It rained the day of prom but somehow at four thirty the sun came out and Carol's up do that she got at the beauty parlor in town wasn't going to be ruined after all. Michonne and Tara were at her house getting ready and waiting for their dates. Carol shimmied into her dress and stood in front of the mirror with her best girlfriend all dressed up just as she was. They smiled at each other and Tara took a few selfies of them to put on Instagram.

Daryl and Rick were on their way to pick them up and Tara's girlfriend Alisha was coming up the stairs as they zipped up Carol's dress.

Alisha walked in and told Tara she looked hot and kissed her hello. "Blue is your color baby."

"Yours too." Tara replied as she fixed the hem on Alisha's dress. They were both wearing blue, but in different styles and shades. It was a beautiful contrast and Carol took their picture too.

Glenn and Maggie were meeting them there along with Andrea and Eugene who was her date. Carol heard the doorbell ring and her father wheeled over to answer the door.

Daryl and Rick stood there both in suits with ties to match their date's dresses. Red and Green respectively and they looked wonderful. Carol's father remembered it well when he took Carol's mother to their prom. It was still a nice memo0ry, no matter how it turned out in the end.

He had his Carol, the light of his life. When she first started bringing Daryl around he sat him down for a talk about his daughter and what she meant to him. He made sure Daryl understood the difference between yes and no and about consent.

He also told him, in no uncertain terms, no surprises. Since that talk they had a nice friendship, which was nice for Daryl since his old man was MIA.

"Daryl, Rick." Carol's father said and wheeled back to let them in the door. "The girls should be down in a minute."

And just at that moment the three of them were standing at the top of the stairs. Daryl gulped and almost dropped the corsage he brought for Carol, a Cherokee rose, her favorite.

He knew it was rude to gawk at her in front of her father so he tried to keep himself in check, but goddamn she looked stunning.

Sexy. He had to keep it together in front of her father.

Rick cleared his throat. "You girls look wonderful."

He elbowed Daryl who was still staring at Carol.

"Oh, ah yeah, you girls look banging."

Carol's father wheeled over with his Camera. "Come on kids. Pictures."

/

The song 'Born to be alive." Could be heard coming out of the hotel where the prom was being held as they all walked up to the door. AS they walked Daryl kept stealing peeks at the back of Carols dress. It was low cut and scandalous really.

He more than once had to stop himself from reaching down the back of her dress. Between the dress and the shoes with the little bows at the back of the heel he was one big raging hormone right now.

They walked into the hotel and the music was so loud. The first stop was for pictures and Michonne and Rick went first. Then Tara and Alisha.

Daryl stood next to Carol with his hand on her hip and he skimmed his fingers down under the material of her dress.

"I like this." He whispered into her ear. And she smiled at him sweetly.

"I knew you would." She said as they got called up to get their picture taken and stepped in front of the camera.

They had their picture taken and then followed Rick, Michonne, Tara and Alisha into the dance hall. The room was done up with glittery decorations and more balloons than they had ever seen in their lives.

Glenn and Maggie were out on the dancefloor dancing and so were Lori and Shane. The weaved their way around to their table and sat down.

Tara and Alisha immediately went out on the dance floor and started dancing. Daryl kissed Carol like he had been wanting to since he saw her.

They had been busy with pictures and then he was driving to the hotel.

"You look so ….beautiful Carol." He said not even caring if anyone heard him talking like that. Rick was busy getting drinks for himself and Michonne anyway.

More and more Daryl was getting better about showing her affection. When they were alone he had no problems at all. But sometimes when people were around he was still a little shy.

It wasn't like people didn't know what was going on between them, everyone knew. But he was still so shy.

A slow song came on '23' by Jimmy Eat World and she had him by the hand before he knew what happened and they were on the dance floor.

He didn't know how to dance and he realized it as she was bringing him out there. It wasn't something he had even considered before this moment.

"Wait, I don't..."

But it was too late and there they were on the dance floor and she just said to him to move slowly and pretend they were all alone. So that's what he did and he realized it wasn't bad at all and actually kind of fun.

Holding her always made him calmer too, he knew that.

"That's it." She smiled and placed a sweet kiss on his lips. "You got this Daryl."

They were joined by Rick and Michonne before too long and Glenn and Maggie danced by and waved. He closed his eyes for a minute because truth be told he couldn't believe he wa prom. If someone had told him last year that this would be his life now he would have said they were crazy.

He had friends now and a girlfriend that he loved so much. She loved him too and for the first time in his life he felt like he belonged somewhere. That he was worthy and more than just his father's son or Merle's brother.

He had everything he wanted in life now, everything he thought he could never have. It was all his now and he would never be alone again.

They danced to another song that he recognized from the radio 'Bittersweet Symphony.' And he held her close like he never wanted to let her go because he didn't. And he never would.

The End

A/N: 23 by Jimmy Eat World is a favorite song of mine as is 'Bittersweet symphony". By The Verve. I reference 23 a lot when I am writing Caryl because it just feels like such a Caryl song. Thank you for reading this was so fun to write.