Note: Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed this so far, especially my repeat reviewers! This story really means a lot to me, and I'm so glad people are interested.
Carol shifted in her bed, holding her flashlight above her battered copy of Tom Sawyer. She heard grunting from the floor below and then saw his broad frame as he stood, the shadows from the dull light forming odd shapes on his face. "Go back to sleep," she told him quietly.
"What're ya doin?" Daryl asked, his voice slightly groggy.
She shrugged. "Just reading. I can't sleep, but that doesn't mean you have to stay awake."
He frowned. "Y'alright?"
She nodded. "I'm fine, I just can't sleep. I'm going to read some more."
He shuffled his foot into the floor. "If Beth were here, she'd sing ya a lullaby or somethin," he said softly with a faraway look in his eyes.
XXXXX
She was humming as she finished wrapping the bandage around Carol's shoulder, her long blonde ponytail brushing against her face.
"Sorry," she said, a little bashfully once she realized that Carol was watching her with a thoughtful expression on her face.
She shook her head. "No, go on. That's a familiar tune, isn't it? It's been awhile since I've heard you sing. Besides, there's something comforting about it."
"Mind if I continue? I mean, if we don't have the things we enjoy, then what do we have, right?"
She settled her head back against the pillow, nodding as she felt her eyes drooping. "I might fall asleep though."
"You're still a little loopy from the medication. It's alright," Beth said with a grin. After awhile she added softly, "Daryl let me sing him to sleep too."
"He did?" Carol asked with a sleepy smile.
"Yeah."
"That's nice," she said, giving into the heaviness in her eyelids as she finally registered the familiar tune the girl was crooning.
"Well she said baby, I still love you. Sometimes there's nothing left to do. You've got to hold on, hold on. You've got to hold on…."
She drifted off, remembering a tight grip on her hand, a desperately uttered, "You hold on."
All the while, Beth continued to sing, "Take my hand. I'm standing right here, you've got to hold on."
XXXXX
Carol smiled wistfully. "So why don't you sing?"
"Pfft." He huffed. "I ain't singin no fuckin songs."
She didn't say anything, just clicked off the flashlight, leaning back against the pillows.
"Hold on," Daryl said, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking the flashlight from her grasp. "I'll read to ya a lil bit, if ya want."
"Yeah?" She asked, stifling a yawn.
He shrugged. "If ya want," he repeated.
She patted the space next to her and he crawled under the sheets. She saw his eyes widen slightly at the title of the book, but he didn't comment, just flipped to the dog-eared page where she'd left off.
He placed an arm around her shoulders, his hand gripping the flashlight, the other holding the book open as he started to read aloud.
She settled into his embrace, the corner of her mouth twitching as she watched his finger follow along, barely taking note of the slight increase in the pace of his heartbeat against her cheek.
He paused a little after awhile, but she was too lazy to raise her head.
"Them butterflies ya were talkin' bout, yesterday?" He said softly.
"Yeah?" She answered, stifling a yawn.
"I get them too," He murmured.
Her eyes widened and she raised her head up to study his face. "Oh?"
He nodded, still looking at the page. "Like when I saw ya standin there, in the woods. And… right now."
"Okay," she whispered, shrinking back into his now stiff embrace.
He went back to reading and she tried to focus on the soft inflection of his quiet words.
XXXXX
When Carol's eyelids fluttered open, she was surprised to see Daryl still in the room.
"G'mornin," he mumbled, thumbing through the pages of her book from his perch on the floor.
"Good morning," she greeted, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What time is it? I figured you'd be out hunting."
He stood. "It's six-thirty. Just got back. Was waitin for you, actually."
"You were?"
He nodded, reaching out a hand. "C'mon. I gotta show you somethin."
She took his hand, letting him pull her out of the room. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
They walked past Abraham and his group, eating breakfast in the living room with Tyreese, Sasha and Tara and she offered a small wave as they crossed paths.
She blinked once they were outside, giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden light.
"Found it this mornin, when I came back," He said, lightly urging her towards the back of the house.
She followed him eagerly and they walked down a short hill.
"What is it?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Cherokee rose," He said, pointing to a small shrub. "Been growin there tha whole time." He bent down to pick one.
She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, feeling hot tears starting to sting at the backs of her eyes.
He turned and closed the distance between them, gently pressing the flower he'd picked into her hand.
Her knees felt weak and she felt her legs start to give way underneath her as she began to sink to the ground.
"Carol?" He frowned with confusion, kneeling down to her level. "You okay?"
She shook her head so violently for a moment she thought the motion would cause her to vomit, right there over the shrub. Her shoulders shook and she braced her hands against the dirt as the tears started to fall.
"Carol!" He gripped her shoulders tightly in his hands, but she shrugged away.
"She was messed up," Carol said, her voice breaking on a sob. "I didn't see it, but she was messed up."
"Who?"
"Lizzie!" She cried.
"Talk ta me," he pleaded. He reached for her again and this time she braced her hands against his arm and let him pull her up.
She sniffed, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. "She-she didn't understand. Thought when you're dead, you can just come back."
She looked up into his eyes, not really seeing through the steady stream of tears. "She k-killed Mika, and she would've killed J-judith too! Maybe more people."
"No." He shook his head, covering his mouth with one hand.
"I had to do something," she whispered.
"Oh, God," he muttered, leaning down with his hands on his knees. "No…"
"I-I k-k-killed…" she stopped, waiting for her sobs to cease.
He pulled her into his chest, his arms strong and tight around her shaking body. "'M sorry," he whispered into her hair.
She wrapped her arms around him, grabbing at his shoulders and crying into him. He was holding her so tight she could barely breathe, but somehow it wasn't tight enough.
"I killed her," she whispered. "I killed Lizzie. I told her to look at the flowers and I shot her in the back of the head."
He sighed, pulling her head back down against him. They were silent for awhile, just standing there holding each other. He started to rub her back as her sobs began to quiet. "I would've done it, so you didn't have to," He spoke after awhile.
She looked up at him, sniffling softly. The pain in his eyes mirrored her own and she couldn't help it. She reached her hands out, slowly cupping his face and then tilting her head back to cover his lips with her own.
He kissed her back, his embrace on her loosening only enough so he could grip her waist in both hands.
She leaned against him, pushing gently until his back was against a tree. It felt so good to be making out, wrapped up tight in his strong arms as his hand found a small sliver of bare skin between the waistband of her trousers and the hem of her worn shirt.
She ran her hands up and down his bare arms and he clumsily slipped his tongue into her mouth.
He was breathing heavily as they kissed and she raised her hands to his hair, her fingers softly stroking his scalp.
"Mmm, I like when ya do that," he murmured against her lips.
"I know," she whispered, lightly scratching his head.
"I mean I really like it," he breathed, closing his eyes and leaning his head back as she lowered her lips down his neck.
"I know," she repeated into his throat, gently pressing her body against him to feel his reaction.
He groaned softly as she nipped at his neck. "Hold on, I gotta stop a second," he murmured.
She nodded, easing off of him.
"Before this goes too far," he explained, watching her carefully as he moved away from the tree.
She nodded again. "We should go back inside. Rick will wonder where we went."
"Yeah." He took her hand, threading his fingers through hers.
"I think I want to read for awhile though," she said softly once they were back at the house.
"Alright. Ya want some company?" He stood in the doorway watching her as she settled cross-legged on the bed.
She motioned for him to come inside and he sat beside her, reaching for her book. "I remember this from school," he commented.
She didn't say anything.
"You were readin' this to tha kids, back at the prison?"
She nodded.
"Wanna read somethin' else? I'll go see if Glenn's got anythin," he mumbled.
"No." She shook her head. "I want to finish it first."
"Alright."
She placed her hand between them on the bed, her fingers unfolding to reveal the Cherokee rose he'd handed to her outside. "Thank you," she whispered, tracing the petals with a finger.
"I wanted ta bring her back," he said quietly, still looking down at her hand on the flower.
She raised her chin to look at his face.
"Sophia," he unnecessarily clarified. "I wanted ta bring her back to ya. So bad."
"I know," she whispered.
"I wanted ta be your hero."
He finally met her gaze and her throat felt thick again. "Daryl," she said, swallowing thickly as she reached for his hand. "You already are."
He raised her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles softly.
"Daryl," she whispered again, her heart pounding in her ears. "I want to have sex."
