A/N: There's a time jump of two years. I hope its not to out in left field, the last chapter drove me crazy. This one has some answers and I hope you like. Let me know. I'll be taking some aspirin and a nap. :)

I do not own these wonderful characters or The Walking Dead.

I love you all.

Also I don't know what happened to the format of the last chapter, I hope this one is better. Sorry about that.

Warning: More gratuitous song lyrics and I don't own that guy either, even though I wish I did :)

Carol pushed the CD in the player and put the car in reverse. The words of the song she knew by heart started. The song she never wanted to understand or identify with. Her least Favorite of that hunk Eddie Vedder. Damn you Pearl Jam and Eddie especially. But it was fitting, she would listen to it all the way to Georgia. And every other messed up song because that was how she felt since Michonne and Tara's weekly phone call came that morning.

It was usually light and fun, friends that missed each other catching up. Talking their lives and school and Carol's heavy duty class schedule and work study job in the library. They talked about dates and food and music. Girl talk, between three very busy girls.

Tara and Michonne were still in Georgia at Georgia Tech, Michonne Pre Law and Tara Journalism. They were both doing internships locally and working together at one of the local restaurants. Carol, was of course at Seaton Hall in New Jersey completing her Masters in Nursing. There was always so much to talk about.

But it was different this morning and Tara had told her sit down and she didn't, that was her own fault. She didn't think whatever her friend had to tell her warranted that.

But here she was on a crazy drive now listening to all those songs. Three words, three words that threw her into this tailspin, that had her speeding south now like her life depended on it.

Maybe it did. It felt that way to her.

He's getting married. And Carol couldn't breathe, not since she heard those words.

And now she was crying because those goosebumps all those years ago, every time she heard that song "Black" were an omen and she hadn't known. She had said she never wanted to feel that way, the way the guy in the song, Eddie had, but she did. She knew exactly how it felt, her world just imploded. The man she loved was marrying somebody else. She loved him and she always would, even if they weren't together.

I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you will be a sun.

In somebody else's sky but why, why, why can't it be mine.

The words to the song mocking her as she drove.

She didn't even know why she was doing this, he wouldn't see her. Not without a fight anyway.

He didn't want to be tied down to someone so far away, that's what he had told her. She smelled Merle behind that, but Daryl wouldn't listen to her. It had been two years and she thought she was over him, but she wasn't. Maybe she never would be.

He was moving on, that was all. She should too, only she couldn't.

She replayed her conversation with Tara and Michonne in her head as she drove. Queuing up the next song in her playlist of doom, "Bell Bottom Blues", by Eric Clapton, her mother's favorite singer. This song would kill her more, because then she could think of her mother and him. Double whammy but she didn't care.

Next was "With or without you." By U2 She was going to torture herself all the way to Georgia.

/

"Listen I have news about Daryl you aren't gonna like it" Tara had said shhhshing Michonne who was saying something in the back ground at Tara. Something that sounded like 'don't tell her'. Carol didn't want to hear about Daryl. That was a subject they never talked about. They knew that, but then she got scared what if somethings happened?

"Is he alright?" She asked worried now that something happened to him. She never wished him harm, she just didn't want to talk about him. That was a closed chapter in her life. It needed to stay closed.

"Gimme the phone Tara." Michonne said.

Michonne and Tara shared the phone ear to ear.

"Carol she's just being dramatic." Michonne said. "He's fine."

"Ok, then I don't care what it is. If he's okay, let's just drop it." Carol said sitting down at her kitchen table.

Tara butted right in just then, grabbing the phone from Michonne. She could hear them wrestling over it. Tara won and put the phone back to her ear, lightly pushing Michonne away.

"You need to come here." Tara said. "Now."

"What?" she was horrified at that thought.

Carol hadn't been home in two years. Each summer she volunteered to orient incoming students so she didn't have to leave school for the summer. Abraham was pissed and so was her father, but she was firm. She couldn't see him, therefore she couldn't go home. They came to visit her, they both still had friends up here too anyway. So it wasn't a big deal.

She was never going to Georgia again.

"You need to tell him, before it's too late." Tara said.

"Tell him what." She said. "What's going on?"

She cradled the phone at her ear, standing up to get a book off her bookshelf and opening it at the counter, where there were two chairs.

"Tell him how you feel." Tara implored.

"I don't feel anything, why would I want to…"A big lie. She closed her eyes because even now at the mention of his name she was feeling her heart race and her breath go out of her lungs. This is why she didn't want to talk about him. It was such a good feeling when they were together. That breathless, I love you feeling.

But now that feeling filled her with dread. They were over, by his choice and nothing Carol had said or done changed it. She was trying to accept it, it had been a long road for her.

"He's getting married." Tara blurted out.

And her knees went weak, she spilled her Iced Tea all over the counter and she couldn't move as the glass rolled off the counter and crashed on the floor, breaking into a million pieces.

Just like her heart.

Iced tea seeped onto her book and she just stood there, watching it, the phone in her hand at her side. Finally she sat down then, out of breath. The Tea dripped down onto the floor and she couldn't make a move to clean it up. Her blood was thundering in her ears.

"Are you there Carol?" Michonne said. "Carol?"

She brought the phone back to her ear. Somehow Michonne had gotten the phone away from Tara.

"Um yeah, I..." She breathed out, feeling like she couldn't get enough air.

"Are you ok?" Tara asked, leaning back into the phone.

"I don't…even know." She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "Listen I gotta go, I'll call you guys tomorrow."

They said good bye and as she hung up she heard Michonne say, "Nice work." To Tara in an annoyed voice. She couldn't get her breath, her blood wad thundering in her ears. She put her head down in her hands and started to cry.

/

This was a bad Idea. She knew it. Maybe her worst idea ever. It was the middle of the night and she was going to miss three classes and a shift at the library.

But it was like that pull she felt towards him all those years ago. She just couldn't stop herself. And she couldn't think of anything except that if she didn't do something she'd be sorry one day. Sorry for not trying one more time.

So she packed a bag, borrowed Sasha's boyfriend Bob's Jetta and by eight pm that night she was speeding down Interstate 95 from New Jersey. Listening to every sad song she had in her CD collection.

She thought about them for a while, as she drove, they had met when she was 15, she was 20 now. It had been so sweet, their lives together, she had been so happy. And she knew he was too.

They thought they were going to be together forever. They had been so sure that nothing could keep them apart. Then one day it was all gone.

What the fuck was she doing?

What did she think was going to happen, was she going to fix it? Take back all the things she said? Forget everything he said? Quit school? Did she think she could stop his wedding?

She had no idea just that she had to go. No one looked at her the way he used to and no one made her feel like he did. No one, and she had tried. She had been out on dates at school, a lot. And they all ended the same way. She felt nothing, even though she wished there was someone who made her feel like she had felt with him.

Her roommate Sasha had tried fixing her up with everyone she met. No one compared to him, but this was still a bad idea.

She should turn around while she still could and stop this craziness. She would meet someone too eventually and until then she had a life, a good one. She should be happy, but something was missing. He had been missing for two years. If there was a chance for them, she had to try.

She had to see him one more time. She had to know there was really no hope, she wanted to hear from him that he didn't want her. Then maybe she would be able to finally move on.

He had told her never to contact him and she never planned to ever go home again. Yet here she was driving like a bat out of hell, chain smoking. Because she had no choice really, once she heard those three words that was it.

She knew she was going.

He's getting married.

/

Merle and Shane sat out on the porch drinking a few beers after they got done working on Shane's car for the greater part of the day. It was hot as hell out that day. Springtime in Georgia was not kind to anyone. At least the porch of Merle and Daryl's house offered some relief and some shade. Still it was hot and they were ornery because of it. The beer helped. But not much. They were both half lit by now since they had been there all day.

They heard the car before they saw it, the music was blasting, and whoever it was drove like a fiend. Merle stood up from the porch and watched the car barrel around the corner and race up his own driveway, kicking up dirt along the way. He put his hand up to shield his eyes. He didn't know this car, but then he saw the New Jersey plates. Then he knew who it was. She had found out somehow.

"Well I'll be damned." He said smiling to himself.

"Who is it?" Shane asked.

The car stopped and Carol jumped out. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail but it still looked wild, all curly around her face. She had on a black tank top that said Nine Inch Nails on it and a pair of jeans. Her usual black boots too. Merle chuckled as he watched her stomping towards him like she was on a mission. Smoking a cigarette and staring him down as she came closer. She was still a little spitfire, he saw the reason she had his brother all twisted up back in the day.

This was going to be good Merle thought as he sauntered down the stairs and over to her trailed by Shane.

"Hey, Carol, ya looking good." He crooned and stretched his arms out to her. "How's about a hug for your ole pal Merle."

"Right." She wasn't hugging that sweaty son of a bitch even if she did like him. Which she didn't.

She threw her cigarette on the ground and put it out as she approached him. Merle could tell she was all fired up and he sure knew why. He wondered who tipped her off about the wedding on Saturday. Today was Thursday, she just made it with no time to spare. Not that it would matter now.

She was not amused by him that was clear. Shane walked up behind Merle.

"Hey Carol." Shane said.

"Hey Shane." She turned to Merle. "Merle, is he here?" She asked.

"My brother'" He shook his head. "No he isn't sugartits." Merle replied.

He had called her that once and Daryl let him know to never say it again. But Daryl wasn't there at the moment. So Merle saw no need to respect that right now. Plus he wanted to rile her up some more. It would be fun, like old times.

"Really Merle? Couldn't you come up with something new? Where is he at work?" She asked looking around. Daryl's motorcycle wasn't there. This wasn't going to be easy and she was so tired right now.

"Haven't seen him all day." Shane said but she disregarded that.

"Merle I just drove for almost 14 hours, I'm so tired and I am not in a good mood. Is he still at work or what?" Carol said. "Don't be a dick."

"Well what's in it for me?" He smiled, not many women had the balls to call him a dick, and it was almost refreshing.

"Nothing." She crossed her arms over her stomach and jutted her hip out.

"Well, I don't think he wants to talk to you." He said.

"Tough. I have something to say to him. Look I'm going to the garage next anyway, so whatever Merle. Play games with me if you want. It won't stop me."

"And you won't stop him, if that's what you're here for cookie. It's a done deal." He raised his voice slightly. "My brother is finally taking control of his life, and stepping up to the plate. Doing the right thing. You aint running him anymore, remember"

"What plate?" She asked. Crinkling her face in a cross between confusion and a scowl. "Doing what right thing?"

"Well, you're gonna have to ask him about that." Merle said half laughing.

Same old Merle she thought to herself, he would never change. Talking in circles and most of it was bullshit. She was sure Merle was the one behind Daryl breaking up with her. The things Daryl had said, sounded too much like Merle to not be his doing. But she wasn't here to fight about that today. There was no getting through to Daryl about that anyway, his mind was made up. Likely it was made up about this thing too but she needed to try. All the way down here she thought about it, she was going to tell him and let the chips fall where they may. Then she would leave if he told her to again, and she would never come back here again.

"Fine, so is he at work or what."

"Yup." Merle nodded. "He's at work still, trying to finish a car so he can be off tomorrow to get ready for his wedding, you be sure and not take up too much of his time, ya hear?." He knew she wouldn't stop till she found him, might as well tell her. But he couldn't resist digging at her. She tried to take his brother away from him, she well deserved it in Merle's opinion.

"You have a nice day too Merle." She said and turned on her heel and walked away. "Bye Shane."

"Take care Carol." Shane replied

Merle walked over to Shane and they both watched her pull away.

"You gonna call him." Shane asked crossing his arms over the front of his body.

"Don't know, ya think he wants to be surprised?" Merle chuckled, "What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall over there in about ten minutes."

/

Daryl ignored the phone that was ringing as he worked under the car in the garage, it was Merle who in the end decided to warn him about Carol being in town.

It didn't matter, Merle had timed the call to come just as she was screeching up outside. That was Merle, he was hoping to be on the phone with Daryl when she blew in there. Merle wanted a ring side seat to this confrontation.

But he didn't answer the phone. He had to get this car done because he was off tomorrow. He had a shit ton of stuff to do before Saturday and he did not need any distractions.

Daryl cocked his head thinking who the hell was out there, and they drove like a nut. The garage was closed, he would have to go tell whoever it was to come back tomorrow. This was a huge pain in his ass right now.

Then he heard the music, "Tonight, Tonight." And he knew who it was. Fucking Smashing Pumpkins. Fuck. That was her favorite song.

His chest felt like an elephant just stepped on it.

The cigarette he had been smoking dropped out of his mouth and onto his chest. He went to sit up, wiping the cigarette and ashes off of himself and slammed his head on the undercarriage of the car. He let loose a string of curses and laid back down, his breath coming out in little bursts as he pulled himself together.

The words to the song were drifting into the garage bay making him remember the last time he heard it. He couldn't help it, he took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes. He smiled, forgetting for a moment that they were done. She could have just been coming to see him at work, after she was done at the diner for the night. Like she did so often when they were together.

The memory came to him in a rush.

They had been driving in his truck and she was taking a sip of a soda and passing it to him. They were going out somewhere, he couldn't remember where, but it didn't matter.

They were together and happy, his arm was around her, with the wind in their hair. Driving down a back country road going nowhere, just the way they liked it. Happy and free.

He laid there thinking about how she always took over the CD player in his truck. To broaden his horizons she had said. But he didn't care then, she was his girl, she was by his side and he would listen to whatever she wanted.

And he kind of liked that song. Her taste in music wasn't always bad to him and she actually got him to like different things. He was unable to move and just listened to the words, lost in the memory. Imagining her face, his heart about to burst.

We'll find a way to offer up the night, tonight.

The indescribable moments of your life tonight.

The impossible is possible tonight.

Believe in me as I believe in you.

Tonight.

What was she doing here now? He pulled himself out of the memory and started to sweat. The music stopped and he realized she had shut off the car. She was going to come in now. He dropped his wrench and cursed to himself. This day was going to go downhill really fast.

He didn't want to see her. He had spent the last two years trying to forget her and he had gotten to the point where he didn't want to kick himself every day for sending her away. He was hanging by a thread, Karen or not it didn't matter. Carol was something else altogether for him. It would be better if they never saw each other again, but here she was.

"Shit," he said to himself, as he watched her boots walking into the garage. If he could have gotten out from under that car he might have run. Seeing her was going to be his undoing. He had told her to go away, and he wasn't nice about it. There was only one reason she would come back after the way he had treated her.

She stopped where his legs were sticking out from under the car. He prepared himself to deal with her.

"I know you heard me." She tapped his foot lightly with her foot. "Come on out, I drove a long way."

"What do ya want Carol?" Daryl asked not coming out from under the car. He hoped she would just go away, but Carol wasn't the sort to go away without saying her peace. He had loved that about her, that spunk and fearlessness. It was what made him fall in love with her.

Now it was going to drag him right down to hell.

"I wanna know when you went out of your damn mind." She huffed, squatting down to look at him. "You're marrying Karen Wallace on Sat? What the ever-loving fuck Daryl?"

He kept working on the car and wouldn't look at her because he knew the minute he did his resolve to do the right thing would start to dissolve. Because he was doing the right thing this time, his mind was made up. He didn't plan for it to be this way, but it was. He had accepted it and made peace with it.

Sometimes you didn't get what you wanted in life and sometimes loving someone wasn't enough.

That's what Merle had told him.

"Not really your business, is it?" He said still working on the care and not looking at her, he couldn't, she was the one person in the world who knew him completely. She would see right through him. He tried to keep her off balance with short snippy answers, hoping she would just get sick of it and leave. That wasn't her though, the chances of her leaving without whatever answers she wanted was slim to none.

"Daryl, your 22 years old, I know this isn't what you want." She said.

"How do you know what I want?" He snapped.

"Because I know you, and we talked about it." She sat down and crossed her legs and lit a cigarette. "You said there was no rush, you wanted to live together indefinitely, now all of the sudden you're in a rush?"

"You shouldn't have come Carol." He said turning the wrench on the car still not looking at her. "You're supposed to be at school."

He wanted that for her, success. That was what he always wanted for her and in his mind he wasn't part of the equation.

"Why not, you're making a mistake, all the times we talked about it, everything you said, and I know this wasn't your idea." She said. "You said you didn't even know if you believed in marriage, now you do?"

He wanted her out of there, he couldn't stand the way she was looking at him. Her eyes burned into him and they hadn't even made eye contact yet. It all felt wrong somehow to him that it was like this now. They had been something special and now this was what it was reduced to.

She was right, all the things they had talked about, and she knew and saw through him. She always could, and he knew she would call him out on his bullshit every time. Because she was the one.

She was the one.

But he couldn't allow himself to go there. His mind was made up, and this was how it had to be.

"I thought you wanted to go to school. What happened to that?" She countered grasping at straws as to why he was doing this. She looked around the garage. "What is she pregnant or something? Merle said something about you stepping up to the plate, that what he meant?"

He scooted out from under the car went right around to the other side, got in and sat down to start the car. Revving the engine more than he needed to. Maybe she would get the hint.

She didn't, she just stood up and followed him to the other side of the car.

He didn't answer her and that was all the answer she needed, she hadn't even accepted that he was with someone else. He was going to be a father, her heart jumped into her throat.

They had named their children one night while lying in the back of his truck, looking at the stars. One of the many nights they spend out the on that dirt road holding hands and dreaming of their future.

Now he was doing this with someone else. It actually hurt her heart.

"Oh shit, she is pregnant, dammit Daryl, dammit." Her voice low and with an angry edge.

"I told you ain't your concern." He answered harsher than he had meant to. He wouldn't be mean to her not now, not unless he had no choice. She leaned back on the car.

"Well, congratulations?" She said curtly. "I don't even know what to say."

"Thanks." He nodded his head to her. "Nothing else to say really."

"Do you love her?" She put her hand up to her face and waited for his answer. He didn't say anything. He wanted to lie to her, he really did. But he couldn't not this time. He told her once he wouldn't wait for her, and that she should go to school and forget him. That it was better for both of them that way.

That was a lie because even as he was saying it his own heart was breaking. It wasn't better for him, he had been miserable trying so hard to forget her.

He could still hear Merle's voice in his head, she'll hate you for stealing her future. Best rip it off like a band aide. You'll both get over it soon enough.

But she'll hate me now.

And you both will get over it.

Her voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

"Ok so you don't?"

"It's not like that." He said getting out of the car.

"Well, what's it like then? Either you do or you don't."

"You don't understand." He reached into his shirt pocket and took out his cigarettes, and lit one. It's not just..."

"Then help me to understand." She said watching him put his zippo back in his pocket. She had bought that for him. It had his initials on it, that was the one she gave him alright.

He still used it.

She had thrown the necklace he gave her in the pond, he had seen her do it. That day in the storm, when he had come to break up with her. That was one of the worst days of her life, up until this day. He had kept her gift to him, and he still used it.

They had so many plans how did they end up here, like this?

"I don't have to explain myself to you anymore" He said roughly. "You come here acting like I owe you an explanation, I don't."

"You know that's always been your problem, you're so stubborn did you ever think for once you didn't have all the answers?" She turned and started to stand up.

She turned and leaned back on the car he had been working on, crossing her arms.

"My problem? "He said. "I'm not the one who came down here all halfcocked like a dumbass."

"You never asked me what I wanted, you never gave me a choice." She said. "You just left me."

He backed up and leaned against the car opposite the one she was leaning on because he didn't want to be close to her. He never knew what was going to happen if he was too close to her. There was a time not too long ago that if they were in close proximity he had to be touching her. Three years together and he could never keep his hands off of her. She was like a drug and he needed that fix, all the time. He needed to stay on this side of the garage.

"You were leavin me!" He raised his voice. "What would you have done with some hick from Georgia at that school anyway? Huh? It never would have worked, I did us both a favor."

"Yeah, because you know it all, don't you." She raised her voice right back. "You broke my heart and you didn't even care and now you're getting married like it meant nothing."

Now he knew what to do. She had just revealed to him her Achilles heel. Her weakness and he would use it to get her to leave, because that the way it had to be. He would say everything that he didn't believe. He did care and always would. But he didn't have a choice now.

"That's because it didn't mean anything." He roared. "It was just kids' stuff, it didn't matter."

The same thing he told her two years ago. She was furious, as furious as she was then. If she was a violent woman she would have smacked him.

"It meant something to me, you meant something to me." She stepped closer, raising her voice slightly. She screwed up her courage and looked right into his eyes , getting closer to him.

Then her voice was soft and she wasn't yelling. She stared at him, he wanted to look away but he couldn't. She was too close,

"It mattered." She whispered.

And in an instant he closed the distance between them and she was in his arms and he was kissing her. He turned her around so that her back was against the car, and he was pressing against her and it felt so good. He didn't know how that happened. But he wasn't stopping, one last kiss before dying, as the saying goes. One minute they were yelling at each other and the next he had her pinned against the car and his hands were running up her ribcage like they hadn't been apart for two years. It felt so good to touch her again,and his head was swimming with thoughts of her. It had been so long and their bodies still fit together perfectly. Her hands were running through his hair and he wanted more, so much more.

The impossible is possible tonight, tonight.

But they didn't belong to each other anymore.

He kissed down her neck tasting the salt of her skin that he missed so much. She tasted so good, better than her remembered. He heard her sigh and he moaned against her neck, pushing himself closer to her, holding her tighter in his arms. Trying to devour her, he brought his lips back up to hers.

One more kiss before he let her go forever. Just one more kiss. He savored it and made it count.

"I still love you." She whispered almost too quiet for him to hear, against his ear. He still held her in his arms, not wanting to let go yet. Because she would never be there again.

Sometimes love wasn't enough.

He swung his head away from her and stepped back from her. Why did she have to say that? They were over, he had made the clean break, like Merle said he should. He lost his head for a minute because they were fighting it was a passionate outburst or something. It didn't mean anything, it was good but it didn't mean anything.

"Well, I…I" He paused just for a second, his eyes grew soft, this was the hardest thing he would ever say in his life, but it would make her leave. "I don't love you anymore."

He tried to look away from her but tears were starting to form in her eyes. He couldn't stand when she cried, he had to make her leave now. Before he took her in his arms again. He could not let her cry in front of him, he'd never send her away if she ended up in his arms any longer tonight. It felt too good to hold her, and he didn't know if he could stop himself if he touched her again. He stepped back suddenly aware of her proximity.

"I know you're just saying that because you feel obligated to Karen, you really expect me to believe that when you just kissed me like that." She practically rolled her eyes.

"Don't gotta do nothing, I don't want to." He raised his chin up slightly to make his point. To let her know she needed to back off. But she was coming closer. "And I don't care what you believe, it's how it is now."

He took the rag out of his pocket and started wiping his hands. Looking down so he didn't have to look at her.

"I'm sorry that happened, I'm sorry I kissed you. It was a mistake." He said not looking at her.

"Well, I'm not." She countered. "We can fix this."

He shook his head. "No we can't."

"I'll quit school." She said. "I can help you with the baby."

"No you won't." He flew back around. "Just go Carol, go, I don't want you here."

He could not have her quit school and he had made a promise already. He would not go back on it, for once he was going to do the right thing by somebody. He had done wrong by this woman in front of him. This woman who just offered to help take care of a baby that wasn't even hers. He would never find another like her.

He knew that now, but it was too late.

Even if they got on his bike right now and left together. He would never be able to live with himself. He was going to be a father.

So even though he didn't really love Karen, not the way he loved Carol anyway, he had promised her. A man didn't back out of his responsibility, that's what Merle had said.

It was time to be a man and let her go. Or make her go if she wasn't willing to do so.

"I don't want you here." He said again getting louder. "Go away Carol, go."

Merle had tried to convince him two years ago, when Carol got her scholarship, that Carol didn't need him. That when she got up to that fancy school up north she would meet someone and dump him.

Daryl hadn't believed that for a second. She was his girlfriend of three years and he knew her. He knew everything about her and she would never do that. They loved each other and they would be together the rest of their lives. He was sure of that as sure as he was that the sun would rise every day. That's how sure of Carol he had been.

So Merle told him she would flunk out and ruin her life if they stayed together because she wouldn't be able to concentrate on her school work. She would miss him too much, and then she would blame him when she failed.

Daryl doubted she would fail. She was the smartest person he knew.

Merle said she would flunk out, or drop out to come home and marry him, and hate him for the rest of her life for taking away her future. That she would wake up one day, after popping out a few kids and still be working at the diner, instead of being a nurse like she wanted to.

She would wake up and look at him and hate him. She would hate him for the rest of her life for stealing her dreams.

That he believed, when Merle said it a million times to him. He didn't want her to have regrets, he didn't want to make a life with her and have her regret it all. They loved each other, but love wasn't enough and if she left school he believed it would ruin her life. He couldn't be responsible for that, she needed to do her best in school. This was her chance, he had no right to jeopardize that. So he made sure she went and had no desire to come back.

He made it perfectly clear why she shouldn't come back. But she did.

What Daryl didn't know and would never know, was that Merle was walking past his bedroom door one day a few months before Carol was set to go back to New Jersey for school. He stopped and put his ear up to it thinking they were getting busy in there. He was a nosy fuck and it would be like a free porn show. Merle didn't care, sometimes they were so loud he didn't even need to put his ear close to the door.

They weren't right at that moment, but he heard things he didn't like.

Things like working overtime and saving money. It's only for a few months, we can do anything for just a few months. It will go by fast, apartment and I'll teach you to surf.

But his blood boiled when he heard, then we'll be together again and you are going to love New Jersey.

His brother was going to leave, leave him, to be with her, and Merle couldn't have that. Daryl could not leave, he was all Merle had. He would not allow him to run off with some girl. He belonged here with him.

No, he couldn't have that, and soon he started talking to Daryl. He talked to him for weeks, every time he had the chance. He talked to him until he bent him to his will. Until he convinced him. Then one day Daryl drove over to Carol's house and ended it. She left for school three weeks later. Merle thought she'd never be back, they had dodged a bullet with that one.

And now they were broken up, for almost two years now. He was almost married to a woman who never wanted to leave Georgia. It was a done deal, Daryl knew it and so did Merle.

I don't want you here.

Carol lifted her chin and looked at him. Trying to get some of her dignity back, she felt like an ass now. She swallowed back her tears and looked up at him. Wiping her face off, she took a deep breath.

"I'm going to my father's, I'll be here till tomorrow, if you change your mind." She said calmly, she started to walk away and then turned back looking right at him.

"Someday you'll be sorry, I won't come back, and you'll be sorry you let me go."

He looked at her, his eyes soft not for the first time since she got there. He was already sorry.

And she walked out, because she knew it too. He wouldn't change his mind. She got in the car and pushed the CD back in the player. Next up was a good song for her mood.

Fool enough to almost be it.

Cool enough to not quite see it.

Doom

Pick your pockets full of sorrow.

Run away with me tomorrow.

June

Daryl watched her go he could hear the music, this song he had never liked. It was sad and the name was stupid. Who names a song Mayonnaise, after the grossest condiment in his opinion? That stupid band she was so in love with.

Mother weep the years I'm missing.

All our time can't be given back.

Shut my mouth and strike the demons.

That cursed you and your reasons.

Out of hand and out of season.

Out of love and out of feelings.

So Bad.

And when she was gone he picked up a wrench from his work bench and threw it across the garage. It hit the wall across from where he was standing knocking a bunch of other tools down, the noise was deafening. He didn't care.

"I don't love you, anymore."

He yelled at no one, and he knew it was a lie.

"Just go away, go away."

That didn't make him feel better so he punched the hood of the car he had been working on a couple of times. He paced back and forth a few times then he leaned back and covered his face with his hands.

Carol went to see her brother and father, who were really surprised and happy to see her. She visited them for the rest of the night and part of the next day. They were thrilled to see her and she and Abe sat up watching movies and eating popcorn watching their favorite movie. "A Few Good Men."

She knew Daryl wasn't coming.

She stopped on her way home to have lunch with Tara and MIchonne at their school. It was good to see them as well, they knew why she was there and knew better not to bring it up. Still they had plenty to talk about, she hadn't been home in two years. They had a lot of news to tell her too. Rick and Lori had gotten married since she had been gone. Daryl hadn't told her that, but then they had other things to talk and yell about. She did enjoy the visit with her two best friends, even though her heart was breaking again because of him.

She was back home by Saturday night, and she supposed he was married by now.

She opened up the bottle of Pinot Grigio that she and Sasha were saving for emergencies, allowed herself this one night to cry and get drunk.

Then she went on with her life.