Thanks for the reviews and to thoses who took time to read. And be big thank you to Lauren again. You are a big help. Here is the next chapter.
All characters belong to AMC and Robert Kirkman.
The sun had disappeared from the sky. There were no street lights any more and so the town was completely dark. Most of the Walkers had left the town center. The shutters of the courthouse were closed. The group was careful, because light attracted new Walkers. There was a small silhouette on the bell tower. Tara kept watch and she looked worriedly over to the other side of the street from time to time.
"I always wanted a lil sister, ya know? Someone to look after. I was Merle's lil brother my whole life. And I was reminded every damn day of it. Until his death ... every fucking day. I miss him, ya know? He was a damn bastard, but he was my brother," Daryl said in frustration.
Carol pressed closer to him. It was time to get back to the courthouse, but she didn't want to interrupt him and so she said nothing. He almost never spoke about his feelings and so she took the chance and just listened to him.
"I really wanted to protect her and I failed. Beth was such a sweet girl. She's... was so honest, there was not a bad bone in her body. After we torched that hut, we found a funeral home. We had dinner together and it was a lil bit like family. She sang for me and I kind a liked it. Everything seemed so normal. And then I was careless...opened a fucking door without thinking and there were Walkers everywhere. She got out alive but was taken that night. Last time I saw her, she was just a little girl. What happened to her in that hospital? I don't get it. What did her last words mean?" Daryl asked desperately.
"I overheard a conversation between Beth and Dawn. I guess Beth killed another man in order to save Dawn. They talked about it in my room. Beth was devastated. And Dawn told her that sometimes you have to do bad things to survive. Maybe that's what she meant when she stabbed Dawn," Carol tried to explain.
Daryl buried his face in the crook of his arm. His body was trembling and he sobbed quietly. Carol's eyes filled with tears. It was heartbreaking to see him so desperate. Carefully, she took his face in her hands and wiped the tears away with her thumbs.
"It was so unnecessary. She was already safe. We had her back," he sobbed uncontrollably.
"And she did what she thought was right," she said matter of factly, pulling away from him a little bit.
"It's still unreal," he stuttered.
She leaned down and kissed his trembling eyelids.
"I ... I'm not good at stuff like that," he whispered, so quietly that his voice was hardly audible.
"Psst... It's okay. Everything will be fine. Don't worry, just let it happen," she said with her heart pounding, as she and kissed him very gently on his lips.
It was a sweet, innocent kiss and he smiled lovingly as she pulled away.
"Why? I meant... Why now?" he asked, a little bit shocked.
"I dunno. It felt just right," she answered shyly.
They remained in silence for a short time. Carol briefly wondered if she should tell him and took a deep breath.
"It's something I wanted to do for a long time. It means nothing if you don't want to, Daryl," she whispered in a calm voice.
"You just kissed me. How can that mean nothing?"
"Sorry," she said embarrased.
"I mean... You just kissed me," he stuttered, still in shock.
"When I was alone, I realized what I might have lost. I thought about telling you in Atlanta, ya know? The night we were at the shelter, but it just didn't feel right. I was scared to tell you that I really care for you. More than I should. And I realized that I'd felt that way for a long time. Life is too short, and I don't wanna die without telling you," she explained quietly and she felt her heart beat faster.
Daryl remained silent and stared at the floor. He would never have believed that a woman like Carol could feel this way. She had class and she was smart. Carol was unique. And he? He'd dropped out of school and achieved nothing in his life. He was just the little Dixon. The little brother of frightening Merle.
"You don't need to say or do anything. I just wanted to let you know and it's okay if you don't feel that way," she said gently and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear.
"I dunno know what to say. I liked it. The kiss felt good," he stammered and looked into her eyes.
"Maybe I'm not the kind of woman you can love," she said barely audible and her self-confidence dropped.
"I dunno because I don't know what it means to love a woman. I don't even know what love is. Women have never been interested in me. I've never really been with a woman unless I paid for it," he said embarrassed.
Carol took his hands into hers and looked at him lovingly. She felt for him. It was so sad that he had never experienced love.
"I only know that I felt empty when you were gone. I never wanna lose you again and I was shocked when I followed you to the car that night. You wanted to leave me again but you care about me? How does that fit together? I thought you were selfish cause how could you just think about leaving me again? I dunno what that means but I know that I want you near me. You made me a better man... a better person," he said quietly and ran a thumb over her soft lips.
He didn't say it but he didn't have too. There was a silver lining on the horizon and it was enough, at least for this moment.
"I didn't want to leave you the other night. I promised Tyreese to take them to Terminus and that I would leave him afterwards. I didn't want to cause more pain after all that had happened. But I know now that I can't survive alone. And after what happened in Atlanta I'm sure I don't wanna be without you again. It's a lot to take in, I know and I'm sorry...," she explained further, but was cut off because he pressed his lips to hers.
"You talk too much, woman," he said breathless as he pulled away from her.
"Let's take it slow and see where the road leads us," she suggested, and he nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, and we should head back to the others. The gossip factory is probably working overtime," he whispered and smiled satisfied.
He stood up and pulled her to her feet. When they faced each other, he pulled her into his arms. She pressed firmly to his chest and inhaled his unique fragrance. It was a mixture of tobacco, sweat and dust. It was Daryl.
They climbed down the fire escape. As they crossed the street, he put an arm around her waist to steady her. The threat had disappeared into thin air and the herd had moved on. The streets were deserted again. Daryl knocked firmly on the huge door and it opened immediately. He blushed slightly as Tara grinned at him. It was clear to him that she had watched the couple. Daryl and Carol pushed past her without saying a word. Tara looked after them and giggled as she locked the door again.
