Daryl glanced at Carol as they all walked over to the car. Carl had already gotten in and closed the door, seeming to be having a bad day already. Daryl opened the car door just as Carol got to it and said, "M'lady."
Carol rolled her eyes and slid into the car. Daryl followed her in and closed the door. "Thank you Daryl." She said quietly before opening a book she had found the other day. Daryl sighed lightly, looking over at her. He'd been trying to be polite to help win her over, but nothing was working. It was as if she didn't care, like she was ignoring him. But he knew better, because he always felt her eyes on him. No matter what he was doing, so why wasn't the chivalry working? "Daryl, you were never one for chivalry, so try again." She pointed out, finally giving Daryl a sign.
Daryl grunted his reply and looked out the car window as they pulled away from the fifth town this month. It had been weeks since Daryl had remembered, he'd simply been trying to plan out how he was going to win her over once again, but nothing as working, and he was becoming agitated. He couldn't lose. He just couldn't.
Carol smiled lightly when they finally stopped at a farm house to stretch their legs and look around. She slid out of the car after Daryl, her eyes trained on how his muscles flexed and relaxed when he moved around. She turned back and grabbed her bow and arrows before following Carl over to Rick and the others. "Glenn, Maggie, T-Dog, and Beth, I want you to go inside and search the place, while Hershel, Lori, Carl and myself check the barn. You two…" Rick said pointing to Daryl and Carol. "Keep a close eye on the layout and the surrounding area, if you see walkers, and I mean like a horde, then whistle." He said.
"Can do." Carol said quietly, glancing over at Daryl. They'd been paired up a lot more recently, as if it was one of Daryl's tricks. He turned and locked eyes with her, and Carol could see it in his eyes. He really wanted her back. He really was trying to remember everything. And Carol could see, with each passing day, he was in fact remembering. But what she couldn't see was which parts he was remembering, was he remembering the good parts, or the bad parts? Or both? She hoped the bad parts. Gosh, why are you so cynical? She thought to herself as she watched the others walk away from them. Because, we can't be together, it just wouldn't work. She thought with a growl, finally looking away from Daryl and walking away from him and his eyes.
The day was slowly coming to an end, and the group was camped out in the barn. The house had been an absolute mess, dead walkers everywhere, stinking up the place, they got nothing from in there, but the barn, was big enough to fit their vehicles on the ground level. They also made a fire down there, with their beds curled all around.
"I advise you to get a partner tonight if you do not normally have one…and sleep close. It's a cold, windy night ahead of us." Rick said gently as everyone ate their dinner in silence.
There were murmurs of agreement before Lori finally said, "Okay, question of the night…what is your best memory?"
Daryl inhaled sharply as he thought back to the few he still had. He saw Carol smile faintly, but that didn't help him at all. He ignored everyone else as he began to dig through his memories. He froze though when Carol spoke up. "my best memory would have to be…" she froze as she nibbled on her lower lip. Honestly Daryl figured it'd have to do with Sophia, but what she said next, came to him as a shock. "When the only man I ever truly loved, proposed to me." Carol said quietly.
"Really!? You were engaged with someone else before Ed?" Glenn asked with intrigue.
Carol laughed lightly, a small smile dancing across her face, something Daryl hadn't seen since he'd met up with her at the quarry. "Yes." She said with a content sigh.
"Well, don't leave us hanging…what happened?" Maggie asked.
"Oh, of course. It was in February of my Senior year. We were fighting a lot only because he was being so secretive. It was killing me. And his older brother, he wasn't helping any. You see, his brother was a downright douche bag, and I could not stand him. He kept telling me, his brother was cheating on me. And I believed him. I was so upset, I contemplated cutting my hair…which he loved…and I mean loved it to death. But one day, he came and picked me up, it was cold and it was the first snow of the year. He took me out to this field we'd gone to a lot…mainly when it was warm so we could camp out there. It'd been snowing a lot that day, but when we got there, there was this little area cleared of snow, and a huge bonfire burned in the center. A blanket was laying there with a picnic basket on top. He led me over there and we just talked and ate. After the sun had set, and our noses and ears were red from the cold air, he made me stand up, and then he knelt down and proposed to me. I will always remember that day, because when he spoke, it was like the whole world stopped, nothing made a noise, nothing moved. It was the most magical experience I had ever had." She said quietly, her eyes locked with Daryl's the entire time. "Gosh, just think, if the proposal was that beautiful…makes me wish it hadn't ended because of how our wedding would have been."
"That…is so…beautiful." Lori said quietly, a grin on her face. Carol glanced at Rick who was nodding as well, but with a smug look on his face. Did he know who she was talking about?
"I will always remember that day, because when he spoke, it was like the whole world stopped, nothing made a noise, nothing moved. It was the most magical experience I had ever had." Carol said, as Daryl stared into her eyes. That was one he had remembered, it had popped into one of his dreams a few nights back, and he was glad it had, because then he could actually picture it all. And remember the few days leading up to that, him preparing it all, and feeling bad for making her so upset. "Gosh, just think, if the proposal was that beautiful…makes me wish it hadn't ended because of how our wedding would have been."
Daryl felt a small smile appear on his face, he had no clue she actually thought about their possible wedding. Especially not so happily. "That…is so…beautiful." Lori said quietly. Daryl glanced at Lori and saw tears forming in her eyes.
"Daryl…what about you?" T-Dog asked with wonder.
Daryl grunted lightly as a new one popped into his head. It was an entirely new memory, but it was the best he could remember at that moment. "It was the very end of my freshman year. I had just gotten my license, and I had called my girlfriend and told her I failed, so I'd send her dad to pick her up from school. So she was totally expecting her father and I pulled up and honked so she'd get her nose out of a book, she looked up at me and her face lit up. I knew she was surprised, because I had also gotten my own truck. I'd bought it that very same day. She jumped in and tossed her stuff to the floorboard. She'd worn a cute sundress that day with some sandals…" he stopped at the snickering going around, making his face go a little red. "Anyway…I took her out to my favorite field. It was pretty damn big and that time of year, late spring, had bunches of flowers blooming. So we get there, and she is just the happiest girl in the world, she's dancing around and singing while I stand by my truck, watching her. That will forever be my favorite memory, back when we were always happy together. Back when I thought we could last forever…back before I gave up." He said quietly. His eyes were once again locked with Carol's, and he could see in her eyes that she was thoroughly surprised by what he had said. What his memory would be.
Later that evening, Carol was lying beside Daryl, his arms wrapped around her as he slept soundly. She knew Rick was still awake by the fire, he rarely slept anymore, which was why Lori did a lot of the driving, but soon that would have to change, she was getting bigger and bigger, and it wouldn't be safe for her to be behind the wheel sooner or later. She herself was wide awake, Daryl's words echoing in her mind. "That will forever be my favorite memory, back when we were always happy together. Back when I thought we could last forever…back before I gave up." She sighed lightly, did that mean he was giving up on her now, because in a way she hoped so, but in a way she liked being chased by him. He never actually gave up on me, neither one of us ever gave up, things just got so difficult when Merle came back. She thought as she turned in Daryl's arms to look at his sleeping face, only to find his eyes open, and he was looking straight at her, shocked that she was still awake.
"Carol…" he said quietly.
"Don't…not now Daryl." She said quietly.
"Let me just say this damn it…I finally understand what you are saying…and I'll stop trying to chase you." He said quietly. He then got out from underneath the blanket and went up the stairs to the loft of the barn.
Carol laid there for a moment, feeling the cold wash over her. I shouldn't…but…I have to. She thought before jumping up and quietly chasing after him. "Daryl…please." She said quietly as she walked over to him. He was outside on the balcony, sitting at the edge, his legs over the side as he gently kicked them through the air.
Daryl turned to look at her and stood up with an aggravated sigh. "What do ya want woman? I'm giving up, what else could you want?" he demanded.
Carol stepped back a little but then regained herself and stepped closer, so they were just inches apart. "You want to be like the old Daryl, correct?" she asked. She watched him think about it, then nod his head lightly. "Well listen here. The old Daryl…the Daryl I loved, he never gave up on me. And I never gave up on him. But if this is the Daryl I have, the one that is going to give up on me, then, I give up too…and I'm done." Carol said, as coldness slowly edged its way into her voice, so that by the end the words were practically venom. "He would never let me win so easily. He would do dumb, risky things to get me back. He was too afraid to let me go. He was a great guy. The one person in my life I ever fully trusted. The one person that I thought could protect me from anything. The one that would always have my back. He was never clingy, he always gave me my space when I wanted it, but then he'd get so sad and upset without me, he'd make me come back. He never lost me, I lost him." She said. Daryl opened his mouth to speak but Carol kept talking, "No, I'm not done. I loved that Daryl Dixon, he was great. Sure he had his moments and a shitty ass brother, but he was the one. When he let me walk away…I changed…When he never came to get me…When he didn't come to the airport to stop me like they do in the movies, I changed who I was. I became this. That Daryl was the only reason I was ever the way I was. When my flight landed, I got my hair hacked off, because I knew this time Daryl wasn't coming after me. Maybe he didn't love me. Maybe it was all just a game to him, and I was a little toy. But listen here, it never was to me. I lov-" Carol was cut off by Daryl's lips finally crashing down onto her's, officially shutting her up. He had one hand at the back of her head, and the other around her waist, but Carol fought back, her hands balled up into fists as she pounded them into his chest. Daryl pulled her closer, the hand from her head going to her waist with the other, pulling her against him so that she couldn't move her hands. Carol finally gave in and kissed him back, her eyes closing as she leaned into him.
Daryl finally pulled away and met her eyes, "Is that the Daryl you remember? The Daryl I finally am again?" he asked slowly.
Carol's eyes were wide because he was right. It was the Daryl she knew. She was surprised he'd let her rant for so long, but obviously she finally got through to him and pulled the true Daryl out. The one that loved to hear what she had to say, but once she started her rants, he knew the only way to stop her was to kiss her and distract her. "Yes…" she said quietly as she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into the crook of his neck, hiding her tears.
Daryl pulled her tightly against him and kissed the top of her head. He then pushed her off a little and lifted her face to meet his eyes. "It's okay…I'm here now…and that's all that matters." He said gently as he leaned in and kissed her on the lips again.
Okay, I am so sorry it took so long to upload this, but I was so busy...and then some things happened, but I finally got this chapter thought up and typed.
I would like to thank the awesome people who have reviewed this story.
I think I'm going to wrap it up soon though.
But I am thinking about doing a prequel, about when they were younger and together, so I'll make a poll and you can vote there and you can even tell me in the review if you like that idea.
~Daryl-Dixons-Gurl~
