It was the third day since she and Daryl had had their late-night encounter, and she'd barely seen him since, let alone had an opportunity to talk to him, or to… let him make good on his promised attentions. The discovery of a newly sagging section of the outer fence had taken all available hands the better part of a day to shore it up, and the next morning he'd gone out early to scout the forest, hoping to find some game to bring back, and he hadn't yet returned. It was completely normal; still, Carol could almost convince herself that she'd imagined their heart-to-heart talk, or, in her most maudlin moments, that they were fated never to find both the time and the privacy to move their relationship - if that's what anyone would call it at this point - forward.
As he'd left, though, with the usual, mutual promises to "stay safe," he'd pressed a folded scrap of paper into her hand. She'd slipped it into a pocket and only looked at it when she was alone, in the privacy of her own cell.
"You're the one true thing I ever knew."
It made her breath catch in her throat. She wasn't even sure what it meant, exactly, but such an intimate, obviously heart-felt admission was without a doubt one of the most head-spinning things she'd ever encountered. She returned the note to her pocket, and it rode with her throughout the rest of the day, never far from her mind.
In the afternoon of the third day, Michonne caught up with Carol as she walked the fence line, mostly just from habit, but also wanting to be out there to see Daryl when he got back. The two of them paced silently along the well-worn path, checking on the most recent repairs and keeping an eye out for any new issues. Michonne was good company, as long as your definition of "good company" included a willingness to forego idle pleasantries. This time, though, the woman surprised her.
"I'm here on an assignment," Michonne said, and flashed one of her rare, toothy smiles. She dug into a pocket and came up with a small square of folded paper. "I was told to make sure you got this today, and not before."
Carol hesitated before taking the proffered note. "Is that all he said?" she asked.
Michonne lifted a shoulder and said, "You know how closed-mouthed he can be. I asked if there was any other message, and all he would say was, 'I can get somebody else to do this.'" She patted Carol's arm and stepped away, saying, "I'd say I was dying of curiosity, but truth is, I have a pretty good idea what's up, and frankly, it's about time." She stopped a little ways away and said, "He's being good to you?"
Carol felt her cheeks pink up, and she smiled at the other woman. "The best, Michonne."
This time she stopped behind the guard tower to open the note. "I want to know all those things about you, too." She got so light-headed she had to clutch at the wall to keep her balance. ...what you sound like. What you taste like. How you like to be… Damnit, Daryl, she groaned to herself, get home.
Just at sunset, as she finally seated herself at the table with her own plate of food, she looked up, and he was there in the doorway, his eyes fixed on her. She rose from her seat, unaware she had done so until he came alongside her and said under his breath, "Finish your dinner. I'm gonna clean up some. And then I'll be back for you. Someone else can tidy up here."