Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. Do not own the characters. Just writing for pure amusement.

A/N: So the two finally come face-to-face. Like I said, this is going to be a little different of a scene than what we saw in the show. But I will work the story around so that it still flows with all of the events that happen afterward as well. (Or at least I'll try my best to).

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please let me know. How are my characterizations so far? That's something I'm really interested in hearing from you all, as I try my hardest to stay on point character-wise.

Thanks again to anyone and everyone who has taken the time to review. It means a lot to me!

Chapter Four

Rick had settled closest to the gate in the center of the yard while Michonne, Glenn and Maggie spread out to the left and right of him. Each had haphazardly hidden behind any solid surface they could find to act as a barrier in the event that gun fire broke out from the opposing side. They all crouched, each alert and waiting for any sign of hostility. It seemed odd to Rick that the Governor and his men situated themselves far outside of the prison's perimeter and made no effort to attack.

He watched in horror as the food truck broke through the first gate, eventually opening to let loose a whole herd of confined Walkers. Rick stood, one hand rising to cup the side of his mouth, and he shouted to the others. "Fire!"

The Governor was forgotten as they focused all of their efforts on thinning out the herd that was drawing closer to the reverberating sound of Rick's voice. One wouldn't have made much of a difference, but as they had witnessed many times in the past, an entire pack could be indestructible. And with enough force, the dead would be able to break down their second barrier of defense, leaving them utterly defenseless.

There was the pop of gunshots all around him, and Walkers dropping one by one. Rick peeked up from behind his barricade, and spotted The Governor and his men as they sped off in retreat without having fired a single shot, their dust trail and the herd they left behind being the only evidence they'd ever even been there in the first place. Just after the dust settled, a single bolt decorated with a neon-colored tail came flying through the air, catching a Walker in the eye, pinning it against the fence as it fell limp.

The herd's attention seemed to be diverted, their moaning echoing through the air as their backs turned on Rick, seeking out the distraction. Another arrow came flying, the sheer force of it catching a second Walker, causing it to fly back into the fence. Without the threat of The Governor and his men, Rick stood completely, ridding himself of his barrier, and began scanning the area for Daryl, picking off the Walkers that obstructed his vision.

He found him, pressed against his brother's back, as the pack swarmed them. Daryl had shouldered his crossbow and replaced his defenses with his knife, lunging at Walkers that stumbled within his reach, Merle at his back doing the same while gunshots aided them, the dead continuing to drop. Slowly, they cleared their way to the second gate.

"Rick!" Daryl shouted, plunging the knife deep into a Walker's skull, and Rick stared on, unmoving and in awe. "Open the fuckin' gate!"

Rick obliged, moving swiftly to gather his keys, unlocking the padlock and ushering the two in. Daryl and Merle had kept the Walkers at enough of a distance that Rick was still able to close the gate and secure it easily after they made a mad dash over the threshold. The shooting continued around them until enough of the pack had fallen that they were no longer a threat. And when the shots subsided, silence crept in as the three stood, taking each other in. Daryl studied Rick, who seemed to be giving all of his attention to Merle.

"Hell no, Rick!" Glenn was quickly approaching them, his eyes wide with fury, as Maggie and Michonne closed in from the other side. He went to lung at Merle, who took a step back with his hands held up, a cocky grin gracing his features.

Daryl interjected, stepping forward and bowing up against his seething friend. "Back off, Glenn. Now's not tha time."

"The hell it's not. He cannot stay."

Rick was silent until now, registering the scene before him. It was still hard to believe that Daryl had come back, but even so, he had to have known where they all stood. "Daryl—"

"Fuck, Rick," Daryl interrupted. "Now ain't the time. You'd think having just been anted up as bait by that Governor Fuck, you'd want ta focus on more important things. And how about Joan of Arc up there in that fuckin' tower," he motioned to Carol and Rick followed his gaze, his eyes widening. "Bet not a damn one of ya noticed she was up there riskin' her ass. What would have happened if this would have been something else? All of them things are more important than this bullshit right here." He referenced the fallen Walkers skirting the perimeter of the fence to emphasize his point. "And you really want to sit here an' have a discussion about Merle?"

xxx

She suddenly felt lightheaded, dizzy, as she stared down at the group gathering below her. He was back. Carol winced, and he was going to be pissed. She gripped the railing to steady herself, reeling from the unexpected sight before her. She had given up, resigned herself to the fact that she'd never see him again, and that's when he decided to show back up? Carol couldn't decide if she was elated or extremely pissed.

They were all staring up at her now, each blurred face registered the same recognizable shock. She hadn't been trying to sneak passed them. In fact, she'd done just the opposite; run right by them all. But with the heat of the moment, she guessed they wouldn't have even noticed. Judging from their reactions, she was right.

The conversation before seemed tense. She saw Merle standing back, a few feet away from the huddled group, and she had no doubt the tension was in response to him. At least that was until Daryl had pointed her out amongst the shadows, and suddenly, she felt like she was the one to blame. How had he even seen her to begin with? And why was he looking up at her like he wanted to punch something? All of the Walkers were on the ground. She was never in any real danger.

But even as the thought filtered through her mind, she knew that wasn't entirely true. This whole scene could have gone down a lot differently than just a Walker attack. It was the reason she even thought to help out in the first place. She – they all – were expecting a lot worse.

"Get down here!" She heard him shout, and immediately began to dread their impending reunion.

"Carol!" Rick said next. "What on earth are you doing up there? You're supposed to be with Axel!"

Carol sighed. "You're all overreacting!" She called back down to them, shouldering her gun and mentally preparing herself for walking the fire pit. Without a doubt, she 'd have to face Daryl first. And they hadn't really squared off since just after Sophia's death, when he was scared and lashing out at just about everyone.

She descended the stairs slowly, in no hurry to face what undoubtedly was on the other side of the large, metal door. Carol pushed her weight against the door, opening it and slipping through the crack before letting it slam back closed behind her. She walked, her eyes on her feet, concentrating on the sound of the gravel crunching beneath her. She stopped abruptly, jumping slightly, when his boots stomped into her field of vision. Her head snapped up and settled on his angry gaze.

"The hell you think yer doin'?"

Carol stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating her best choice of words. Her goal was to calm him down, prevent him from flying off the handle which he was so prone to doing. She'd had a lot of practice at this point, but to say she hadn't quite mastered the art was an understatement. In fact, she wasn't even sure there was a set of words that could calm him down when he got riled up like this.

She swallowed hard, "I was— "

He interrupted her quickly, "You fuckin' crazy? You coulda gotten yerself killed!"

She rolled her eyes then, moving to step around him. She wanted – needed – to get away before things were said that she might regret. Carol had expected this kind of reaction from him, saw his anger playing out exactly as it was. What she hadn't expected was the anger getting ready to explode in her as well.

Typically, she was well-mannered, did what she was told and rarely asked questions. Years of living in an abusive relationship taught her that asking questions could often get her in trouble. But she had changed a lot since the death of her husband, and until now, she hadn't really gotten much of a chance to test that change.

Daryl caught her arm, tugging her back. Her eyes flared as if that had been the last straw. "Look, Carol—" It was still there, the aggravation and anger in his voice, and his darkened eyes bore a hole right through her.

Poignantly, she ripped her arm from his grasp. "No, you look," She said, fire flashing in her eyes. "I get that you had to leave to go be with your brother. Believe me, I get that. But don't you dare come barging back in here acting like you give a damn."

"The fuck you talking about?"

Her arms went to her hips. "Is that why you're pissed about me being up there, Daryl? Is it? Because you care? Scared something could have happened?" She scoffed and set her gaze on him, narrowed and angry. "Yeah, well, if you really cared so much, then you would have never left." She stepped around him again, registering the hurt in his eyes. The anger evaporated from her quickly, but she tried not to let it show.

And so did he as he steeled himself and turned with her, his eyes concentrating on her every step.

"The hell you know? Huh?" He shouted from behind her, and she shut her eyes briefly, inwardly wincing at the words she knew had cut. She really didn't blame him for leaving, but now, he thought she had.

She met the rest of the group just outside the entrance to the prison, Rick taking the extra step to greet her and Daryl sluggishly coming up on her heels. "Carol?" Rick said, his confusion about her being up in the guard tower instead of with Axel all too apparent.

Carol sighed, "I'm sorry, Rick. Axel told me you wanted me with them. But I thought that since Daryl was gone," she gave him a passing glance, barely noticing his flinch. "You'd probably need the extra hand. And you did." She turned to Daryl, addressing Rick but wanting him to know the kind of asset he still couldn't see that she'd become. "I took down a lot of those Walkers myself."

Rick touched her shoulder, bring her attention back to him. Whatever was going on between her and Daryl, this was much more serious than that. "Yeah, and I appreciate at that, Carol," She smiled, but it dropped quickly when he remained thin-lipped. "Daryl's right. This could have been a lot worse, and none of us would have even known where you were. I'm sure this wasn't cleared with anyone? I doubt you told Axel what you were planning to do?" Carol shrugged, glancing down. "That's what I thought."

"Right," Carol nodded, dropping the safety-locked gun at his feet. "It won't happen again." It was childish, she knew, dropping the gun at their feet. But her world had just been turned upside down with Daryl's unexpected re-appearance, and she was doing everything in her power not to let him see how much it was affecting her.

She brushed passed them quickly, her resolve crumbling, pausing only briefly to acknowledge the brother still standing back from the rest. "Merle."

He smiled, "Well you surely can't be that same woman who used to let her husband beat all over her down at that quarry? What happened to 'em anyway?"

Carol blinked, picking up her step to brush passed him. "He's dead," she said deftly, leaving him to cackle behind her.

"Good riddance, I say."