Another entry for the USS Caryl Spring Fling challenge. Using the prompt new life. Like I mentioned before, most of these ideas are all AUs. Actually, all of them but the very last one are AUs. Happy Reading and Caryl on!

"Do we have everything?" Daryl Dixon asked as Carol Peletier came down the stairs, holding a bag in her hand as she cradled her broken arm against her stomach. Mentally, Carol went down a checklist to see if she had everything that she was going to take with her. Carol pulled her wedding ring of her finger and held it in her hand. "Gonna leave that here or.."

"No use in pawning it. Not even a real diamond." Carol said as she stopped in front of Daryl at the bottom of the stairs. She glanced up at her longtime friend and walked past him to walk into her kitchen. Daryl followed between her, watching as she stopped in front of her sink and dropped the ring into the drain, flipping the switch for the the garbage disposal. Daryl jumped as it turned on and he heard the ring get destroyed.

Daryl learned against the counter, watching as Carol turned off the disposal. "Probably gonna fuck the garbage disposal up." He said.

Carol shrugged. "Let Ed deal with it." He smirked and watched as she picked her bag up. "The rest of the bags in the truck?" Carol asked.

"Everything we need, yeah."

"Thanks for... This."

"Ain't jus' doing it for ya." Daryl said as he and Carol left Carol's house for the last time. He helped her get into his truck, which was harder for her to do with only one arm in use. She turned to look at Daryl once he was in the truck and she'd done her seat belt up, smiling softly.

"I know." Carol said and shrugged. "Still."

Daryl glanced over at Carol and let out a light laugh before he turned back to the truck and started the engine up. "No turning back now." He said as he started to pull out of her driveway.

"I wouldn't turn back if you paid me."

Daryl and Carol were both running from something, from someone. Carol was running away from her abusive husband, Ed, and Daryl was running from his older brother, Merle. Daryl had been thinking of taking off for the last few months, tired with the way Merle was acting lately, but he'd continued to stay around because of Carol. They'd been friends since they were kids, they'd always been there for each other since they were kids. Nothing could keep the friends apart, not Ed or Merle – and not for a lack of trying.

While Daryl had also been thinking of taking off and getting out of town, he'd been trying to convince Carol to go with him. She wanted to, but she was always terrified that Ed would find her. When he broken her arm for the third time this year, Carol had finally decided that she had enough and told Daryl she'd go with him. They had decided on a small town in Oregon across the country called Adams. For all of Carol's research, she learned that the town was incredibly small, there was just under 300 people that lived there. She was even able to find out that there were apartments for rent there, cheap ones too. They'd be able to have a new life there, without Ed or Merle ruining it for them.

It had taken a little over a week for them to drive across the country, counting stopping for food and to sleep. They tried to stop as little as they could, needing to save what money they had. When they got to Adams, Oregon, they used what little money they had to rent an apartment. It was a one bedroom, one bath apartment with a back patio and a small kitchen, but it was fine for both of them. Daryl insisted that Carol took the bedroom to herself and he'd sleep on the couch, despite Carol insisting that they were both adults and could sleep in the same bed until they could buy a second bed. She gave in to his insistence, knowing there was no way Daryl would give in.

Daryl got a job working at a local mechanics, he was always really good with his hands and good with cars. Carol took a job at a restaurant as a waitress, which wasn't the easiest job to do when she only had one arm to use but she managed. The first few weeks in a new town were hard, they were both terrified and paranoid that every time someone knocked on the door or called that it would be Ed or Merle. It never was, but that never stopped them from being scared that it was. It took almost a month for that to even start to go away.

Aside from that, their new life was working out just fine.

It was a month after they moved to Adams that Carol and Daryl had their first kiss. It was after dinner and they were sitting out on their patio enjoying the cool air. Carol's reasoning for sitting out on the patio was simply that she liked doing it, liked sitting next to him. She liked the cold air, liked how it felt on her body. Daryl's reasoning, however, was the opposite. He said he liked it doing it so he could keep an eye out on the town, so he could keep watch. Carol suspected that he liked it just to be outside too, but Daryl would never admit something like that. At least not willingly.

Carol turned her head to look at Daryl, watching him as he lifted the bottle of beer to his mouth and took a long drink from it. She watched him for a few moments, crossing her legs. She'd always been attracted to Daryl, but she'd always been dating someone else. In high school it was a boy named Walter, in college it was Ed. There was never a time for her and Daryl to have anything. Maybe now would be... Maybe now they could have a chance. A hundred thoughts ran through her mind, but the only thing that was on her mind was pressing her lips into Daryl's.

So she did it. When Daryl looked over at her, she leaned over and pressed her lips into his. Daryl was surprised as she kissed him, he'd never expected her to do that even though he most definitely wanted her to.

"Did ya mean to do that?" Daryl asked as she pulled away. A blush formed on Carol's face and she nodded. "Oh.." He mumbled, glancing down at his feet. Carol was worried about his reaction until he looked back at her and spoke again. "Good." He gave her a crooked grin. Carol smiled and she bit the inside of her cheek.

"Can I do it again?" Carol asked permission this time.

Instead of answering, Daryl leaned over and covered her lips with his.