Despite the early hour, their family and some of the other residents of Alexandria had come to bid them farewell. Daryl bundled the last of their things into the trunk, slamming it shut before he turned to find himself surrounded by an armful of Aaron who was sniffling into his shoulder, clinging onto him with an iron clad grip.
"We'll miss you for spaghetti night's," he gasped out. "You and Carol better come visit us."
Daryl patted Aaron's shoulder and gently pushed him away only to nod his head in a silent promise as he sought out his significant other, noting how she was being drawn into several pairs of arms all at once, and for a moment he just watched her. She was loved in this community, and not just by her family either. She had become an integral member of Alexandria, shaping people's lives more than she knew, and he hoped she could see just how much she meant to everyone. As she drew ever closer to Rick and Michonne, he could see that her resolve had started to crumble, and his protectiveness took over. He moved towards her, knowing that this final goodbye with Rick would be the hardest to bear...for all three of them...
Carol was already crying by the time she came to Rick. She was trying so hard not to fall apart, but when she saw that he was barely holding himself together, she lost it completely when she wrapped her arms around him. The two of them clung to each other, both crying into each other's shoulders until Carol slowly started to move.
"I'm going to miss you," she told him tearfully as she framed his face between both of her hands. "But you'll come visit, and we can come visit...it's not really goodbye."
"No, not goodbye," he choked out as he closed his hands over hers on his face and squeezed her fingers. "You two...take care of each other…take care of him..."
"You know I will," she told him with a teary smile as she gave his fingers one final squeeze before dropping his hands. Stepping to the side, she smiled at Michonne who pulled her in for another hug,both women holding onto each other for a few heartbreaking moments before Carol finally moved away...but staying close to her friends side where they watched their two men struggling to hold themselves together.
Daryl was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his emotions under control. These people had become the family he wished he'd had when he was growing up, but he also knew that he wouldn't have been the man he was now if he'd had a stable beginning. His eyes met his brother's tear filled gaze and he crumbled, trying desperately to hide behind his unruly hair that hung half over his eyes.
Rick pulled him in for a hug, holding him close as they both fought to remain in control of their torrid sadness, but when Rick patted Daryl's shoulder and pulled away, they held onto each other's forearms arms while they tried to compose themselves.
"Stay safe, my brother," Rick told him as he released his arm and stepped away to stand beside Michonne who wrapped her arm around his waist. "We'll see you both soon."
Daryl nodded, swiping fiercely at his eyes as he moved towards the car, glancing back one last time at his family before climbing in behind the steering wheel. Carol followed, moving towards the passenger door. She pulled it open before she looked at each of her family in turn, tears falling unchecked over her cheeks. Spotting Morgan standing on his own beside one of the houses, she smiled tearfully, nodding her head in thanks before she took one last look at the people she loved.
"We love you," she told them all, her voice breaking a little as she gave them one final wave before she climbed into the car beside the man she loved, and swiped at the tears on her face.
"You ready?" Daryl asked as he looked across at her, reaching out for her hand. She grasped his fingers, laughing and crying at the same time before she released him to wave at the people who were calling out words of love and goodbye to them when the car started to move. She waved until they were out of the gate, and kept on waving until Rosita pulled the gate back into position and she couldn't see them anymore. Turning back around she looked towards the man beside her and slid her hand across the seat to lay across his jean clad thigh, smiling through her tears as they drove away.
000
They had been driving for half the day when Daryl pointed to the approaching structure in the distance. The road was littered with dozens of walkers whose attention was drawn to their car as they drove passed. Their disjointed groans echoing in the air as their dead eyes and grasping hands failed to make contact with the moving vehicle.
"Almost there," he told her, shooting her a half grin before he turned his eyes back onto the road. "See?"
Carol laid her head back against the headrest and smiled across at Daryl as he drove. She couldn't believe that this was finally happening...this was the first day of their new beginning and already she could feel the heaviness around her starting to lift from her shoulders. She released a soft sigh and pulled herself upright in her seat, following his finger when he pointed again. She smiled brightly when the high gates came into view, her eyes instantly drawn to the figures who were on guard duty, waving a signal to someone inside the complex, and the gate slowly swung open.
"Ya ready for this?" Daryl asked her as they drove through the gates, the car coming to a stop just inside.
"Yes," she beamed as she reached across to grab his hand. "I'm so ready."
Daryl squeezed her fingers before releasing her hand to push his door open and climbed out of the car. Carol grinned happily as she unclipped her seatbelt and followed, opening the door to step out onto the sandy ground.
"Carol!"
Turning, Carol saw Maggie rushing towards her, her arms outstretched as they fell into each other, both of them sniffing back the tears when they pulled away.
"Maggie," Carol gasped out when her eyes lowered to the younger woman's swelling stomach. "You're huge!"
"I know," Maggie laughed as she turned to the side and smoothed her hands over her growing baby bump proudly. "It seemed to grow overnight."
"You sure there's only one in there?" Carol asked with a wide smile as she spread her fingers over Maggie's pregnant belly.
"Unless one's hiding, I'm pretty sure!"
"I was so big with Sophia, I thought…" Carol's words died away when the sudden memory of her pregnancy brought a tinge of sadness through her, but she pushed it away and dropped her fingers away from Maggie's stomach. Smiling brightly she looked across to Daryl who came to stand beside her, slipping an arm over her shoulder.
"Ya good?" he asked her worriedly when she smiled up at him with wet eyes. At her nod he leaned across to place his lips against her temple, loving how much freer he already felt. Touching her, even holding her hand were things that other people may have scoffed at, but for him, it meant everything. He was a Dixon man, defying all other Dixon males before him...he had fallen in love...
"It's good to see you too Daryl," Maggie greeted, her lips turning upwards into a smile when she saw his face flush. Up to now he hadn't even acknowledged her...he was far too captivated by the beautiful woman standing by his side.
"You too," he nodded, his lips curling into a half smile. Slipping his arm away from Carol's shoulders he reached across to pull Maggie into a brief one armed hug before letting her go. His eyes drifted down to her swollen stomach briefly only to nod his head towards the car.
"Got some stuff from Rick," he told her as he moved back towards the car, popping open the trunk to look around towards some of the people who had come to greet them. "Someone wanna haul this stuff to Maggie's place?"
"David...Reece, can you take them to my room?" Maggie asked as she looked towards two of the burlier men who both nodded and took various bags and boxes from the trunk. "Did he say what's in them?"
"Nah...stuff for the kid maybe."
"I think it's some of Judith's old clothes," Carol offered as she lifted the last battered box out of the trunk to peer inside. "Yep, baby stuff."
Daryl motioned for her to give him the box in her arms and she looked at him with a curious smile. Since they had been together he'd become so attentive towards her. Even though he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, it didn't stop him from acting kind of chivalrous towards her. She smiled as she handed it to him, part of her delighted that he loved her enough to want to take care of her.
"The rest is ours," Carol told him as she rummaged through the bags that were left. "I didn't even know we had so much stuff."
"Me neither," he grinned as he slammed the trunk shut. "Ya sure Rick didn't stick some of his crap on us?"
"Who knows with that man," Carol chuckled softly as she leaned against his arm. "I don't think he wanted us to go."
Before he could answer, Maggie came around the car to stand with them, her bright smile lingering over her lips when she regarded the two of them fondly.
"I never thought I'd ever see the day when you two finally made things official!" her teasing grin caused Daryl to huff and shrug his shoulders when he passed the box in his hands onto one of the men beside him. "If you two want to grab whatever you can carry, I'll take you to your house."
"I can help," a soft voice spoke behind them and they both turned to see Jesus coming to stand beside Daryl, his eyes instantly settling on Carol as she looked at him curiously.
Carol eyed him with a knowing smile. She could see from the way he stood close to Daryl that he wasn't interested in her in the slightest. His body language screamed of his attraction, but if Daryl noticed that he was essentially being ogled over, he didn't say anything...so, as any woman staking a claim on her man, she slipped her hand into his, squeezing his fingers to bring his attention to her. She smiled up at him adoringly when his lips landed onto her forehead in the briefest of kisses, but it was enough to send the message to the man watching them with a mixture of curiosity and disappointment.
"This is Jesus," Daryl told her as he untangled their fingers to slide an arm around her shoulders. "I know ya didn't get to see him before."
Carol's eyes left Daryl's face to look towards Jesus and nodded to him. "I'm Carol."
"Ahh, the cook?" Jesus nodded, his eyes watching her when he spoke. "No, I didn't get to meet you, or tell you how much I enjoyed the meal you prepared."
"Hey, she's a lot more than a damn cook ya stupid asshole," Daryl growled, only to get a nudge in the shoulder by the woman in question.
"Daryl, I'm sure Jesus didn't mean to imply that's all I was," she told him softly, her eyes lingering over his before she diverted her gaze onto the startled man who was watching them.
"No, my apologies," Jesus smiled as he held out a hand. "It's good to finally meet you."
Carol shook his hand and held his gaze. She saw the light fade in his eyes briefly when he glanced down at the knife on her belt, and when he looked back up at her, she gave him a look that told him she knew exactly how to use it. He cautiously dropped her hand to stand back, looking at her a little nervously.
"Good to meet you too."
Jesus nodded, lowering his eyes back to the car when Daryl opened the trunk and pulled out two rucksacks, handing one to him first, and then another to Carol. She lifted the heavy pack, sliding the strap onto her shoulder before reaching into the trunk to take another one, while Daryl grabbed the remaining two as well as his crossbow. Maggie moved to take the bag from Carol's grasp but dropped her hand when the older woman refused, shaking her head in a definite no..
"I can carry one bag, Carol," Maggie grinned. "Honestly I'm okay."
"Maybe so, but I've got this, it's fine."
Smiling brightly, Maggie started walking beside her only to look across to Daryl who placed his hand on Carol's arm, halting her movements. Carol smiled up at him questioningly when he slipped the cumbersome rucksack from her shoulder to replace it with his crossbow, before pulling the heavy pack he'd taken from her over his own shoulder. The look they shared was one of pure devotion, and for a moment Carol allowed her gaze to linger over him before she tore her eyes from his to follow Maggie.
When they were a little way in front, Jesus walked beside Daryl, eyeing the two women as they moved away from them.
"So, that's the woman who busted your group out of terminus?" he mused, his lips curving upwards into a smile. "She's fierce!"
Daryl glanced at the man who began walking beside him, his pride soaring when his eyes fell onto the woman he loved. Turning back towards Jesus again, he grinned, unable to hide the laugh that bubbled up inside him. "Don't ya ever forget it, neither."
"Don't you worry, I don't think I'll be trying to piss her off any time soon," Jesus muttered, shaking his head as they followed the two women towards a little house in the distance. "We put another bed in the second bedroom...we didn't know if you two..."
"Only need one bed," Daryl scoffed. "And we're done with sleeping on the damn floor."
"Well, I hope you like the house," Jesus told him with a gesture towards the house they were approaching, while glancing across at the man who had piqued the interests of both men, and women, in all three of the neighbouring communities.
"As long as she likes it s'all that matters," Daryl told him as he sped up a little to catch up with the two women when they stopped to wait for them, leaving Jesus to look on in disappointment.
The house was surrounded by a rickety white painted fence that had a few mismatched posts that propped certain parts of it upright. The paint was chipping from the wood and the gate was held on by only one hinge, but Carol looked upon the house with a wide smile. The outside needed some maintenance, but to her, it was perfect. Turning towards Daryl, she grinned at him excitedly when Maggie moved up the two wooden steps to push the front door open wide and waited for them to follow. Reaching out for him, Carol grabbed hold of his sleeve, not giving him any time to put his rucksacks on the ground, as she pulled him into the house.
As soon as they were inside, he dumped all three of his bags onto the wooden floor in the hall before helping her with hers, piling them all together in a small heap. Her smile was infectious when she handed him his crossbow, watching as he placed it next to their belongings, and before he knew what was happening, she grabbed hold of his hand and led him into one of the rooms, looking around at the decor and the large bed with approval.
"Is this okay?" Maggie asked when she followed them into the bedroom. "The bed is from the main house and a lot better that the one that was already in here, that's in the other bedroom...there's some food in the cupboards, oh and there's a working freezer."
"It's perfect, Maggie," Carol told her with a bright smile. "I think we're going to like it here."
Maggie held out her hand, clutching Carol's fingers in hers. "The guys brought back a load of seeds from their last run. I've left them in one of the kitchen drawers if you want to plant them...I'm so happy you're here."
"So are we," Carol told her happily as she released Daryl's hand to walk with Maggie when she moved back towards the front door.
"I'll leave you both to settle in...but if you need anything I'll be in the main house."
"We'll be over in the morning," Carol smiled, glancing back to see that Daryl hadn't moved from the bedroom and was now sitting perched on the edge of their new bed, bouncing a little on the mattress. Shaking her head, she reached out to draw Maggie into a warm embrace, holding onto her for a few more moments before letting her go. "We'll see you tomorrow and you can add us to the work rota's...you know how Daryl gets when he's sitting still for too long."
"I know," Maggie smiled as she stepped back out into the sunshine where Jesus was waiting for her. "We'll talk about it later. Get some rest and I'll see you both tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," Carol nodded, smiling blissfully as she closed the door firmly and slid the bolt across. Turning back around, she looked around the hall and felt all of her worries melt away.
000
The house was a lot like the little hermit house that Carol had chosen for herself before the war with Negan. It had two large bedrooms and a big enough kitchen for all of their needs. The bathroom was small but functional and thanks to the newly acquired solar panels they even had hot running water. The living room contained two small couches and various bookcases that were littered with various books...and for a moment Carol silently thanked the previous occupants for their taste in literature.
She was looking through some of the books that were stacked on a shelf when Daryl wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin onto her shoulder.
"You okay?" he asked, his lips grazing the shell of her ear when he spoke.
"Mmm," she smiled, placing her hands over his on her stomach. "I'm happy…"
"Me too," he mumbled as he kissed her just below her ear. "Don't seem real…"
Carol squeezed his fingers before she turned in his arms, melting into his chest as she wrapped herself around him, relishing the closeness and the knowledge that this whole house was theirs.
"This reminds me of that little house," she mused, tucking her head beneath his chin. "But this place is a lot bigger."
"Yeah," he mused as he kissed her head. "I thought about staying with ya there you know?"
Leaning her head back a little, Carol looked up at him with a sad smile. Lifting her hand up to his chin she skimmed her fingertips over his skin before she shifted her arms to glide up and around his shoulders to bury her fingers into his hair.
"I didn't want you to leave," she told him when he pressed his lips to her forehead. "I didn't think I wanted to be with anyone, but when I saw you…"
"I think I woulda stayed if ya'd asked me," he sighed, his words muffled against her skin. "No...I know I woulda stayed."
"I know," she told him, her voice no more than a whisper when he tilted his head lower to press their foreheads together.
"Why didn't ya ask?"
Her breath hitched a little in her throat as memories of that day filled her with a mixture of joy and sadness. She'd known that he was just teetering over an edge that day, and even though she selfishly wanted to keep him close to her, she'd known that neither of them were ready for anything other than the relationship they already had...she'd been broken just as much as him...
"I knew it wasn't the right time," she whispered against his lips, her eyes darting up to catch his gaze. "I knew you were holding something back from me...I knew…and when Morgan told me what happened...I loved you so much for trying to keep me safe…"
"I didn't want ya to be anywhere near that asshole," his breath fanned her lips as he spoke, his whispered words pulling her in even closer. "I wanted you safe, and if he'd a known about you and what you meant to me, he'd a hurt ya just ta hurt me, and I couldn't…"
"I'm here," she told him urgently when his voice hitched. "He's dead, and he can't hurt you anymore...We're here and we're together...he can't take that from us…"
"I…"
"I love you," she whispered as her lips closed over his, stealing any words from him before he could speak. She tugged him in tighter so that their bodies were flush together. She couldn't seem to get enough of this man...every time they kissed she could feel the heat coursing through her body, from her heart all the way down to her toes. As she felt his tongue run urgently across her lower lip, she opened for him instantly, taking him inside her mouth as she lost herself in him and his kiss.
000
"Did ya know about this?" Daryl's voice called from the other bedroom sometime later, his voice echoing through the house. Carol was in the middle of taking an inventory of items in the kitchen, but stopped to place the cans of beans she'd found back into the cupboard when she heard him.
"Daryl?" she asked when she moved out into the hall, unsure of which room he was in. Moving towards the bedrooms, she was about to call out to him when she heard his voice.
"In here," he called. "I found some stuff Rick put in here."
Carol walked into the second bedroom and smiled at the sight of him sitting on the spare bed, his fingers tracing a page of what looked like a small photo album. His eyes lifted to hers when she came in to sit beside him, ignoring the creak of the metal bed frame when it protested against their combined weight.
"He musta put it in the pack when he put our stuff in the car," he told her as he slid the album partly onto her lap, the pages spilling open to reveal long forgotten faces of the people they loved.
"Merle?" she gasped out in wonder as her fingertip traced the outline of his face, barely visible in the background of the small polaroid photograph of Beth and Carl. "How?"
"Remember the camera Glenn picked up on that run for Asskicker's crib? He brought that back with him and I told him I'd shove it up his ass if he came anywhere near me, but he kept pointing it in my damn face everywhere I went."
"And he caught Merle," she beamed, turning her head to place a kiss onto his shoulder. "Do you think Maggie's seen this?"
"Dunno, maybe," he sighed. "Thought Rick woulda showed her. She can't have anythin' left of Beth now."
Carol looked down at the young blonde girl and sighed. After Grady she often felt that whatever Daryl had shared with Beth, it was something that had been enough for him to lose himself in grief...and after all this time, even now that she was with him in every possible way, sometimes she felt that tiny twinge of jealousy spark inside her...and she couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different if Beth had survived...pushing those thoughts away she leaned into his arm and smiled at the memory of the older Dixon brother and his unique way with words.
"I liked Merle," she told him softly before she turned the page hoping to see more photos, but the other pages were empty. Tears pricked at her eyes when she thought of everyone they'd lost since the quarry...far too many people. "He loved you, you know. Maybe he didn't say it in so many words, but he did."
"Since when did you and Merle get so pally with each other?" he asked gruffly, turning his head to watch her with irritated eyes.
"Oh, when you brought him back to the prison with you," she mused, feeling slightly better knowing that she wasn't the only one to harbour a little jealousy. "I took him some food and we got talking."
"Pfft, Merle never talked decent to anyone, especially women," he scoffed. "What'd you two talk about anyway?"
"Oh, just you," she told him with a bright smile when she lifted a hand up to ruffle her fingers through his hair. "Well, I mainly talked and he just...listened…"
"Huh?"
"I may have...threatened him," she told him nonchalantly. "Shocked the hell out of him!"
"I bet," he grinned, pride blossoming in his blue eyes. "My brother had a big mouth, but I'da liked to have seen his face!"
"Do you want to see if we can find a frame around here?" she asked as she pulled her fingers from his hair to slide her hand down his back, hooking her thumb into the waistband of his jeans. "We could put it on show if you want to."
"Nah, s'alright," he sighed, his voice humming against her temple. "Kinda nice to keep 'em in one place...Merle and Beth."
"Yeah," she sighed as she leaned against his side, the question forming on her lips before she could stop it. "Do you miss her?"
Turning his head to glance down at her, he frowned when he saw the apprehension in her eyes. Snapping the album shut, he put it onto the bed beside him and regarded her for a few moments before he reached for her hand. "No more than I miss Glenn, or Hershall. It weren't never like that with her...she forced me to keep going. I was gonna come look for ya right before the governor attacked us, but then everything went to shit. I'd lost you...I'd lost everyone and I gave up...she made me believe I'd find all a ya again."
"I gave up too," she told him then, the sadness welling inside her. "After Rick told me I couldn't go back, I thought I'd never see you again."
Daryl shifted, pulling himself off of the bed to drop to his knees in front of her. Taking her hands, he clasped them in between both of his and held on tight.
"This place is ours...yours and mine…" he told her as he lifted himself higher onto his knees to bring their joined hands to his lips. "The past is the past, and this is about you an' me."
"You and me," she nodded as she shuffled forward to lay her forehead against his. "I'm sorry for spoiling it."
"Y'ain't gotta be sorry," his voice was soft as he spoke. "And y'ain't spoilin' nothin'...c'mon."
Pushing himself back to his feet he pulled her up with him. Releasing one of her hands he grasped her other a little tighter, dropping the album onto the bed before leading her out of the room.
"Where are we going?" she asked with a curious smile, her feet moving of their own accord as she willingly followed him.
"Been a long day," he grinned when they came to a stop beside their new bed. Keeping hold of her hand, he sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her into the V of his legs. Stepping closer she untangled their fingers and placed both of her hands onto his shoulders before wrapping her arms around him to hold his head securely against her stomach.
They stayed that way for a few more moments until Carol began to move, lifting her hands to lace her fingers through his hair before she bent her head to seal their mouths together in a slow, tender kiss that inflamed the sparks deep inside her. Carol increased the pressure, and with a gentle movement she eased him slowly backwards, manoeuvring herself with him until they lay tangled side by side on the mattress.
When their lips finally parted, they laid together across the bed, neither of them wanting to move. Carol snuggled closer, her lips grazing his throat as she lifted herself up onto one elbow to smile down at his closed eyes. Lowering her head, she kissed across the bridge of his nose before placing soft kisses over his face, delighted in the soft contented sighs he rewarded her with. Lifting herself up a little higher, she watched his eyes flutter open before she dipped her head again, capturing his mouth in a kiss that left him groaning for her touch.
She smiled against his lips as she lifted her body higher, keeping their mouths joined. His fingers came up to skim across her arms, his loving touch igniting the embers that always simmered inside her whenever they made love. Shifting her body over his, she straddled his upper thighs and suddenly pulled her mouth from his, both of them gasping for breath, only to gravitate together a second later. Their lips met in a series of tiny kisses, one after another until Carol broke the contact, pulling away to sit up. Her eyes were aflame as she shifted her hips slightly to settle her aching core over his hardness beneath his jeans. Gliding her hands up over his stomach, she slipped her fingers beneath his t shirt, bunching the material a little higher to reveal more of his silken skin.
"Carol…"
"Shh…" she whispered as she bend over his torso, pushing the cotton fabric higher still until it was gathered beneath his armpits. He gasped in a ragged breath when her tongue ran across his flat nipple, lavishing it with soft kisses before she began a slow trek lower, licking and kissing her way over his stomach until she came to the waistband of his jeans.
Daryl's head was spinning...her nimble fingers were working on his belt while her lips distracted him. He was awash with need...desire and want seeping from his mouth with soft groans that only seemed to spur her on, and before he had time to comprehend what was happening, she had released him from his jeans and pulling him into her mouth in one fluid movement...and he could only claw at the sheets beneath his fingers in lustful desperation. His eyes snapped closed as he tried to keep his body still, trying desperately to stop his fingers from tangling in her hair as she licked her way over his swollen member. He gasped out her name, trying to warn her that he couldn't hold on for much longer, but his disjointed groans only caused her to quicken her pace, licking and sucking until he came apart, groaning out her name over and over until he saw stars bursting behind his eyes. Hiis body shook with wave after wave of blissful pleasure until he panted breathlessly, boneless and spent beneath her delicate lips.
When he finally opened his eyes, he looked up at her in complete awe. She smiled beautifully as she kissed her way slowly back up his body, while he tried to regain some kind of feeling back into his heavy limbs. When she reached his mouth, she lifted herself up and off him, her eyes bright and full of love.
"Hi," she whispered, her eyes holding his gaze. "You okay?"
The growl that erupted from him took them both by surprise when he lunged for her, flipping her onto her back to loom over her with pure passion shining in his eyes. Lowering his head, he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth only to release it a second later.
"Daryl," she gasped when he lunged for her throat, dropping open mouthed kisses over her sensitive skin before he pulled away to loom over her, his eyes flashing with fire as he lowered his mouth to her ear.
"My turn..."
Tbc