Hello! I had a sick day today which sucks arse for me but is great for you because it meant I got to post this. So yey for you but I'm going to crawl straight into bed after this.
I've had this chapter written for sometime but I wanted to work out a few other things coming up later before I typed this up and posted it. Yes, I'm one of those weird people that hand write everything first :) I get my best ideas when I write something by hand first.
Anyhow, here it is! I actually had a lot of fun writing this even though at times it was quite hard to find the right words for the right moments. Rickyl is fun though!
Thank you to everyone for sticking with me and this story. Thank you to everyone that has read, liked, commented and all that jazz. I really appreciate it all and you guys mean the world to me. Thank you! Also, thank you to everyone that has sent me messages. I haven't had chance to reply to everyone yet but I will!
Hope you all enjoy and thank you so so much!
Happy reading xxx
Chapter 07
Rick was driving. They were speeding along the road in the direction of where they had found the bike. Daryl figured it was the best place to start. They drove in relative silence for the first few miles; both of them too focused on keeping a look out for her to make any real conversation.
"What happened?" Rick asked suddenly.
Daryl glanced over at him for a moment before returning his eyes to the window. "Thought Aaron told ya'll," he mumbled.
"Yeah," Rick said. It was obvious he was holding something back. "He said she was injured."
"I was stupid," Daryl said in a clipped tone, letting Rick know that this topic wasn't going to be part of their conversation. However, Rick didn't seem to pick up on it and continued with his train of thought.
"What did you do?" He asked.
Daryl didn't respond. He remained quiet for some time, his eyes scanning the tree line and dirt tracks for any sign that someone had been there. As the car continued speeding a long, a flash of something in the bushes caught his eye. He turned in his seat to try to look out the back window. "Stop the car!"
Rick slammed down on the breaks so hard they both lurched forward in their seats. "Damn it!" Rick rubbed at his chest where he had collided with the steering wheel.
Daryl winced at the pain in his side from banging into the dashboard and steadied himself enough to jump out of the car. He began walking back toward the bushes to see what it was that had caught his eye.
"What is it?" Rick asked, jogging along the road to catch up with him.
"Thought I saw somethin'," Daryl said, lifting his crossbow and loading it with a bolt. As they neared the area, he heard Rick pull out his gun and release the safety with a sharp click.
"What are we looking for?" Rick asked.
"Dunno," Daryl grumbled as he walked cautiously through the bushes. He saw something then, something hanging low on a branch. He ran toward it.
"What is that?" Rick asked, running after him.
"It's a cloak," Daryl said as he pulled the familiar material off the branches.
"Is that blood?" Rick narrowed his eyes at the dark brown patches covering the material.
"Yeah," Daryl shook the cloak out and lifted it so they could get a better look.
"That looks fresh," Rick pointed his gun at patches on the shoulders that was still glistening slightly.
"Yeah, it does." Daryl sighed and looked over at Rick. "It's hers." For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say her name.
"You sure?" Rick asked, taking hold of the cloak and pulling it from Daryl's hands.
"Yeah." Daryl felt bile rise in his throat and he walked away from Rick. He stood looking into the trees, his back to Rick as he tried to focus on what he should do next. "She was wearin' it when she left."
"She could still be close," Rick said, walking up to Daryl and handing him back the cloak. "If she's injured, she won't have gotten far."
Daryl looked down at the newer patches of blood on the cloak. He couldn't see any rips or holes in the material where the patches were. He frowned. He lifted the cloak to his nose and took a deep breath, ignoring Rick's confused frown. "Walker blood," he mumbled, shaking his head, trying to rid his nose of the pungent rotten smell that he could almost taste in the back of his mouth.
"That's what all these patches must be," Rick said, looking down at the cloak. "She's using it disguise her scent. Smart."
"She was always listenin'," Daryl said, rolling up the cloak and hiding it in the bushes. "She heard everythin' everyone said, she took it in. Most people didn't think she could be out here on her own but she could. She's strong."
"I never doubted it," Rick scratched at the back of his head. "I know she's strong."
"She's stronger than all a us," Daryl said to him. "She just never knew it."
Rick laughed softly and looked down at the ground. Daryl frowned at him but waited for him to say whatever it was he found amusing. "Carol and I... before I told her to leave..." he paused. They'd had a few conversations about Rick's decision to banish Carol but it was still sore point between them. Daryl knew that Rick wished he could take it back, he was out here with him to atone for what he'd done but he couldn't help the feeling of blame and betrayal he still held for Rick. "She said something similar to me. That she didn't know she could be strong, that she had always been strong." Daryl wasn't sure what to say. He watched a look of concentration create deep creases on Rick's face as he looked down at his boots. He lifted his head slightly and looked at Daryl for a moment as if he were about to say something. Daryl waited but Rick let out a deep sigh and turned to look into the woods. "If Carol was using this as we think she was, what made her get rid of it?"
The change in conversation was surprising but Daryl didn't question it. "Dunno," Daryl mumbled. He glanced down at the ground and shifted some of the leaves with his boots. "Can't see no tracks," he said. "If she was here, she covered them up well," he said angrily. "Just like she did near Atlanta."
"We'll find her," Rick said to him again.
Daryl frowned. "Should'a never left her."
"You didn't have a choice," Rick said sympathetically. "From what Aaron said, as soon as you spotted the walkers Carol wanted you out of there. There was no way she would have let you stay."
"Cuffed me to my damn bike," Daryl mumbled.
"Sounds like her," Rick said with a smile.
"Yeah," Daryl scoffed, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Come on," Rick began to head further into the woods. "We're losing daylight."
The short search into the woods had brought up nothing. Heavy rain fall meant that they had no choice but to give up and head back to the car. Daryl had wanted to stay but Rick made him leave. He knew it made sense to pick up the search first thing the next morning but he couldn't bear to think of Carol out in the woods on her own for one more night. They'd fought the entire ride home, Daryl had threatened Rick with violence but Rick had followed his usual pattern and spoke to him with a calmness that only irritated Daryl more.
The safe zone came into view and the gates swung open without them having to slow the car. Once they drove through the gates, Daryl jumped out of the car before Rick had put on the brakes.
"Daryl!"
He ignored Rick, wanting nothing more than to get away from him. He began marching toward the houses and hoped that no one tried to talk to him.
"Daryl!" Rick called him again. "We'll go back first thing in the morning," he said, running to catch him up.
"I can go alone," Daryl growled. "Don't need your help!"
As Daryl walked, he passed Aaron and Eric's house. Aaron was standing on the porch. "Thank god you're home!" he ran down the steps, heading straight for them but Daryl kept walking, brushing off the other man with a wave of his hand. "Daryl, hold up. Please!"
"Leave me alone!" Daryl turned sharply and stalked toward Rick and Aaron. He waved his crossbow at them threateningly but they remained where they were, watching him carefully. "Just get away from me, d'you hear?!" He was about to turn away when movement on Aaron's porch caught his attention. He froze, his eyes adjusting to what he was seeing.
"Be there by dark, he said."
Daryl could hear her voice, he could see her standing there but he couldn't bring himself to believe it.
"So I was here by dark and guess what? He wasn't here." Carol looked over at him from the door to Aaron's house with a slight smile.
Daryl felt as though his body were suddenly sapped of all his energy. "Carol?"
Her smile grew and she walked out onto the porch to stand at the top of the steps. She leaned against the railings and folded her arms across her chest. "Where you been, Pookie?"
Daryl dropped his crossbow at his feet and ran. As soon as he arrived at the bottom of the steps he reached out for her and pulled her off the porch, into his open arms. He felt something rising inside him when her arms circled around his neck. She held onto him tightly and he heard her laugh softly in his ear as she pressed her cheek to his. He tightened his arms around her, bringing her feet of the ground for a moment.
When she was firmly back on the ground, she pulled away slightly, her arms releasing his neck. She rested her hands against his chest and looked into his face. Daryl looked at the happy tears in her eyes and he smiled. Her hands crept up to his face and brushed at his cheeks. He realised he was crying. He dropped his head to her shoulder and she leaned against him, whispering something in his ear that he couldn't really hear. She pressed her body into him and he brought his hands up to rest at the back of her neck.
Daryl didn't want to move. He wanted to stay as they were. He wanted to keep her close, just like she was. He wanted to keep her safe. He sighed against her and he felt as though something had been lifted from his shoulders. Something he'd been carrying around for months and not even known it. The relief was overwhelming and he stepped closer to her, closing the gap she had put between them. His hands travelled up her neck and twisted into her hair. Her arms snaked around her waist this time as her head fell against his shoulder.
Carol suddenly stiffened in his arms. He stepped back and looked down at her but she was looking over his shoulder, seemingly frozen in place. The same fear she'd had in her eyes when he said her name in the cave was back. She was filled with the same apprehension he'd seen in her when he tried to talk her into coming back with them. Daryl knew, even without turning, that she had seen Rick.
Daryl carefully stepped away from her and turned to face him. He remained close by her side for her benefit; he knew Rick wouldn't hurt her. He watched his brother as he cautiously took a few steps forward, his hand wiped across his face as he stared at Carol in stunned surprise. Daryl could see the way she hardened her stance under his gaze and she kept her eyes on him, watching for any sign of the animosity he had shown when she'd last seen him.
Without warning Rick marched toward her. It all happened so fast. Daryl noticed Carol's eyes widen in fear for a moment, her hand automatically reaching for the weapons that were no longer at her belt. Daryl started to reach for Rick but he got to Carol first. Her arms flew out to the side, one hand colliding with Daryl's chest and he gripped it tightly to let her know he was there. Rick's arms wrapped around her neck, one of his hands pulling her head closer to him as he held her. She gasped as she crashed into his chest.
"I'm sorry," Rick whispered against her neck as held her tightly. "I'm so sorry..." his head dropped to her shoulder and he let out a pained sob.
Daryl felt Carol's hand loosen in his and he let her go. He took a step back but kept his eyes on them. He watched her hands come up to Rick's back and she tentatively returned his embrace.
Rick pulled back slightly and looked into her eyes. "Are you ok?" He asked.
Carol looked slightly dazed but she gave a weak smile and nodded. Rick pulled her back into another hug and this time she reciprocated wholeheartedly. Daryl stepped forward, one hand resting on Rick's back while the other landed on the back of Carol's head.
"You're here," he said as she lifted her eyes to look at him. "You're here."
One of her hands came up to his cheek and she smiled. "I promised you I would be."
Yey! A happy reunion! I hope this made up for cutting the original reunion in No Sanctuary out of this story. I'd love to know what you all think so drop me a comment or a PM - I'd love to get to know more of you :)
Thanks for reading! xxx
