Despite the labyrinth of halls, the group had decided that the school building was a good place to settle down for a few days. They'd all been at each others' throats lately, and the privacy afforded by the numerous classrooms was a welcome break from the tiny living rooms they usually crowded themselves into.

Once the building had been cleared and she'd settled into an empty chemistry lab, Carol decided it was probably safe enough to wander the building by herself. And if it wasn't safe, well...

She ran into Rick and Daryl as they were scoping out the school auditorium. She spotted the standard cheap school piano on the stage, and wandered toward it in a happy daze. God, how she missed playing piano.

"Do you think it's safe to play it?" she called down to Rick, as she reached toward the keys.

"I think so. The building is cleared, and the noise won't travel far. Go ahead and get 'Chopsticks' out of your system," he said, his words twisting into derision at the end of his sentence.

She smirked and sat down at the keyboard.

A year later and Daryl still remembered every detail of that moment. The way her fingers danced on the keys, hesitantly at first, but with more ease and certainty with each note she played. The stunned look upon Rick's face when he realized that she was actually really, really good. The sound of the music, which was so beautiful that the rest of the group had wandered in before she even finished the first song. The way she'd poured everything she had into playing, and had become so focused that she didn't even notice the audience she'd gained.

No one had even known she could play piano. No one had ever bothered to find out, he supposed.

When she quit for the night, after having played for well over an hour, she had turned to Rick with a look on her face that was something between pride and contempt, and scampered off the stage, retreating into the classroom she'd chosen to be her bedroom for the night. Though she never acknowledged it, she knew everyone underestimated her, and she seemed to enjoy proving them wrong every once in a while. And Daryl was damn proud of her for it.

There was something different about her after that, like something heavy had been lifted off her shoulders. Her smile seemed brighter than usual, if only for a few days.

So when he came across yet another cheap piano in another run-down school while on a run, he knew without a doubt that she'd be with him on his next trip. He'd give anything to see her smile like that again, and this time there wouldn't be anyone there to doubt her.