In The Bleak Midwinter

by sjb8706

Caryl find each other on the road during wintertime. ZA AU where Carol leaves the kingdom and strikes out on her own. She heads north. Implied that after losing everything Daryl tracks her down. They begin their life together and celebrate Christmas. It's pretty fluffy at the end.

10. Chapter 10

FWD: Inspired by the song "Sister Winter" By Sufjan Stevens. The constant travel, cold, and lack of sleep catches up with Daryl. +++++++++++++++++++

Chapter 10: Sister Winter

When she woke up a few hours later, the entire house was dark and a chill from outside had set in. She sat up and pulled the blanket around her shoulders and shuffled to the window to look outside again. The slow moving dead were still trickling through the trees none the wiser to her presence in the house. She heard a loud thump and the sound of the kitchen door unsticking from its seal.

The wind blew him inside and she heard the sound of walkers nipping at his heel. He shoved the door closed quickly and shook out his hair and slipped off his boots to walk around in his threadbare socks.

"And you thought my old coat was bad." she said to him from the living room.

He looked up at her absentmindedly. "Huh?"

"Your socks." she nodded her head in the direction of his visible toes. He shrugged, picked up his boots, and walked down the hall and up to the bedroom. She threw the blanket over the back of the couch and followed him. When she arrived at the bedroom door she noticed it was closed. She leaned her forehead against the chilled wood surface and sighed.

"What are ya doin'?" he asked from behind her.

She whipped her head around and frowned at him. His face and neck were flushed red and his eyes looked drawn and tired. "Are you okay?" She asked.

He shrugged and leaned against the wall and spoke softly, "Just tired I 'spose."

She walked toward him and reached her hand up to touch his face in a soothing manner. She frowned and put the back of her hand against his forehead and neck. "You have a fever." A look of worry washed across her face.

"I'm just tired." he insisted stepping away from her. "gonna lay down."

"What were you doing outside?" she asked. "Were you bit?"

He scoffed at her worried reaction and walked through the bedroom door, "I ain't been bit." He crawled onto the bed and sprawled onto his back. He winced as he readjusted his aching body and instantly shivered when the cool pillow hit his neck in just the right spot.

"Daryl?"

"You want me to tell you I feel like I know I look? Ya already know I gotta fever!" he bit angrily.

"Why didn't you say anything this morning?"

"Don't ask me to explain myself." he groused bitterly. She sucked in a breath at the insult and made her way to the bedroom door. She heard him sigh, "I'm sorry."