Chapter Seven

When she woke up it was dark outside the windows. She groaned as she sat up, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. She threw the blankets aside and swung her legs over the bed, listening to the silence that surrounded her. She reached for her pack that she had left by the bed and rummaged for a bottle of water. When she came up empty she frowned. Her throat was to dry to ignore until morning but she hated risking waking the others. She also felt rested, which wasn't a good thing. She was messing up her sleeping schedule. With a sigh she got up and made her way towards the door, opening it slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. She headed for the stairs and suddenly her foot kicked something solid.

"What the fuck!"

She almost fell backwards at the sound of the hissing voice. She knew the voice and then she blinked as a form sat up next to the wall. She had no idea someone had been sleeping in the hallway.

"I think you broke my nose," Daryl groaned as he pulled himself up off the floor.

"Why are you sleeping in the hallway floor anyway?" She asked, grabbing his arm and leading him towards the stairs.

"Nowhere else to sleep. You may not have noticed but this place is kind of crowded." He let her lead him downstairs and they picked their way through the sleeping people in the living room. The kitchen was blessedly free of sleeping bodies and she let the door swing closed.

She lit a few of the candles that had been sitting on the kitchen table and turned to him. He had his head tilted back and he was pinching his nostrils. "I'm so sorry!" She fretted.

There was a decent amount of blood on him. She grabbed his arm again and forced him into a chair as she gathered up a few napkins that were sitting on the counter behind her. She brushed his hand away and held the napkin under his nose, forcing his head forward.

"If you tilt your head back then the blood just runs down the back of your throat and then you'll get sick," she said in a quiet voice so as not to disturb the others sleeping in the next room. "Trust me, I'm a professional at dealing with a busted nose."

He tried to move her hand away and take the napkin himself. "Your gettin' blood on you," he said gruffly.

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, Heaven forbid that ever happen to delicate little me. I don't know what I'd do with myself if I get sullied." She smiled.

"Smart ass," he huffed but he gave up, letting her clean him up as best she could.

Once she had him looking decent again she sat down carefully in the chair next to his, rolling a bottle of water between her hands. She smiled slightly, feeling his eyes on her. When she turned her head he looked away and she could have sworn that he blushed. "I'm sorry that I kicked you in the face," she whispered.

He glanced at her and snorted. "I guess I deserve it."

She frowned. "You deserve for me to kick you in the face?"

He shrugged. "I've probably done somethin' to earn it."

She deemed that statement too ridiculous for a response so she just shook her head and sipped at her water, enjoying his quiet company. Occasionally he would pluck the bottle from her hands and take a few drinks himself but for the most part they just sat there.

"Where you think we'll head after you get good enough to travel?" He asked after a while.

She shrugged and she knew that he could read the sadness all over her face. "I don't know. Does it really matter?"

"It should," he said quietly. "Where do you wanna go? If you could go anywhere at all?"

This was an odd question. Not the question really but the fact that it was him that asked. She leaned back in her seat and thought about it really hard before she answered. Where would she go if she could go anywhere? "Maybe an island. You know, we could clear it out and grow our own food and not have to really worry about anything anymore. There would always be water so we wouldn't have to walk around smelling like we do."

He seemed to think about it for a while before he nodded. "That don't sound too bad. A little borin'." He shrugged. "Besides, I like the way you smell."

She grinned at that. "I think we're all do for a little boring. And how on earth could you enjoy the way I smell when most of the time I smell like sweat and blood and dirt?"

He shrugged. "Maybe because I like to think that out of the two of us you smell worse. Makes me feel better about how dirty I am."

She met his eyes and scowled but she had to admit that the grin on his face was worth the ribbing. "I'll remember you said that."

"How you feelin'?" He asked suddenly, catching her off guard.

"A lot better, actually. You wrapping me up like that done wonders."

She noticed that his face reddened at that but she didn't comment on it. Things had been strange between them and she was afraid it was because he could sense it. Sense that she wanted more from him than he was able to give her. It was depressing to think about.

"Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "You feel like gettin' outta here? Just a short walk. I wanna show you somethin'."

She snorted. "If Rick wakes up and can't find me I think he would have a stroke. He's been... I don't even know. Glenn actually came to me and told me that Rick was... interested."

Carol wasn't looking at his face when she spoke but she felt him stiffen. When she did look at him she was a little surprised at the angry spark in his eyes. "Rick ain't the one that's spent all his time lookin' out for you. I am. And if you wanna go somewhere with me then it ain't any of Rick's damn business."

She truly did feel better and going on some late night walk with him sounded nice, if not a little dangerous, for more reasons than one. "I'll go. Rick isn't my keeper."

He nodded and stood up and she followed him to the back door. A thrill of excitement went through her and she didn't even know why. She had been alone with him plenty of times. Hell, it hadn't been long since they had gone off alone together. But this felt different. There seemed to be a purpose to this walk and she was curious to see what it was about.

"So, where are you taking me?" She asked when he headed for the woods instead of the road. She should have known.

"You mentioned water. I'm takin' you to see some water," he said vaguely.

She actually laughed and the feel of it seemed strange, foreign. When was the last time she had felt like laughing? Really laughing? She felt lighter than she had in a long time. "That sounds romantic. Maybe we can finally fool around."

He actually stopped in his tracks and she felt dread chase all that lightness away. She shouldn't have opened her big stupid mou-

"Not all busted up like you are," he said after studying her for a second. She blinked in surprise. Had he just insinuated that he wouldn't mind fooling around if she wasn't all busted up? It was hard to tell. Maybe he was just making up excuses. This time he actually had a good one. It still made her feel a little more bold, even if it was just an excuse.

The underbrush was thick and the trees were close together and she tried to be as quiet as he was being but she couldn't. She instinctively found his hand and was happy that he didn't seem bothered by it. He actually pulled her just a little closer. She was just starting to enjoy this little adventure when she heard the distinct sound of water rushing nearby.

He quickened his pace and she followed easily now. The rain was over and the moonlight was just bright enough to see by. When they slipped out from between the trees her fingers tightened around his at the site before her. He was right. He had led her to water. There was a wide shallow stream in front of them but when she looked past him, to her right, she saw the cause of all the noise. There was a waterfall just a little further away. He must have liked her reaction, even though she hadn't said anything, because when she glanced at him he was flashing one of those extremely rare grins once more.

"When did you find this?" She asked, leaning close so he could hear her.

He kept casting glances towards the woods and across the stream. He couldn't rely on his ears here so he would have to be extra vigilant with his eyes. "Found it before me and Rick went with Tyreese on that run. I wanted to bring you out here but, you know, shit happened."

She nodded. "Can we go closer?"

He wordlessly pulled her along, their boots making the trek over the rocks a little easier, and he steadied her every time she lost her footing. She smiled and shook her head. "This place is amazing."

He looked up at the water as it poured down into a clear round pool before it trickled down to the more shallow parts of the stream. Carol had the strangest urge to stand right under the water. She knew it was silly. It was dangerous to do something so childish. A walker could come out of nowhere and then they would both be in trouble.