Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"You worry too much," Sasha told Beth as they walked the yard.
"What else is there to do?" She squinted in the sunlight. "Zach used to take my mind off of it all. He was so funny."
"He was."
"I never told nobody this but...he was there." She met Sasha's eyes. "At the Big Spot!, I saw him. His face was all chewed on and his leg was all bone." She shuddered. "I dream 'bout him now too. Every night."
"You just gotta go through it."
"I know that now. It's gettin' better." She crossed her arms. "Daryl's...been a good friend these past few months. He's very supportive."
"Daryl's good like that."
"Yeah." She saw Rick working on the crops by himself. "I'll talk to you in a little bit, okay?" She went over to him. "Rick?"
"Hey, Beth." He looked up at her. "You look good."
She smiled. "I feel good. I got twenty hours." It was a small victory, but it was enough. "Need a hand?"
"Uh, sure. Why not?"
She lowered herself down on her knees, and she followed his lead as he uncovered zucchini, and the warm dirt felt good on her fingers. It reminded her of before. When she and Maggie were little and helped Ma with her garden. They helped their daddy too, when they were older. It made her smile as tears burned in the back of her eyes. We all got jobs to do, Beth, don't cry.
Hershel watched his youngest and Rick unearth the zucchini, Maggie noticed the scornful look on his face, and she put her arm over his shoulder, watching Rick and Beth.
"Don't worry, Daddy, I'm sure it's a platonic relationship."
Hershel nudged her ribs. "I know nothin' goin' on."
"Daddy, you look like you did when my date to prom picked me up."
"I didn't say I liked it."
She laughed. "She's a big girl. She can make her own decisions. Like I did with Glenn."
"Did I ever tell you how unhelpful you could be?" he teased, and she laughed again. "It's gettin' late. Tell them to come up before it's dark."
"I can't. It's time to feed Judith, and I promised Beth I would." She kissed his cheek and went into the prison as Hershel glared at them. She found Michonne and Judith on the perch. "Oh, did you wanna feed her?"
"No. She was cryin'. I came to see where Beth was."
Maggie picked her up. "She isn't cryin' now."
"No, she's not. You oughta feed her. I'm going to check on Ty then take watch."
"You don't have to lie." Maggie stopped her from leaving. "Glenn and I have watch tonight. Here." She handed Judy to Michonne. "Her food's in the kitchen."
"Maggie," Michonne warned as she went downstairs. "Maggie!"
Maggie waved over her shoulder as she left.
Michonne looked at Judy then turned her in her arms. "Okay, Lil' Ass Kicker, let's see if I can still do this." She went downstairs and found the jar of crushed carrots. She sat down with Judith on her legs, one of her hands was on the infant's back, and the other was spooning out the orange veggies.
Rick and Beth stepped inside as Michonne was feeding Judith, Beth and he exchanged a look, and Beth made a go over there gesture then walked off. He put his gloves in his back pocket and approached them.
"You're good at that." He was surprised at how much she'd gotten Judith to eat. Beth could only get so much before Judy got fussy.
"I do have more talents than chopping off heads." She wiped carrot off Judith's chin then met his eyes, and he smiled. "And taking out eyes."
"I figured." He sat down. "You seen Daryl?"
She nodded her chin to the door as Daryl left. "You know where he's always going?"
"No, but I'll find out." He kissed Judith's head and stopped before he turned. "Tell Carl to get rest, no read comics all night with a flashlight."
"Be safe," Michonne told him. "These kids need a father."
He nodded and went after Daryl. "Daryl!" He quickly followed into the gate. "Daryl!" He cut him off. "Where're you goin'? It's nearly nightfall."
"I ain't goin' nowhere. Maggie and Glenn are on watch, not me. I wanted some air."
"In or out of the prison?"
"That ain't your concern."
"Yes, it is. You can't keep runnin' off, Daryl. We need you here. Wherever you're goin, no one needs you there. If you keep leavin', you're gonna force my hand."
"Right, like with Carol. Will I get a meetin' with council or will you just take me out on a run and leave me there?" Daryl spat. "Tsk. Don't talk to me, Rick. I ain't in the mood for your shit."
Rick glared after him.
– – –
They stayed in bed all day, and sleeping was not on their minds. They had both had warnings about disappearing, even if Carol's was nonverbal, but it didn't matter. The only thing that matter was the person in front of them. It was risky, especially since whenever a couple gets together, they lose each other. They didn't want to think about the world outside, just each other, for a little while. It was the only happiness either of them had.
Carol got dressed quickly. It was morning, and they weren't supposed to stay over. They were just so exhausted last night. Daryl heard her boot hit the floor and woke. "Sorry." She swung her leg over him to straddle his lap. "You need to wake up though. It's morning."
"Is it?" He exhaled deeply. "I say we stay here. I can get somethin' to eat."
"That's not a good idea. If we stay here, we're going to get in serious trouble with our leaders." She slid her hands down his arms. "Come on, lazy."
He grasped her hips. "No, you come here."
She leaned down and kissed him. "You're not that tired."
"I could be."
She laughed. "C'mon, we gotta head back." She reached over and picked up her bracelet.
"I hate seein' you go back to that place," he said. "Can't you just...stay here? Or, you know, try to—"
"We had this talk. They need me. Lilly's the only nurse, and I have a bit of medical experience from Hershel. This is just how it goes." She kissed deeply to take his mind off of it.
"You ain't distractin' me."
"I'm not? Could've fooled me."
He chuckled. "Still drowsy."
"Uh-huh."
"Ain't this sweet?" It wasn't Daryl or Carol who said this. It was Rick Grimes. Daryl sat up and Carol looked over her shoulder as he stepped into the room. "Am I interruptin'?"
"How'd you—?"
"Find you? Well, Beth told me you was out and about, so I followed you, and here you two are." He shook his head.
"It's really not what you think." Carol stood up. "I'm not spying for anyone."
"I know. You wouldn't do that." He wasn't being sarcastic. "Daryl sure as hell wouldn't tell me about this."
Daryl turned, covering himself with the sheet. "Then why're you here?"
"I was seein' what kept drawin' you back out there. I got my answer." He turned to Carol. "You look well. I'm glad."
"You too."
"Daryl." Rick turned to him. "I'll see you downstairs." He left the room.
"See you downstairs," Daryl called back, picking up his jeans.
"I have to go." She leaned down and kissed him. "Same time?"
"If I can't, Beth'll go."
"We can talk then. We need to." She gave him a smile and left. "Bye, Rick." She left before he could say anything. She hurried back to camp, Lilly and Brian were arguing about Meghan, and they were going to her tent, so she doubted they'd checked on her at all. She grabbed her bag out of her tent and met them halfway.
"You ready?" Carol asked.
"Yeah." He pushed by Lilly.
Lilly sighed and offered Carol a smile. "I swear I don't know who he is anymore."
"Hey, do me a favor?"
"Sure."
Carol pulled her aside and wrote out a note. "You're a good friend, and don't question me. I need you to go here with Tara, Alicia, Bobby and Meghan."
"And leave the camp? Carol, that's insane. This camp is good. We'll be fine."
Carol sighed. "Y—yeah. I—I just have a bad feeling." She shoved the note into her pocket. "I'll see you when I get back."
"Of course. You owe Meghan a game of chess." Lilly smiled. "Be safe."
"Be safe here too." She hugged Lilly and then left with Brian.
Lilly went over to the group. "Guys, listen up." She gave them the instructions Brian left, and they all packed up. She hoped Carol read the note she stuck in her backpack. Lilly had a bad feeling about the run Brian and Carol were going on. She hoped Carol would be okay. Brian too.
They all went to the river, Meghan began to play in the mud, Tara joined her, and Alicia kept watch on top of the RV. Lilly walked around the camp, chewing on her thumbnail. Her stomach was upset. She had a bad feeling about all of this. Something horrible was going to happen, and it felt closer to home that she liked. She decided to pray. Please, God, let us be safe. Please.
– – –
Rick and Daryl were arguing in the house over Carol and his leaving to be with her. It almost came to blows when a loud crumbling sound made them stop. It sounded like the house had fallen apart, but it wasn't the house they were in. It was beside their house then several gunshots sounded. They ducked down and crept to the back to see what happened.
––
They'd gotten lucky and found a few cans of food, Carol fit them into her bag, and Brian reserved his for ammo. They'd been out there for a while, and Carol knew they were getting farther and farther away from their camp. She got flashbacks from when Rick left her. Phillip didn't leave people, he killed them. She decided to lure him before he lured her.
"Have a nice walk?" Phillip asked as they trudged through the woods.
"Excuse me?" Carol cut a branch out of her way.
"I noticed you've been leavin' camp at night. You come back before dawn. It's nice, isn't it? The cool night air. It's like the moon stirs somethin' inside your body."
She sent him a dark look. "Drop the bullshit."
"What bullshit? I genuinely askin' if your walk was nice."
She eyed him for a long time before saying, "It was."
"I'm glad. Everyone deserves some leisure time." He ducked under a branch. "Let's swing around here. Might be some ammo."
"We've been through here, Phillip."
"It's Brian," he growled.
"Why Brian?" She adjusted the rifle on her shoulder. "Of all names?"
"Because it only has one I. Phillip had two."
She laughed and covered her mouth. Do not laugh with the enemy. Andrea wasn't laughing anymore because of him. Merle wasn't...making repulsive sexual remarks because of him. She almost lost Daryl to him. That made her insides tighten, and she felt sick. "Really?"
"No. I saw it on a shed. It was a new name for a new life. Like Meredith."
She didn't let on how tense she was. "Lilly tell you?"
"You don't look like a Meredith. You don't look much like anything. You're small, not very strong, but quick on your feet, resourceful, and I like that. We could use you, and you need us. So, tell me, Carol, why are you and Dixon runnin' around out here at night?" She looked at him with narrow eyes. "I heard."
"Do you watch too?" Carol hissed.
He laughed, and it made her skin crawl. "No. Alicia told me about the man in your tent. Rick's too good of a man to be with anyone after his wife, Glenn has Maggie, and that leaves the old man and Daryl. It was simple process of elimination."
"So, how do you intend to eliminate me?"
"I don't intend to. I meant what I said. You're useful to have. What do I have to do to make you stay?"
She stepped into the house. "You're a silver-tongued bastard, Phillip." She searched the cabinets and came up empty. "For starters, you shouldn't have taken Maggie and Glenn."
"Merle brought them to me." He followed her upstairs.
"You shouldn't have beaten Glenn and sexually abused Maggie."
"I didn't touch Glenn or Maggie." His angry began rise. "You don't have all the facts."
"You shouldn't have put Daryl and Merle against each other," she continued, taking the gun out of her waistband. "You shouldn't have killed Axel or Andrea or Oscar or Merle." She turned face him, the gun aimed at his chest.
He chuckled and held his hands up. "You're quite a woman."
"Do not say that." She turned the safety off. "You won't take another life."
"No, I don't." He stepped toward her. "Not one more life...before yours." He slammed his foot down, the floorboards had creaked under her weight, and with that stomp, they gave out.
The floor underneath Carol collapsed. She gasped and grasped the floorboards as the rotted wood clanked to the bottom floor. She felt the wood digging into her palms, and she pulled herself up as Phillip watched. He saw a piece of wood that was angled below her dangling body and would easily pierce her body. The rifle had fallen, and he could retrieve it. He looked at his gun then at her, and he saw she was pulling herself up. He was losing Lilly, and he knew how much she cared for Carol. If he silented that fly in her ear forever and showed her where Carol's body was, Lilly would see how she died and would turn to him for comfort. She would see how torn up Brian is and wouldn't dare take Meghan from him. He wouldn't lose her again.
He reacted, his instinct talking over. He slammed the butt of the rifle into her face. She lost her grip and fell, but she didn't land on the wood.
She looked up at him with scorching blue eyes, he padded down the stairs, and she stood up and grabbed the gun. "You son of a bitch!" she spat.
"Are you all right?"
"'Am I all right'?" she hissed, her lip bleeding. "You tried to kill me."
"I'm going to do more than that," he informed her. "I can't risk you telling, and I'm sure as hell not losing Megan. You have to be removed from this equation."
She had no choice. She couldn't kill him, not with her gun or rifle—it might be the walkers down on them—and she couldn't with her knife. He was too strong. She gripped the rifle tightly and thrust it at him, he caught it like she knew he would, and she bolted. She ran quickly, and she heard him cussing after her. She thought of a plan as she climbed over logs and ducked under branches. She would get away from him then go back to camp to inform them of this. She had to make sure Lilly and Bobby and Meghan were okay. She had to.
"Carol!" Phillip shouted.
She saw him coming, a loud thud sounded behind them as the house fell apart, and she ran toward the house she saw through the trees. It could cover her while she ran. She stepped onto the porch, the step gave out as Phillip shot it, and pieces of wood stabbed into her ankle. "Ahh!"
"Carol!" Daryl ran out of the house, Rick followed, his gun trained on Phillip. "Bastard." Daryl gripped his crossbow, aiming at him as well.
Phillip smiled. "Hello, Rick."
"Put your gun down," Rick hissed.
"I don't think so, but you'll be putting yours down." His smile was so smug, so confident.
"You're givin' us orders when it's three on one?" Daryl huffed.
"Why should we?" Rick demanded.
"If you kill me, how are you gonna find Hershel and Bobby?" He laughed as confusion passed their faces. "I ran into Hershel at the prison. He was picking herds for the little blond girl, and you know why, Carol. Poor Robert is just so sick."
"You bastard!" Carol wanted to get him, but her ankle and Daryl wouldn't allow it.
"Now, we can work this out. Tend to your woman, and I'll meet you at the prison." He turned and walked away.
"We ain't lettin' him leave," Daryl hissed, picking Carol up.
"We got no choice." Rick holstered his gun. "He has 'em, and we don't know where."
"Carol does," Daryl replied as he took her inside, setting her on the table. "They at your camp?"
"You knew about him?" Rick exclaimed. "You were livin' with him? After what he did to us?"
"I wasn't sure at first, but how many one-eyed guys can there be? I tried to kill him, but he outsmarted me. Always one step ahead." She winced as Daryl removed the fragments of wood.
"Now he's got Hershel." Rick pinched the bridge of his nose. "Where's your camp?"
"Nearly two miles north of here," Daryl replied. "Been there a few times."
"How could you have known about this and not told me?" Rick searched his eyes.
"You wasn't in the right mind, and Philip wasn't knocking down our door. Couldn't make plans to kill him. He was too close to Carol."
"You chose her over us?" Rick scoffed. "And for what? Sex?"
"It ain't like that," Daryl snapped. "I hate that bastard more than you can know! Do you think I liked watchin' him walk around? Do you like I liked seein' him breath when Merle and Andrea and every person he killed can't?"
"Daryl." She set a hand on his chest. "Walkers. That house falling probably drew their attention."
Rick watched the instant change in Daryl from Carol's touch. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me." He ran his hands through his hair. "Daryl, you gotta be kiddin' me!"
"She's comin' with us this time." He dug through her bag for something to wrap the wound with, but all he found was a scarf, so he used it.
"She ain't comin' back with us," Rick spat. "When you banish somebody, they stay gone. We can get her a car, but ain't comin' back with us."
"You know what, Rick? If you don't like my decision, take it up with the council. You got Sasha and Glenn to talk to. Hershel got taken, and I'm sayin' yes. You got two votes. You wanna hear what they say?"
"Tyreese will kill her!"
"Man, I'll deal with that! I coulda dealt with that. You ain't making this decision."
"She is not coming back with us."
"Fine. No her, no me."
"Damn it, Daryl," Rick growled.