BEFORE I BEGIN : This is a total AU, just like my other Walking Dead story. Sophia is alive here, and she makes her way back to the group in an interesting way. Pairing will be Daryl x OC with a Carol x OC friendship / family ship.. This came to me while writing another chapter for my Shane story, so I wrote it all down and thought I'd share. At this point, one chapter is all I have written and it takes place after Shane and Jenny have left the farm but before the farmhouse is attacked and burned down..

sorry ahead of time for any ooc ness that may occur, I'm really trying, I swear to god. If you want more, you know what to do...


THREE

"Stop telling me what the hell to do, Dixon." Carlie stared him down, a challenging and calm gaze in her eyes as her hand rested on her hip. Daryl withdrew an irritated breath, smoke billowing up and into the air as Carlie fanned the air and glared. "I'm tellin ya, woman.. Get yer ass back in the farmhouse. Ain't safe, you going on a supply run."

"Well Andrea damn sure isn't in the shape to and neither is Carol.. Lori would be about as useful as a wet noodle. Maggie's going."

"Maggie ain't got no little one either, does she?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, well, my little one needs certain medicine. Forgive me for not trusting strangers to bring it back. I am, after all, her mother… As in the person who probably knows what medicine will work and what won't." Carlie retorted. Carol's throat cleared from behind as she asked calmly, "Are you two fighting again?"

"He's being a damn stubborn …" Carlie started, Daryl cutting her off to put in his two cents by saying, "And she's not bein any less stubborn. I'm tryin to tell 'er that goin with us ain't a good idea. That one of us will bring back the kid's medicine. She's still got a bum knee and ankle." Daryl nodded to Carlie's injuries and then added, "And she ain't gonna do nothin but slow us all down, get herself killed."

Glenn cut into it all to say quietly, "Write down the medicine, Carlie and Maggie and I will get it.. We'll bring it back with us."

"It's inhalers.. Emergency ones.. For asthma.. And an ephineprin pen for allergies.. And bigger emergencies.. She has mild asthma, it usually doesn't manifest itself often, but with this heat being what it is and spring coming.." Carlie gave the man a wary look as she wrote down the needed medical supplies and then said "On second thought.. I got one of them in my pack. I'll go get it."

Daryl held out the inhaler and then said with a non amused and very smug look, "Ya mean this 'ne, woman?"

"How the hell?" Carlie started as Daryl shrugged and then said "Remembered seein 'er havin to take a pull or two off it about two days ago. Checked it when the two of ya were out here and it was almost gone. I went in, added it to the list."

Carol smiled to herself and just sort of laughed a little, telling Carlie, "We're not like those men who kept you both hostage. You're both safe here and it's a better idea if you stop trying to leave and just stay." as Carlie mulled it over. She was getting better every day… and she was starting to get used to being around the group.

And whether she liked admitting it or not, she was getting a little attached to the surly redneck wielding a crossbow and she secretly enjoyed their arguments… But she'd die before admitting it. Instead, she gave him a glare and then told Carol quietly, "If it's not an inconvenience then we'll stay… for now. But if it starts to become a burden, we're going on our own again." as Carol nodded and then said "Either way.. You need to get off that ankle. Hershel told you already, if you keep trying to walk on it before it's healed, you're only going to make a bigger injury of it, you might even break it."

With one lingering look at Daryl's retreating leatherclad back - and ass, she turned and walked into the RV where Carol was, books out, attempting to hold a makeshift classes for the kids and for the two teenagers in the group now, Beth Greene and her husband Jimmy.

"She gets under your skin way too easily." Glenn mused as Daryl grumbled and rolled his eyes as he said with a shrug, "Only cause she won't stop tryin to damn go off, get herself kilt. That kid needs 'er momma alive." as Glenn snickered and Maggie spoke up, a teasing gleam in her eyes as she pointed out, "And you're not watching her like a damn hawk every time she's looking away? You've got it bad."

"I don't got nothin, girl. Shut yer face." Daryl grumbled, getting onto his brother's motorcycle, heading out ahead of them. He thought about the whole stupid and pointless argument they'd had just then, and for whatever reason, he couldn't really do anything but laugh about it. He parked the motorcycle and caught up to the group as they headed into the pharmacy, taking the paper from Glenn as he went. "I got it."

"You sure?"

"I can read a lil bit. I know what asthma medicine looks like, damn." Daryl grumbled, starting towards the back of the store, figuring that seeing as how it was basically compressed air in a squirt thing, they'd have to keep it cool.. And sure enough, he found them…

But there were so many different labels. Looking around, ashing his cigarette on the linoleum, he doubled back, grabbing an insulated lunch box.. And then he went back, looking around again. After he'd swept them all into the lunch box and zipped it, he swore when the thing wouldn't zip properly. From behind him, Glenn chuckled a little and finally, Daryl got the pack zipped.

"Damn thangs take up some room."

"Tell me again how you don't kind of maybe have it bad?"

"I don't." Daryl stubbornly insisted, adding quickly, "Just makin sure that kid's got 'er medicine. Got nothin to do with that damn argumentative woman." as he walked past Glenn, grabbing himself a case of beer that sat on the top of a display for the beer.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire." Glenn muttered to himself as he shook his head and found Maggie, telling her what he'd seen just then. "Oh.. He has it bad.. And sooner or later, it's gonna spew right out of him." Maggie mused, grabbing the canned food they could use and putting it into her own pack.

Back at the farmhouse, the sun was going down and Carlie was standing on the porch, watching the dirt road that lead to the farm. Her hand wound through her hair as she bit her lower lip and grumbled to herself about how she should've went, how they needed more than just four or five people to go.. The sounds of a motorcycle approaching had her heart rate speeding a little, and when he got off, stubbing out a cigarette, he made his way over, putting an overstuffed insulated lunch bag into her hands. "Got every one of 'em I saw. Because too much or not enough is better 'n none at all."

With the words spoken, Daryl Dixon slunk into the farmhouse, screen doors shutting hard behind him. Carlie looked in the bag and she smiled to herself a little… "Maybe we can trust these people." she muttered to herself mostly as she started into the farmhouse herself after calling her daughter Candi and Carol's daughter Sophia and the little boy Carl into the house to wash up and eat.

For now, the two would stay… It made sense, it was better than risking it on their own. These people hadn't been anything but good to her and to her daughter and the little girl pretty much saved her life the day she found them in the woods and they made their way back here…