What's down there?"

"I-I-I-" she stuttered gasping for breath.

xXx

"Carol Ann Baker I swear to god if you don't come out right now, when I find you..." She let her voice trail off in anticipation.

Carol was 5, hiding under the master bed, in her fathers room. She didn't want to be with Kerri, Kerri scared her, Kerri always said that all parents hit their kids, and all parents let big smelly men touch their kids in ways that felt very wrong, in front of a camera, but she didn't think so, daddy never hit her, and daddy never put her in front of a camera with a pretty pink bathing suit and touched her.

"Carol!" Kerri's screamed again, it was closer this time and carol shivered. She just wanted her daddy to come home and pick her up and say, "missed you so much my little Cally" and kiss her forehead.

She felt something tug at her legs and then felt herself being dragged out from under the bed.

"See, I told you id find you..." She said, so quietly that any normal person would have missed it, but Carol heard, she always heard. Kerri picked Carol up and threw the unnaturally small child over her shoulder.

"I've got something for you"

Carol stayed silent and they made there way through the house, down the stairs and then to the basement door.

"I made you a playroom... Would you like to see it?"

Carol again said nothing. Kerri spanked her butt hard and said louder,

"I said, would you like to see it!?"

"Yes" Carol said quietly.

Kerri spanked her again.

"Yes what?"

"Yes ma'am" she said, silent tears falling from her eyes as Kerri opened the door to the basement and took her down the steps.

xXx

"Carol! Snap out of it!" He yelled and she jumped back, landing hard on her ass.

"Carol, I'm sorry, I'm just so confused..."

"Y-you yelled... Y-you do hate me! You love her more than me!" She cried as she scooted backward on the ground.

"Oh god carol, no... Please stop, you're gonna hurt yourself, please just stop"

"That's what you want! You want to hurt me to! You want to hit me! And lock me in the closet for days! And you want to shove me in a room with 60 year old men and say 'behave yourself'!" She screamed, picking herself up off the ground and half running half limping to the motel room.

"Carol! Stop! Stop! I would never hurt you!"

"Go the hell away! You don't care about me! The only person that's ever cared about me is Daryl! I want Daryl!"

"Cally..."

"And don't call me that!" She said, slamming the door shut and sinking to the ground, head in her hands sobbing.

.

XxxX

.

When Daryl walked up to the motel he could see john standing at the door, banging on it, and yelling for Carol. Was he stupid? Ya great way ta get some abuse girl out of a room is yelling and hitting.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

John spun around when he heard Daryl's voice.

"We- I- she was just- I don't know what happened..." He said, looking down, ashamed that he didn't even understand his own daughter.

"First of all, stop yelling, and stop hitting the door, yer just scaring her more. Now tell me what happened"

"I came back to talk with my daughter, she was in with dale helping him with some files, but she looked happy, off in another planet, thinking about something else, ya know?" Daryl nodded and let him continue, "so then I just said that we should go back to the room because Kerri skipped out while the cops looked around the house, ya know down the the basement and her room and stuff, and then she got all freaked out and wanted to know if I went down Into the basement-"

"Did you?" Daryl cut him off.

"No, so then I asked her what was down there, and she got all quiet and had this weird look on her face, I kept talking but it was like she couldn't hear me..."

"So... What did you do?"

"I yelled... I didn't mean to... I just, wanted to get her out of whatever it was she was in. She fell back an started screaming about how I want to hurt her and I was just like Kerri.."

"She don't like loud" Daryl said flatly. "And she don't really think that you were hurtin her, she just don't know what ta do, now that ya know, she doesn't know how to act with you anymore, she doesn't want ya ta hate er, I'll talk to er" he said, walking to the door. He could hear her sobs and tapped lightly at the door.

"Cal? Are ya ok?"

"D-Daryl?"

"Ya, it's me baby, it's ok just come on out, or open up and let me in..."

He heard the door click and she opened it for him, throwing her arms around his neck.

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