AN: You guys are seriously killing me with the love! It's amazing to see the comments from not only the faithful feedback leavers that I absolutely adore, but some new peeps too. Thank you, thank you thank you! I confirmed that I can let you know who sent me this amazing prompt so please send some love to Bellapasionada on tumblr. This was her idea and I'm eternally grateful! Thanks so much for reading!

Chapter 4

"Where are we?" Carol asked, fighting back another yawn as they pulled up to a rough looking house.

"It ain't 5 stars, but I know there's a spare room where you can get some rest," Daryl said, stopping beside a pickup truck. "It's Merle's place. This is where I'm staying while I'm in town." He took the keys out of the ignition. "Something you might not know about my brother… he's a neat freak. The room… the whole house, it'll be clean."

"M-Merle…" she stammered. "I don't know if this is a good idea…" Merle Dixon didn't have the best reputation. He'd been in and out of jail, mostly on drug charges, and he was known as the guy to see when you needed a fix. He often disappeared into the woods any time he heard the cops were sniffing around. Carol had only met him a couple of times and she knew he was a complete pervert, but he was also very funny and had a charming side when he needed it.

"Relax, he won't mind if you stay. Hell, he probably won't even know you're there. By the time you wake up he'll be gone out for the day," Daryl said, reassuring her. Carol was too tired to protest so she followed Daryl into the house. She was shocked by just how neat and tidy the place was - just as Daryl had said it would be. "Spare room is down here," Daryl whispered, leading her to the last door on the right. "Bathroom is right across the hall if you need it," he added. It was very early in the morning and clearly Merle was still sleeping.

Carol pushed open the door. The room was bigger than she was expecting, but probably looked bigger because the bed was only a twin. There was a day bed in the corner as well. "Wait," she said, catching Daryl before he left. "Where will you sleep?"

"Couch in the living room," he replied.

Carol eyed the daybed again. "Oh…" She looked at him. "You could stay in here too," she offered, gesturing inside.

"Oh that's ok…" Daryl started.

"Please," Carol interrupted him. "If you want to go later that's fine, but will you at least stay until I fall asleep?" She was in a stranger's house, a stranger that made her uneasy, and she just didn't want to be alone while she was aware of it at least.

Daryl nodded. He clearly understood her apprehension and it was so nice to not have to explain herself further. "I'm gonna sleep a few hours and then go find Rick," he said, setting his pack down on the floor. "I'll make sure he knows you don't want to see him and make sure no one is at your house. When I get back and you're awake I'll take you home, 'kay?"

Carol set her backpack beside his and nodded. She was so exhausted she had no doubt he would come and go without her even noticing. She quickly went across the hall to pee, avoiding looking at herself in the mirror because she knew it would be horrifying. They both settled into their beds and Carol was expecting to fall asleep right away, but she didn't. "Daryl," she said softly, hoping she wouldn't wake him if he was already sleeping.

"Yeah," he grunted sleepily.

She immediately felt guilty, but she had a couple of questions. "Was this… is this where you lived growing up? Is this your room?" Carol had sensed something when they first went into the house, a hesitation of sorts from Daryl, as if he really had to force himself to step inside. He was familiar with the layout even though he hadn't been back to town since he left all that time ago. Carol felt like she should have just known the answer. She knew where most everyone else lived. But no one ever visited the Dixon household and Carol knew her parents would have forbidden her from going if she wanted to.

Daryl sighed. "Yep and yep."

Carol smiled, proud of her detective skills. But then she thought about that moment at the front door and started to worry. "Are you okay? Being here?"

"Not sure yet," he admitted. "I'm too tired to decide."

"Okay, okay, got the hint," she replied. "One more thing, the last thing, I swear…" Daryl groaned and she smiled again. "Promise me you'll tell Rick he's an asshole please?"

"Already planned on it," Daryl mumbled. "Night… or morning or whatever," he muttered.

Carol felt better but still she didn't fall asleep right away. It was such a bizarre turn of events. She'd planned on being on her own, lost in the big city until she got her shit together and things at home blew over. But instead, she was with Daryl, sleeping in the room he'd lived in as a child. Daryl. What strange sort of fate had brought them together? If his bike hadn't broke down, or if the part had of been available he never would have been at the station. If she had of chose to drive or take the bus instead she wouldn't have been at the train depot either. But they had both been there, late at night and he'd intercepted her from the plans she'd hastily made. Even more strangely… she'd trusted him right away. Daryl was Rick's best friend - he was supposed to be on the other side, supporting Rick. But instead he was giving her a shoulder to cry on and someone to lean on when she was at her lowest.

She gazed over at his sleeping form. Daryl had rolled and was facing her direction. His eyes were closed, obviously, and he had his hands tucked up under his head in a very childlike way. What an unlikely hero I've found, Carol thought. Hero? Why had that word come to mind? She shook her head and chalked it up to being very, very tired. She closed her eyes and with one final yawn she was asleep.

When she woke up more than 7 hours later Carol was still groggy and very confused. It took a moment for her to remember where she was and everything that had happened, but it all came flooding back, slamming into her with such a force that she let out a sob. Rick. Michonne. The wedding. The tears were falling fast before she even had a chance to try and stop them. Only moments after waking up she was curled in a ball in a strange bed with loud sobs wracking her body.

The next thing she knew someone was there, comforting her. Her brain was too fuzzy to have any idea who it was before she was reaching blindly, desperate for someone to hold her. "Shhhh, it's gonna be alright." Daryl, she realized with a sense of relief, it was Daryl.

He held her and let her cry until she slowed and eventually stopped. Once the tears were over Carol felt the embarrassment creeping in. She pushed away from him quickly. "God, I'm so sorry," she said, ducking her face away. "I just woke up and remembered…" She struggled with the lump in her throat, not wanting to start over.

"It's okay," Daryl stopped her. "I understand."

"Thank you," she whispered. He nodded. "Oh god, I must look like a crazy person… my hair… I feel so gross," Carol sighed, attacking her curls with her hands, trying to tame them.

"Ya got a bit of a Bobo the clown thing going on," he teased. "Big hair… red nose…"

"Shut up," she said, swatting him. But she was laughing and it felt good.

"If ya wanna get rid of your 80s hair you can go shower," he offered. "There are towels in the hall closet. I picked up some food on the way back. I'll wait for ya in the kitchen." Carol hesitated. "Merle is gone already, it's just us." Daryl stood up and headed out.

Carol had everything she needed in her back pack, shampoo and conditioner, a toothbrush, a change of clothes. She'd only taken a small bag, but she'd packed it with everything she needed to be away from home for a while. She got in the shower and she fully intended on getting out, doing her hair and makeup and getting herself all put together again. But once she was dressed in a comfy outfit she looked in the mirror. Her face was a bit puffy still and there were black circles under her eyes, but she lost the desire to put all the effort into fixing it. She deserved to look awful, much worse than she actually looked. With all the crying she'd done and the all nighter they'd pulled - she should have looked atrocious. But her eyes were still the same bright blue and her damp curls still hung in perfect ringlets. She still had the same perfect jawline that others would kill for and when she made a weak attempt at a smile - it was still a pretty smile.

So Carol skipped the make up, towel dried her hair, threw in a little product to control the frizz and packed up all her things. She headed out to the kitchen with her stomach rumbling. "What the heck?" she muttered when she saw the table, covered with food. There were several fast food bags, muffins, Salad, a fruit tray, veggie tray, loaf of bread, butter, sandwhich meat, cheese… and the list went on.

"I didn't know what you would like," Daryl said, before taking another bite of what looked like a Taco Bell soft taco supreme. He would have had to drive to the next town to find a Taco Bell, she realized.

"I want one of those," she blurted out. It had been so long since she'd allowed herself to eat junk. She had to make sure she would fit in the dress and even 5 pounds could mean alterations. But that didn't matter anymore so Carol wanted to eat. She took a seat and Daryl handed her a wrapped item from the Taco Bell bag with a grin. She unwrapped it quickly and took a huge bite. "Oh. My. God. This is delicious." Daryl didn't reply, he just continued to eat his own food, while watching her with an amused look. "Stop it," she said with a pout. "I haven't ate one of these in like a freaking year." She finished the last bite. "Uh, is there another one?"

Daryl laughed. "Yup." He handed it to her. Carol dug into the second taco. He waited until she was finished before he spoke again. "I didn't tell Rick you stayed here." She had actually forgot for a moment that Daryl had gone to see Rick. "He wasn't at your place, no one was, so I didn't let on that you hadn't gone back home."

"Probably a good idea," Carol nodded. She wasn't sure how Rick would react to her staying with Daryl at Merle's place, let alone what he would think of them sleeping in the same room. What the fuck does it matter what he thinks anymore? A voice spoke up, giving her something to ponder.

"I let him know that you want your space and not to show up at your place," Daryl continued. "Oh and I kept my promise," he added, giving her a shy smile.

"Yeah?" Carol couldn't help but smile back. She would have loved to see Daryl calling Rick an asshole on her behalf. "How'd he take that?"

"He knew he deserved it," Daryl replied. "I'll likely remind him the next time I see him too."

They finished eating and Daryl asked if she was ready to go home. As much as she'd wanted to be home that morning, in her own comfortable space, Carol was surprised by her hesitation. But she didn't let him see that. "Yep, all ready," she announced.

Daryl drove her home and walked her to the front door, stepping just inside the house. "If ya need anything you can call my cell… give me yours, I'll put my number in there for you."

Carol pulled her cell out of her pocket and handed it to him. Once he entered his number and returned it she sent him a text. "Now you have mine too."

"Thanks," he replied. "Well…see you… I guess…"

Carol really didn't want him to go just yet but she knew he probably needed to get a little more sleep. "Uh Daryl… will you come back later… I can make you supper…" Carol said. She didn't know why she was latching onto him so tightly, but she couldn't bear the thought of not seeing him again later.

"You ain't gotta go to all that work…" he started.

Terrified he was going to turn down her offer Carol interrupted. "Please? I love cooking and it's my favourite distraction technique. I get so focussed on what I'm doing I forget about all the bad stuff for a little while."

"Sure," he agreed. "What time you want me back?"

"How about 7?" Carol said, looking at her watch. That would give her a few hours to make something wonderful instead of spending the rest of the afternoon and evening crying into a glass of wine or three.

"You, uh…" Daryl was looking down and shuffling his feet nervously. "You want me to bring some wine, or coolers… vodka, beer, whiskey… shit, I ain't got a clue what you like to drink."

"Wine would be nice," Carol replied with a nod. She hadn't seen him this nervous in all the time they'd spent together and she had no idea where it was coming from.

"Okay, so, um, I'll see you at 7 then," he stammered. He took a step forward like he was going to maybe hug her, but then stopped himself.

Carol noticed so she stepped forward and hugged him. "Thank you for everything you've done for me," she said softly into his ear.

"Ain't nothing," Daryl shrugged as she released him.

Carol looked at him for a moment and then leaned in again and placed a light kiss on his cheek. He looked almost as shocked as she felt for doing it, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. "I think maybe…" she started, searching for his eyes. "I think maybe I was wrong about you." With that she stepped back. "I prefer white," she added.

Daryl looked confused. "Huh?"

"Wine. I'll drink both, but I like white better," she explained.

"Oh right… wine, yeah. Okay," he said, backing away towards the door. "Bye."

Carol watched him leave and started to think about what she was doing. Even though her and Rick hadn't lived together, they might as well have. They were always going back and forth between houses, and had been for years. She was extremely codependent. She'd always had Rick and now he was gone. Carol wondered if she was using Daryl as a temporary replacement to satisfy her codependent needs and she felt a pang of guilt. Oh well, he's gonna get an amazing meal out of it, she thought with a smile, heading into the kitchen to get lost in her work.