Summary: When Daryl defends Charlene from his father's unwanted advances, they are pulled into a painful misunderstanding with the law and Will Dixon. Daryl/OC, Rick/Beth. AU at first but then moves into ZA. Co – Written with alycenwonder. Rated M for violence, language and sexual scenes.

Special Thanks To: Daydreamer123, Quest, Guest, WalkingPotterGirl14, Kima Wolfwood, jeanf and missy7293. You people rock. Read alycenwonder's story, A Walk In The Dark.

Warning: This chapter has rape and mentions of past attempted rape.

Carrying On

Chapter 10

Charlie heard the roar of the small Ford truck, pulling into the bed and breakfast driveway. Her and the others had cleared the place out and had been hoping the two men would return soon. But she didn't rush outside to greet them, instead she took her time packing up her things.

"Find anything?" Rick asked Daryl.

"Yah, a small storage facility bout an hour away. We could get there before the sun goes down."

Rick sighed in relief as the others started to come outside and load up the truck.

Daryl saw Charlie packing her things into the small Ford, she was struggling with a bag. Daryl walked over to help her, he gently took it out of her hands and shoved it into the back with the rest of the stuff.

Charlie looked up at him, raising her brow. "Thanks."

He wanted to say something to her, to talk to her but his mouth couldn't form words. "Daryl? We need to get going." Rick said interrupting the two. He left her to climb into the back of the cab with the others. One truck was all they had, but they made it work.

Daryl got on his bike as they started to drive back to the storage unit. It was a calm quiet ride... And he wondered if this place would be safe for them. Once it began snowing they wouldn't be able to move around too much. This would have to be it.

"Looks okay." Rick said as the group jumped out of the Ford. "We need to make sure it will be warm enough."

There were gas heaters and useable sinks. It was a large open cement court yard with large metal storage boxes. Each one sat next to each other and some stacked up high.

Charlie had found thick warm blankets in the B&B and brought them along. Hopefully they could stay warm enough to make it through the winter here.

"There's vending machines!" Maggie told them as she came back with Lori.

"That's helpful." Charlie said with a small smile as she continued to look through the boxes and found a bottle of Scottish whiskey, it would be good for medical purposes. She placed it in her medical bag as Patricia helped out.

"Well, there aren't any showers. But if we leave buckets out hopefully we can catch some rain or snow." Lori said. Everyone sighed, fed up with the end of civilization. But a shower these days was a luxury.

"There's a fuckin' stream behind the storage unit, we can use that." Daryl said flatly and Lori sneered at him.

"Oh." Lori said, looking away from him. She didn't know why he had been talking with her husband so much lately and frankly it was pissing her off.

Rick hadn't talked to her since Shane died. He was upset with her. She had not only slept with his best friend but had also lied about it. Rick felt that the group's needs were far more important than hers at the moment.

It angered her that Rick seemed to be kissing Daryl's ass when he should be looking after her and their unborn child. Shane treated her like a goddess. She scowled at Rick before huffing, leaving them behind to sort clothes by herself.

"It isn't The Four Seasons, but it'll do for now." Rick said to Daryl.

The next few days were spent gathering as many things from the surrounding area as they could. Soon the frost would set in and they would become stuck. But even with what they had found Rick worried there wasn't enough to make it.

"Lori needs more rations." Charlie said to Rick. A few of the group members had begun to meet daily with the officer to go over the day. Glenn, T-Dog, Charlie and Daryl. "The baby won't make it if she keeps starving herself."

Lori had been nothing but nauseous since they left the farm. She hated this place and she hated the meat that Daryl brought back. The smell made her want to vomit. Most days she did.

Rick sighed heavily, Lori was being incredibly difficult with almost half of the group, Beth, Charlie, him and Daryl. What could he do? All Charlie did these days was try to help Lori. But the woman was making it hard.

"Is there any way we can re ration?" Rick asked Glenn trying to stay calm.

"We are already stretching it too thin." Glenn told him looking tired and Rick sighed. They would all starve if they did it.

"Maybe we could find her something for the nausea?" Carol asked from behind the small circle. "When I was pregnant with Sophia I took gravol... It isn't recommended but I think the alternative is worse don't you?"

"Would we be able to find some?" Rick asked worriedly.

"They might have some kind of alternative at that small veterinary office... We passed it on our way here. If you can get me in Daryl I can find it." Charlie said softly.

"Alright, you and Daryl can go on a run to get it." Rick said sighing as he rubbed his face tiredly. He had still been avoiding sleep. Charlie dressed warmly putting on her black gloves, a purple scarf that Beth had found for her and a new pair of black jeans.

Daryl seemed to have similar thoughts. He was outside waiting for her wearing a black leather jacket with a poncho over it, and his leather fingerless gloves. Carol had given him the thing and he felt silly wearing it.

Charlie hopped on the back of his bike and they headed for the small animal clinic.

Daryl pulled into the alley behind the small building, avoiding the dead that stumbled along the main street out front. "Use this." He said, handing over a crowbar.

Charlie took and pried the door open. It didn't take her very long to find what she had been looking for. "Here." She said, shoving a few bottles into Daryl's bag. "These are for Lori." Then she turned back to the cabinet and started moving bottles around.

"What else you think we need?" He asked, noticing the antibiotics she shoved in.

"Something for Rick. He hasn't slept in almost a week... If he keeps it up it won't be good for any of us." She mumbled, finding what she had been looking for. "Here." She said, handing it over. "This should knock him out for a few hours."

Charlie grabbed some bandages, thread and gauze and a few other things, shoving them into her own bag.

"Rick ain't havin' it easy." Daryl said quietly and Charlie nodded in agreement. She stopped a moment and took a look around. There weren't any weird smells or cages with dead animals... She smiled to herself. People had saved their animals.

"So, ya feelin okay lately?" He asked her, knocking her out of whatever she was thinking about. He hadn't seen her smile in a while...

"Yeah. I just wish I wasn't so worried about winter." She pulled her sweater tighter to her body. "It seems like we can't catch a break, ya know?"

"We have the storage facility." He said, knowing it wasn't enough. He wished he could offer her more...

She knew his knuckles were still bothering him, still not having healed from his run in with Randall. He had done quite the number on them. "Let me look at them." She said, reaching for his hand. He did what he was told, watching her as she looked them over.

"Ain't nuthin."

She ran her finger tips over the scaring. "What you did was important D." She said softly. "I hope you know that."

"I did it for you." His voice was almost a whisper, but she heard him. Looking up she wondered what to say.

Instead of saying anything she laced her hand in his and looked at them entwined together. Then she looked up at him. "Thank you."

"Ya don't need to thank me, I'd do anythin' for ya." Daryl said quietly as he looked at her small fragile hands. They were rough from working the farm and he thought maybe even her machete.

"I know you would. I cost you six years of your life." Charlie said quietly as she looked at his rough hands, he had tattoos on them, she recognized the star tattoo and traced it gently. "So thank you."

The other star tattoo was a prison tattoo, Charlie knew from seeing her father's prison tattoo's as a young girl.

"I don't like hurtin' ya." His eyes were pained as he glared back at her. She reached up and touched his face gently. Then, standing up on her toes she kissed him.

Daryl was shocked, but his hands fell to her hips as he pulled her closer. He kissed her right back. And when she seemed done, they moved away from each other, touching foreheads.

"Best man I know." She said, a small smile tracing her lips as she looked back at him. "No one better."

He grumbled, pulling away. "We best get back on the road. We can't have Rick sending Glenn after us." But Charlie smiled to herself. She knew he was embarrassed by her words. But she meant them.

Daryl and Charlie headed out of the clinic getting back on the bike with the supplies safely in a rucksack that was across Charlie's back. They drove back to the storage unit.

Charlie felt Daryl's hair against her face but found it comforting. She held onto him and smiled contently as the winter sun shone over them through the dark clouds. They weren't over any large hurdles yet but at least they could have one or two nice moments.

"You found them?" Rick asked as Charlie climbed off the bike.

"Yeah we found them, give one to her every day an hour before breakfast." Charlie said handing him the bottle. Rick quickly took it as he hurried into the unit where Lori was. Charlie felt shitty for him. He clearly did love Lori but felt betrayed she had hurt him by constantly... Maybe marriage at the end of the world wasn't always valid?

"Where is Glenn and Maggie?" Charlie asked, not seeing the two.

"They went on a run, Carol's with them. Thought they might be able to find some food in the suburbs outside of town." Rick said. "They should be back soon." But Charlie wasn't so sure. She knew Glenn was smart and watched the skies. It was almost dark...

Things were getting tense, Glenn Maggie and Carol had all stopped in a small white house off the main road to look for supplies.

Glenn kept guard while Carol and Maggie went inside to search the kitchen. It took Carol ten minutes before she noticed a middle aged man with dark brown hair and cold grey eyes glaring at her from the kitchen table. How long had he been sitting there?

"Lookie here, we got ourselves a pretty lady!" He called out as five men came out from the basement. Carol tried to stay calm as two of his men took hold of her. They carefully removed her from the house, leaving the China man and Farm girl behind.

"C'mon sugar, we're gonna show ya a good time." The man said smirking as he shoved her into a car and tied her hands together with rope.

Carol didn't know how many roads over they had driven from the small white house Glenn and Maggie were at, but she couldn't help wonder.

They took her inside and it grew abundantly clear of their plans for her.

Her sweater was ripped off first, she tried to fight but her hands were tied. One of the men punched her hard across the face, causing her to fall back onto the wooden floor. He then kneeled down and cut her bra off with his knife, cupping her breasts roughly. He squeezed them hard causing her to scream in pain as her jeans were yanked off.

She was terrified.

The men were cheering and calling out suggestions as someone put a piece of cloth in her mouth so she was gagged. She was them lifted up and slammed onto a table, her hands put out in front as the man pressed himself against her ass and without warning, yanked her panties of. "It won't take long love. We've been alone a long time." The man whispered before ripping into Carol.

Carol whimpered as the table began to creak under the pressure as the man cruelly placed two fingers against her clit and pinched harshly.

Carol sobbed in pain. But she knew to stay as quiet as possible, it would end faster that way. At least that had always been the way with Ed.

He rolled her nipples roughly as another man started licking them, she cringed as he bit down, groaning in pleasure.

She wanted Sophia and God she just wanted to die.

"They ain't back yet. We gotta go after em." Daryl said, worried. "We can't just sit around here." Where the hell were Glenn, Maggie and Carol?

"They should be back." Charlie said worried as she wrapped an arm around Beth in comfort.

"They're back but Carol's missing!" Hershel said worriedly, joining the group. They all froze as Maggie and Glenn came in looking tired.

"Someone's been watching us." Glenn sighed. "We couldn't have been there more than an hour. She was just gone."

"Any sign of a struggle?" Charlie asked. She knew Carol hadn't been feeling too great after the death of her daughter and wondered if she just wandered off... On purpose.

"We saw a grey beater car peel out of the driveway. But by the time we got into our own she was gone." Who would take Carol?

"We gotta look for her." Daryl said grabbing a flash light. Charlie and Rick went outside to look for clues when Charlie saw footprints outside the fence, someone had been spying on them all right.

Charlie suddenly felt afraid. Who the hell would be watching them?

"There's footprints here." She said trying to stay calm as Daryl approached. "And there." Her hand shook as she pointed to the dark woods in front of them.

"Ya stay put. Keep your gun handy. Stay hidden..." Daryl said, anger showing on his features. "Rick and I will follow em."

Charlie nodded, she knew it would be best to keep hidden. She hurried back into the unit as Glenn bolted the gates shut. Rick and Daryl headed off into the forest in search of Carol.

"Charlie are you alright?" Patricia asked worriedly, her niece had turned pale and she realised why. That was the thing about the storage facility, all that stood between you and whatever was on the other side was just a small wire fence. Nothing more.

"Willard." She stuttered, getting to her feet.

"Charlie? Daryl? Come out come out wherever you are." The man sang loudly as he fiddled with the locked gate.

She wanted Daryl here with her as she slammed her hands over her ears in a desperate attempt to block out the man's voice as he taunted her through the gates.

Her nightmare was alive. He was here.

Daryl and Rick followed the tracks finding a house in the woods with the grey car that Glenn and Maggie had seen driving away from the store. Hearing screaming from the house the two men peered through the windows.

Lying tied up and on her stomach was Carol. She had tears running down her face as she lay still, unmoving.

Daryl kicked down the door hurrying towards Carol and Rick wrapped a blanket around her. Daryl checked for any people and saw how frail Carol looked. There were bruises on her face and her hands were cuffed.

"Carol, Carol can you hear me?" Rick asked urgently.

Carol whimpered.

"Jesus what happened?" Rick asked concerned. He picked her up and carried her outside to where the car was and Daryl started hot wiring the engine. They quickly got inside and started the car.

"They're heading for the storage unit. They know where we were and they've been following us." Carol managed to whisper through the blood loss. Daryl stepped on the pedal.

He hoped to Christ that Charlie was okay. They drove towards the storage unit where they saw Glenn waiting. He quickly helped them inside.

Charlie sat with a gun in her hands, tapping it up and down on her knee. And there to Daryl's dismay sat his father, Willard Dixon.

As soon as she saw Daryl, it was like he broke the spell and she quickly got up, walking towards him. They placed Carol on one of the mattresses, leaving Hershel to look over her wounds.

"Daryl." Charlie said, taking his arm. She lead him outside to a spot they could not be overheard. "How is this possible?" She asked him. "How out of all the death could Will Dixon survive? And how did he even find us?"

"I'll kill him." Daryl seethed, moving to head back towards the man who had raped Carol. Charlie reached out, grabbing hold of his arm, "Let me go." He said coldly, looking back at her.

"I ain't sayin no D. In fact I wouldn't mind killin the man myself. But we need to know where the rest of his men are."

Daryl felt his blood run cold at the thought of there being men who were a part of Will's group, he nodded at her as he stormed back towards Will. His father already had a black eye and busted lip courtesy of Charlie.

"Well look who it is? Darylina and his little whore." Will sneered, as glaring at them.

Without waiting Daryl punched him, Will spat out blood, laughing in return. He had been waiting for this.

"Where's the rest of yer fuckin' group, ya son of a bitch?" Daryl growled menacingly, kicking his father's chair over roughly. It hit the floor with Will Dixon still inside of it. You could hear his face crack on the hard concrete below. "It's fine, even if you don't tell us you know I will find em. Kill em." Daryl said. He could feel the group glaring at him. But he shrugged it off. They didn't know just how evil this man truly was.

Daryl unleashed his fury on the man as the others watched in shock. Daryl brutally beat him, one shot after another while Will was down.

"Daryl maybe we need to talk about this?" Hershel said quietly. But Rick's hand went out, stopping him. What he had done to Carol was unforgivable. In Rick's opinion, the man deserved what he got.

Will was bruised and bloodied by the time Daryl was finished with him. Will's chest was hurting like hell as he glared back at Daryl. He smirked through the pain, knowing that he would die.

"Miss me sugar? I missed you?" He groaned, smiling up at her. Charlie didn't wait for Daryl's boot to hit the man again, she raised her weapon and took the kill shot. Straight to the head.

The group was silent, no one saying anything. They were all in shock. As Daryl began dragging his father's body away Glenn and Rick went outside to talk.

"Tell me that in there was justified." Glenn said, his face stern as he pointed to the blood soaked metal cube.

"They gang raped Carol." Rick said, shifting on his feet. It was a habit for the man, when he was upset or nervous. "They beat her and left her tied to a table. I can only imagine the hell Daryl was put through not to mention Charlie. That in there... Was justified."

"We need to tell the others. They need to understand." Glenn agreed, worried that they would question Rick's judgment. "And then I think it would be best if we locked this place down. Frost is sticking, we can't live in fear of snow, walkers and that man's group."

Charlie went to help Daryl take care of Will's body. Rick went back inside where the others were to talk it over with them. Rick saw a pool of blood from where Charlie had shot and killed Will.

"Please tell me that you are kicking Daryl and Charlie out of the group after what he did, Rick?!" Lori hissed angrily.

"Will wasn't a good man. They did what they had to... I won't go into detail out of respect for them but yes I think it was justified Lori, and I don't give a fuck if you assume otherwise." Rick growled. Lori went white as she looked at him in disbelief, shocked that he was disregarding her opinion. She wanted to know why they were getting away with this.

"I agree with Rick, Daryl did what he had to after what Will did to Carol..." Beth said confidently, "I think we all need to move on from it."

"Beth is right." Carol choked out, "That man... Was despicable."

The next month was hard. The group was low on food, most days not eating anything at all. The cold only worsened and with it snow fell and wind blew.

Charlie tended to Carol as she recovered from her injuries. She taught Beth how to fix broken ribs, tend to stitches and other various injuries with the limited resources they had at the storage unit.

They were tired and hungry, they had to use the fuel sparingly in case they had to run. Everyone was exhausted, even Charlie who was checking Lori over and going over her medical history.

"I had pre-eclampsia when I was pregnant with Carl and I had a c - section." Lori admitted grudgingly. Why the damn woman hadn't told her sooner... Charlie hated Lori.

Charlie suddenly felt worried although she didn't show it, if Lori had a c - section with Carl. The chances were that she would need one with the baby that she was having this time around. They sure as hell couldn't do it in the self-storage. They would need a better, cleaner and dryer place to call home.