Five hours later, Daryl stood in front of the most beautiful cabin he'd ever seen.
He'd discovered it when he'd taken a chance on a gravel road covered in foliage just off the highway. There'd been no mailbox, only a sign with four numbers.
He'd pulled over to the shoulder of the highway, and Rick had pulled up beside him. They'd agreed that Daryl and Carol would go up first, scope it out.
Now here he stood. The cabin was massive and looked like something straight out of his childhood fantasies. Large picture windows, a wrap around porch, surrounded by woods.
He walked around to the back and stopped in his tracks. The mountains. A perfect view of them. It took his breath away. He'd never seen anything like it in person.
"It's perfect, isn't it?" Carol whispered beside him. When he looked down at her, he was greeted with one of her beautiful smiles.
"Yeah, it's one hell of a view," he replied, not just talking about the mountains now. Not that he was going to tell her that.
"That it is. Now, let's go check out the inside."
They walked back around to the front. Daryl hoisted up his crossbow, and Carol raised her gun. He smirked. She looked so cute with that gun. She was getting to be one hell of a shot.
They shared a glance and a nod before Daryl went to turn the doorknob. It didn't budge.
"Dammit, it's locked," he sighed.
"Can you pick it?" Carol asked.
He just glared at her.
"Have you met me? 'Course I can pick it. Just ain't got nothing to pick it with."
She rolled her eyes and walked away, headed back to the bike. He watched her rummage through her back pack, grab something, and then she was heading back to him, a grin on her face.
"Silly man. Women always have things to pick locks with. I've got a credit card, safety pin, paper clips, and a pocket knife. Which one you want first?"
He just stared at her, dumbfounded.
"What the hell you got a credit card for?"
"It was Ed's. He never let me have the damn thing. Couldn't even have one of my own. So, when he died I took it from his wallet, and now I carry it with me."
He shook his head, "Good for you. Now hand it over."
After several minutes of struggles and curse words, Daryl finally got the door unlocked. They raised their weapons back up. He went inside first.
The door opened up to the main level of the house. They were standing in the dining room. To their left was the kitchen and a hallway that looked like it led to bedrooms. Straight ahead was the large living room. On the opposite side of the living room were giant windows and the porch overlooking the mountains. So far, no walkers.
They checked out the two bedrooms, bathroom, and laundry room on that level. No walkers. The balcony was clear too.
Then they had a decision to make.
"You wanna split up? I'll take the downstairs, you take the upstairs?" Carol asked.
He didn't like the idea of them splitting up, but they would cover more ground faster that way.
He nodded, "Be careful."
She smiled, "You too, big guy."
Upstairs, there was a sitting area with bookshelves filled with books, two huge bedrooms, two bathrooms, and another balcony. All of it was clear. He was making his way back down the stairs when he heard Carol call out his name.
He raced down the second set of stairs, his heart pounding.
He found Carol standing in the middle of what was once an entertainment room. There was a pool table and air hockey table. A table for playing board games or poker. A bar in the back.
"Are you alright?" Daryl asked her, looking her over.
Damn woman just smiled up at him. Yeah, she was alright. Unless he decided to ring her neck.
"Yeah, I just wanted you to hurry up and get down here. Isn't this great? The group is going to love it."
He followed her around as she showed him everything she'd discovered. This level also had two bedroom and a bathroom. There was a sliding door in one of the rooms that led out onto the screened in porch. There was another room full of recliners and a large movie screen. He hated that they had no power. She'd also found a stack of board games and a couple guitars.
Yeah, this place was pretty damn perfect.
By the time the sun started to set, the rest of the group had come up to the cabin and brought their belongings inside.
"So, how are we dividing up the rooms?" Lori asked.
"I had some thoughts about that," Carol said.
The group all nodded.
"Let's hear it," Lori encouraged.
"Well, I was thinking you and your family could take the top floor, Glenn and the Greenes could take this level, and T-Dog, Daryl, and I would sleep downstairs."
They all looked around at each other. Then they all slowly nodded and dispersed to find their rooms. Daryl smirked. Yeah, not a single one argued with her idea. He certainly wasn't going to.
"Let's go, roomies," T-Dog said, grinning at them before he disappeared down the stairs. They followed behind him.
"Alright, how we doin' this?" T-Dog asked. They all stood around the pool table.
It was understood between the two men that Carol would have her own room, which left the two of them with the other bedroom and the pull out couch.
"What do ya say, Daryl? That bed's big enough for the both of us," T-Dog said, a gleam in his eyes. Carol covered her mouth to hide her smirk.
Daryl snorted, "Dream on, man. I ain't sleepin' with you. I'll just take the couch." He wasn't delighted about it, but he'd slept in worse places.
"Yeah, T-Dog, you're going to have to get in line. If he's sleepin' with anybody, it's going to be me."
Daryl gave her a look, and they both started cackling as they went back to their rooms. Crazy woman, he though with a shake of his head. Little did she know that she was the only one who's bed he would want to share.
Later that night, Daryl came in hungry and tired from watch. He headed downstairs. It was dark down there except for a single candle that had been lit and left on the bar. Next to it, there was a plate of cooked beans and rice and a bottle of water.
He smiled to himself. He knew without a doubt who'd left that plate and water for him. Carol always took such good care of him.
He carried the candle down the short hallway and found that her door was cracked open. He nudged it with his foot and peered inside. He could just barely make out her small body curled up in the covers, her back to him.
Sadness pierced his heart and made him winced. He would give anything to share her bed, to sleep next to her every night.
He ate his food at the bar. When he was finished, he took off his gear and headed to the couch. He'd folded it out earlier, so he didn't have to do that. Carol had left him a pillow and a couple blankets. He was grateful for that since the temperature had dropped.
He flopped down onto the mattress…and fell to the floor. He winced at the pain in his back. Well, that was just great. His goddamn bed was broken.
"Daryl?" Carol called faintly from her room. Shit. The noise must have woken her.
He got up and headed to her room with the candle.
"Go back to sleep."
She was rolled over now, propped up on her elbow, staring at him.
"What was that noise?"
"Fell through my damn bed. It's broken. Didn't realize it until I went to lay down."
She laughed. He rolled his eyes and turned away.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he said sourly. She wasn't the one that had to sleep on the floor.
"Wait, Daryl, come back," she said through her laugher.
He turned back and leaned against the doorframe.
"Sleep with me. There's plenty of room on this bed. I don't mind. As long as you don't try to seduce me."
He grunted, "Yeah, fat chance of that happening tonight."
He crawled into the bed and laid down on his back, stiff as a board. She rolled back over onto her side, her back to him. He was afraid to move, afraid to breath. He felt like this was all a really good dream he didn't want to wake from.
"See, this isn't so bad, is it?" she mumbled sleepily.
No, this really wasn't bad at all.
Author's Note: Hey, y'all! Okay, I just had to write another feel good chapter after watching tonight's episode. I won't give away any spoilers, but all I can say is holy shit! I don't know if I can handle this show anymore. I stay sick to my stomach and anxious! I'm just so thankful for fan fiction. I wouldn't be able to function without it.
Thanks again for all the reviews and follows! Please keep them coming! They keep me going! Also, I apologize for any errors in this chapter. I just glanced back at it. It's midnight, and I'm sleepy, so I'm sure I missed some things. Just let me know if you spot any!
We're going to make it through the rest of this season, y'all! No matter what happens, we can do it! Just thought I'd throw that in there!