4.

He lay in her bed.

When they'd got back she taken him straight to her room, stripped his sodden, dirty clothes from him and pushed him into the bed she usually slept in. She covered him up, left some clean dry clothes for him and let him rest.

She left him for several hours to rest, going back with a weak broth. She woke him with her entrance. He was bleary eyed and she could see the confusion on his face, trying to work out where he was. She saw the exact moment he did remember what came before this.

He didn't move an inch, just his eyes sought her out as she stood by the side of the bed. She offered him a smile as she put the bowl down on a small table close to the bed. "You feel okay?"

Daryl nodded after giving it a little thought. "I guess," he said. That was to be expected. He was still cut and bruised and from Rick's hands, not to mention boots. "What happened?" she asked gently as she sat on the bed beside him, handing him the soup.

"Jus' went crazy when I mentioned you. Had my hand on the my knife... couldn't... could never do that. Not to Carl."

Carol smiled at him as he started to eat the soup. She wondered if Rick would tell them the truth or whether he'd deny having come across Daryl out there. She supposed it really didn't matter much either way. "You'll stay here, right?" she asked, tentatively. She wanted him too, yet she wasn't sure what exactly he wanted.

"What about the others here?"

"They won't mind. There's not many of us."

"What about Rick?" He asked her as though she would have the answers for him. She didn't know what to tell him.

"He made his choice. About both of us. He has to live with it now." She saw the slight wash of disappointment on his face before he stowed it away, finished the soup off. Carol took the empty bowl from him and put it onto the ledge by the window. "There isn't another spare room. Kelly has the other and she's in with her two boys. There's an old man in one of the other rooms. This was his place. Lived here with his wife. He's bed bound and she looked after him until... " Carol sighed. She didn't need to spell it out to him. "So, you can share with me."

Daryl looked at her before nodding, resigned to the fact that there was no other way for this to work out. "Gotta spare sleeping bag or somethin'?"

She expected as much. Though she wouldn't have minded if Daryl had wanted to share the space on the bed, she knew he was unlikely to do so. She went into one of the other rooms, where they had supplies bagged up and found a blanket and sleeping bag for him. Kelly stepped up beside her. "He staying this time?"

Carol just nodded. she talked about Daryl to her, well, all of the others really. To a degree. She tried not to think about them too much. Her banishment from them. Because it still hurt. But somehow, Kelly picked up on her fondness for Daryl. Would gently tease her about him. And she let her, because she enjoyed it, the reminder. The way she teased him herself. Carol lay her hand on Kelly's arm as she headed back to her room.

So they settled in. They had a routine, all found their place together. Daryl was able to provide for them better. He could take Carol onto longer runs, get more supplies. Before, she'd gone alone. And while she'd always stayed safe, always kept them going, she'd had to be quick and cautious because the others needed her to get back. Kelly was capable but she had three others to tend too. The idea of her and Carol going on a run had always been impossible.

They were heading back from a run when the tyre on the car blew. They had a spare in the trunk, so it was just a matter of changing it.

The rain made it more difficult, but not impossible. They worked quickly together to change it, both having their jackets pulled around them. A groan from behind them had Carol turning to see a lone walker making it's way towards them. She saw movement in the trees. More walkers probably. They needed to be quick. By the time they were driving away they were soaked through. But they were safe.

and they took plenty of food back for the others. Things for the kids too. They wanted them to have nice things. Kelly and the boys went through the bags of supplies while carol and Daryl slipped away upstairs. They both needed to change, Daryl intending to get his things and leave Carol to change in the bedroom, but she'd slipped her wet top off before he'd even gathered his things.

"You don't have to leave," she said as Daryl reached for the door handle. Her naked back faced him and she peered round at him, smiled reassuringly. She turned away from him and continued to strip off her wet clothes. As she pushed the wet pants off of her hips, Daryl turned away from her.

She heard him huff loudly before the sound of his clean clothes hitting the floor echoed round the room and Carol heard him pulling off his own wet clothes. She ran a towel over herself to soak up some of the wetness before she pulled the dry clothes on. "Tell me when you're done," she said, not wanting to turn round to face him before he was ready.

"S'fine," he said. She turned hesitantly, worried he hadn't had enough time to dress. But he was dressed, at least he was wearing a vest and pants and pulling a shirt on over the top. "I'll hang these up to dry," she said, picking up Daryl's clothes and piling them on top of her own and heading back downstairs.