"Carol!" Daryl's heart was pounding, Maggie said a lot of blood. Had she been shot, stabbed….bit? Please don't let her have been bitten! He came to a standstill in the middle of the courtyard when he saw her coming out of the cell block, torso drenching in the sticky liquid with blood spatters over her cheek and arms. He raced toward her and grabbed her arms as he started to check for injuries.

"Daryl? What…? When…?" Carol was having trouble formulating a complete sentence, the last time she had seen Daryl he'd been heading off to Woodbury on a rescue mission. The next day, Rick had told her that he was not coming back to the prison and now he was running his hands all over her as though she was going to disappear.

"Ya gotta tell me where yer hurt, baby. I can't help unless I know what's wrong." Daryl ran his hands down the length of her arms, checking for miniscule scrapes and tell-tale scratches. Carol was still trying to decide whether she had really heard him call her 'baby' or whether it was some hallucination brought on from seeing her friend killed right in front of her.

"I'm not hurt." Carol said, but Daryl continued his examination; running his rag down the side of her face, wiping off all traces of blood and then running his hands through her short, grey hair; checking for any signs of a head injury. His hands came back with traces of blood on them and he made a swift decision.

"I think ya must be in shock, I'd better get ya in ta lie down. Hang on ta me, baby; takin' ya fer a little ride." Daryl frowned at Carol's remark; she must be in so much pain that she was blocking it all out. He scooped her up in his arms and strode into the cellblock; just as Rick and the others entered the upper courtyard to watch his actions.

"Somethin' wrong with lil' mouse? Daryl's gonna be mighty fretful, only reason he wanted ta come back was cause of her." Merle frowned anxiously after the retreating figure of his brother, carrying Carol so carefully into the cells.

"Nah, she was standing right next to Axel when he was shot in the head. That's his blood all over her, she ain't hurt at all." Maggie chuckled as she could hear Carol protesting to Daryl that she wasn't hurt and his quiet responses that it was all gonna be okay now he was back.

"I guess she's just settled in to enjoy the ride!" Michonne remarked as she wiped off her Katana blade, before sheathing the weapon. They all chuckled as after sharing a brief glance, decided to enter the block quietly to see what would happen next.

"We need ta get this shirt off ya, so I can see where the blood's comin' from." Daryl muttered as he carefully lay Carol down onto the mattress in her cell.

"You just want to get me out of my clothes," Carol grinned up at him, if Daryl wouldn't take her word for it that she wasn't hurt, then she would just have to show him instead.

"How can you even make a joke at a time like this? Ya could be bleedin' ta death, and…." Daryl stopped talking and closed his eyes, his face deathly pale with worry. Carol decided it was time to come clean and make him believe once and for all that she didn't have a scratch on her. She rose up from the cot and stood directly in front of him. Taking one of his hands, she placed it directly over her heart.

"Daryl, this is the only place where I hurt." Daryl's eyes flickered open and he saw the moisture form in Carol's eyes, making them shine like moonlight over deep water.

"Tell me," He whispered softly, he could take whatever it was; he was strong enough to believe that even in death they could never be truly parted.

"This blood?" Carol swept her free hand over her body, "It's not even mine; Axel was standing right beside me when one of the Governor's men shot him right in this head – this is Axel's blood. He saved me."

"You're really okay? Not scratched or hurt or anything?" Daryl blinked hard, trying to keep his eyes from watering up.

"My heart hurts, Daryl. When you left I just shut down; it felt like my heart had stopped beating for good…" Carol pressed his hand closer to her heart, hoping that he could feel the rapid thumping beneath his fingertips. "It only started beating again when I saw you taking out those Walkers to protect Rick. You came back to us, and if you were to leave again…well, I think it might stop beating for good." Silent tears slipped from Carol's eyes as she saw the disbelief on Daryl's face; she let her hand slip away from where it was holding his in place and went to turn away.

She was suddenly pulled back around to face him, but this time it was her hand trapped against his heart and she could feel the rapid rhythm beneath her palm.

"Feel that, woman? That's how my heart beats whenever you're near me. Sometimes I think it's gonna beat right outta ma chest. My Ma told me something once, she said 'the greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid to make one.' That's why I left with Merle – I didn't want to make a mistake with you, ruin everything we already have by makin' a fool outta myself if ya didn't feel tha same way. Do ya, Carol? Do ya feel tha same way?" It was the longest speech Daryl had ever made in his life, and now he held his breath hoping for his secret desires to become reality.

"Why don't you help me out of these dirty clothes, and we'll find out?" Carol whispered as she reached up to press a soft and gentle whisper of a kiss against his lips.

Merle smirked at the others as Daryl wrapped one arm around Carol's waist and with the other pulled the curtain across Carol's cell door. "Guess my lil' brother didn't need his freedom after all."

"Freedom is a state of mind," Michonne remarked in a distant tone, "You are young grasshopper, with much still to learn." Everyone laughed as Merle placed his hand against his bladed prosthetic and bowed his head.

"Yes, Master."

"Everyone clear outta here! Cain't ya hear that I'm tryin' ta make up with ma woman up here!" Daryl's strident tone calling down from the second level just made everyone chuckle, even more so when they heard Carol's response.

"What are your thoughts on a little bondage?" There was a scurry of footsteps leaving the lower level and a shirtless Daryl peered his head through the curtain and then winked over at Carol.

"That sure cleared the place out quick enough! Now, where were we…?"