Author's Note: I love you guys! The reviews and support continue to amaze me. Just two more chapters after this and this story will be over. I'm watching TWD marathon right now so I'm being overwhelmed by how much I miss original recipe Daryl and just how far Carol has come from that simpering, abused woman. I'm glad that woman is dead and buried and we have the awesome, kickass Carol now.

Thank you again for all the reviews and this chapter is kind of a bridge to the next emotional chapter.

XOXO Pamela

10. Flood

The one week Caesar gave the former prison group turned into six more. A nasty ice storm slammed Georgia and there was no possible way the group could venture out into that weather. Caesar allowed them to stay until spring started to worm its way back into their world. Green grass sprouted from the browned ground, the temperature became milder and the thaw Carol had so anticipated finally came. The soothing symphony of the river once again could be enjoyed.

Rick respected Carol's wishes and the group never came to the main camp area, except for Rick to get supplies or to talk to Caesar or Pete. Pete became the main go between for the two groups. Caesar's presence was too volatile and Carol still refused to let anyone but Rick and Daryl know of her existence. Pete volunteered to help the prison group with whatever they needed and he seemed to spend more and more time over there. It became apparent to Carol that someone in that camp had caught the young hunter's fancy. She wasn't sure who it was, though. She never asked and whenever Pete would try to bring them up into conversation, she made sure to change the subject in a subtle way.

She and Caesar's relationship had been strained for a couple of weeks after their arrival. She was not happy with the group's continued presence. She became petulant and surly at times and her anger would be set off at the smallest of issues. They had some particularly nasty spats and Caesar had actually left and moved into Carol's old cabin for a few days. The loneliness and heartache at him leaving had her going over there one night in just a shirt and nothing else. She lost the shirt as soon as she entered the cabin and slid into bed with him. Once he realized she was there, begging him to forgive her displaced anger, they spent the night and most of the next day making up. He told her that she needed to face all of them or she would never be truly free. She balked at the suggestion but he told her to think about it and he would support whatever decision she made. They came to a fragile understanding and Caesar moved back home. Every so often, he would make the suggestion that she go see the other group but never truly pressed the issue.

Carol was sitting out on the back porch that morning while preparing new lesson plans for the children. She couldn't help but wonder if Carl was getting some semblance of an education. No matter what he had been through, he was still a boy and Lori had always ensured that he was given some schooling, even when they were on the open road. Carol doubted Rick had the mindset to put Carl's education as any sort of priority. She hoped Michonne or Daryl would try. They both had strong bonds with the teen and Daryl had always agreed with Carol and Lori's emphasis on education. He had been a driving force in her starting the story time with the children of the prison.

She was so caught up in her musings she didn't hear Pete approach and she jumped when he touched her shoulder. "Shit, you scared me!" She put a hand on her chest, her heart racing.

"Sorry, I sure didn't mean to. Working on some new lessons?" He said, peeking over her shoulder at the papers she had spread out.

"Yes, I've been inspired by the river thawing. I'm going to talk about the major rivers. First, in America and then the world." She had found an atlas and some geography books stashed in the storage area and had the atlas already bookmarked for the different lessons she planned.

"It's a good idea. No matter what happens in this world, sometimes kids need to be kids and have some sort of continued education. Can I sit?" He motioned to the chair next to her and she nodded. He sat and faced the river and they sat like that for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of the water. He was still watching the river as he began to speak again. "The other group is going to leave tomorrow. Seems like the redneck guy got confirmation of some kind of sanctuary that will take them in."

Carol wasn't prepared for the flood of emotion that hit her. She steadied her breathing before she spoke. "It's good that they found a place to go. We need to make sure they are allowed to take at least one camper and we can spare a car, too. Do you know if they have enough supplies?"

"Yeah, they've got everything they need. They're leaving at first light tomorrow." He sighed before resuming. "One wants to stay behind. And I'm asking you to let her stay. I've gotten to know her and she's a good person, she will be able to contribute. She's a fighter. She's got no one left. Her husband, father and sister died. I care about her, Carol, and I think she feels the same way about me."

So that's who it was. Maggie. Carol's heart still grieved for Glenn. He should still be alive, with the group, with the woman he loved. It was unfathomable that Maggie wouldn't always love Glenn but at this point, Carol was the last person who could judge. She wouldn't look at Pete for fear he'd be able to see everything she was feeling right now.

If Pete noticed anything but her silence, he didn't say so. "I know you have only met with a couple of them but I've gotten to know all of them. They're decent people. But they've seen and lost a lot. Maggie, that's her, was telling me about one person they lost, she said she was their first lady. Used to run things at the prison, was on some kind of council, taught the kids that were there. Turns out something happened there that killed some of the group. This woman, the first lady, did something to try to stop it. It didn't work and that Rick guy kicked her out. I guess she and the redneck had something going on so he had been looking for her since. Until they got here. She said he just stopped looking. She said the night they arrived here he and Rick got into a knock down drag out brawl. They haven't talked since and Daryl stopped looking for her and spent his time getting info on the sanctuary."

Carol lowered her head, the tears she thought dried up weeks ago blurring her vision. Her voice cracked as she spoke. "Pete. I can't"

He finally looked at her. "I think you need to. They all miss you. Most of them think you're still out there. Even the guy whose girlfriend you killed, he's helped with the search. They're confused about why the redneck just quit looking. I think you owe it to yourself and to them to get some closure. You'll regret it if you don't." His face was sympathetic and he leaned over and pulled her to him. "Don't add one more thing to that great big regret pile you've been accumulating. Don't forget I know you. I know how big your heart is and you still care about them. You really want them to walk out of your life again without saying goodbye? You've been given a second chance to say goodbye. Don't throw it away."

She held onto him as she silently cried. "I'm so tired of crying. The thought of seeing them tears me up inside. I'm so ashamed of what I did and I'm so angry that Rick didn't give me a chance to plead my case. I lost the chance to be there for the people I loved and they died. I don't know if I have the strength the face them."

He spoke into the top of her head so his voice was muffled. "You are the strongest person I know. I know you can do this. I'll be right there with you, Caesar too. Please. Just to say goodbye."

She held onto him for a moment while she willed herself to make the decision. "Okay," she breathed. "I need you to go back there and tell them I'm here and I want to see them. I'll have Caesar bring me down. If this doesn't work, you're going to need to start getting books on how to be a therapist, because I'm going to need some major counseling."

"That's my girl. I swear I'll keep Psychiatry for Dummies handy just in case." He disentangled himself from her and stood. "Give me an hour and then head down to the camp. It's a good thing they're leaving. That area is a flood zone and the water level is getting high down where they are. It's gonna be a bitch to move all those campers." He headed to the steps but then stopped. "One hour. Promise you'll be there?"

"I promise. You're right. I'll never forgive myself if I don't do it." He started down the steps and she called out to him once more. "Maggie is the luckiest of ladies, you know that?"

"Well, you never would accept any of my marriage proposals. Your loss is Maggie's gain." With his trademark Pete smirk, he trotted off toward the other camp and for the first time in weeks, Carol felt ready to really let go.