I took everyone's considerations into mind, but I ended up going with my gut and my own personal headcanon. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
"We can't do this, they might make it." Beth said to Carol, leaning against the wall in the cells.
Carol turned to look at Beth and shook her head. "I think we both know neither of them are going to make it. Karen's conscious only a few minutes and then she falls back asleep, David is barely breathing. No one is going to suspect you, but you can back out now."
Beth looked in on Karen, who was coughing blood onto the cot she was lying on, she was unable to move to spit the blood into the bucket next to her bed. "No... Daddy's right, they need to be put out of their misery. It's only them who are sick, we can stop it now."
Carol nodded at Beth and handed her the knife that Hershel had given her to do it, stepping back as Beth went into David's room and Carol went into Karen's.
When it was over, Glenn helped Beth and Carol drag the bodies out onto the courtyard where Carol and Beth burned their bodies. Before they could get the bodies out to clean up and bury the bodies, Tyreese discovered them on the courtyard.
"Who helped you?" Daryl asked while Carol and him dug holes to put Zachary and Booth in. Carol looked over at him and shrugged her shoulders.
"It doesn't matter now, does it?" She asked, digging her shovel into the dirt and continuing on with digging a grave for the men Joe and Emilio killed.
"You got banished, how does it not fuckin' matter?" He asked.
"Because it was five years ago, telling you won't change a damn thing. I'll still have been banished, the prison still would have fell and all of us would be separated."
Daryl frowned, but he realized that Carol wasn't going to tell him who had helped her kill Karen and David. He'd probably be left wondering for the rest of his life, however long that was. He and Carol continued to dig the holes for their bodies until the holes were big enough. After they dug the graves, they put Zachary and Booth into their separate graves, members of what was left of their families coming to join them in the burying of their bodies. Carol and Daryl finished burying the bodies in silence after their families left.
When they finished, they walked back up to Carol and Tyreese's house, where Daryl would be staying in one of the guest rooms. That was going to be awkward, Carol knew that. It was going to be harder to pretend to be married to someone she wasn't with her ex lover in the room.
Tyreese and Judith were both asleep already, it was pitch dark out. After showing Daryl where the room was, Carol left him in the room with nothing but several candles. They only had a few lanterns but their battery supply for the lanterns was even less than their ammo supply. They only used the lanterns when they had no choice.
Daryl sat on the bed and hung his head low, cradling his head in his hands. He thought about what Carol had said, that she hadn't done it alone. Who in the hell had helped her? Why hadn't whoever helped her stood up and said something? Why had they just let Carol take the fall?
The door opened again and Carol stepped into the room, holding a set of sheets, two towels and a bowl in one hand, a bucket of water in the other. "I figured you might want to clean up." She said, nodding to the thick layer of dirt on his skin.
Daryl gave a quick nod and stood to his feet, walking over to her to take the bucket from her. She walked over to the table that sat in the corner and set the extra bowl on the table before she walked over to the bed and set the sheets down. "Sheets aren't very comfortable, but it's better than sleeping with no sheets."
"Better than anythin' else I've slept on lately." Daryl mumbled as he shrugged off his vest and set it on the ground. Carol crossed her arms and turned to look at him as his shirt came off next, swallowing. She was definitely still attracted to him. "Surprised Tyreese is lettin' me sleep here."
"No one else would take you, so he had no choice." Carol said.
"Scared of the Big Bad Redneck?" He asked.
"Well you did break into our town and my house. It's probably going to take a while for anyone to trust you, Daryl." She said, giving Daryl a light smile. He glanced over at her, watching as he stood there even as he picked up the bucket and a rag, ducking the rag into the water and running it over his chest. They used to have sex against every surface they could find, it didn't matter if he washed himself in front of her.
Daryl squeezed the rag out, watching as dirt filled the bowl she brought over. Carol sat down on the bed and crossed her legs. "If I'd known it was yer house... Probably still would have done it."
Carol raised an eyebrow as he returned to washing himself, the dirt coming off in layers and revealing tan skin. "Really?"
"Never thought I'd see ya again. Thought ya were fuckin' dead."
"Have that little bit of faith in my survival skills?" Carol teased.
"Nah, have that little faith in everyone else. Seen a lot of guys that could survive die because of people like Joe or the Govna." Daryl said, washing off his arms. "Ya probably should have just killed Joe when ya found us."
"I'm not stupid, I knew there were other people out there. Do you think Joe's group is the first group like this we've come across? We've been here for years, had to fight off groups before. Had to fight off Walkers too."
"Finding less and less of 'em out there. Just people ya have ta worry about now." Daryl said, holding both edges of the table in his hands. His fingers tightened on the table, Carol could hear the table creak under his hands.
"Daryl?"
"I ain't ever wanted ta be like one of those guys. The kind ya have ta worry about in a world like this."
Carol frowned and looked up at Daryl, shaking her head despite that he couldn't see her. Daryl wasn't like Joe or the Governor. "You aren't."
Daryl scoffed. "Really? Ya know how many men I've killed since the prison fell and I joined those guys?"
"You've had plenty of chances to hurt me. To hurt Tyreese. You never took any of those chances." Carol said, standing to her feet and walking over to him.
Carol reached up and grasped his arm to make him look at her, surprised when Daryl pulled away and shoved her from him. "Don't fuckin' touch me!" He snapped as she stumbled back and fell to the floor. Daryl looked down at her in horror of what he had done. "Carol..."
"It's okay. It's okay." Carol said, pulling herself to her feet. "It's okay."
"Go." He pleaded without actually saying please. Carol looked up at him and nodded, beginning to walk over to the door. She opened the door up and stepped out, shutting the door behind her. She heard a clatter when she left the room, jumping in shock. She waited to see if Judith or Tyreese were going to wake up before she walked down to the bedroom she shared with Tyreese. Rarely did they actually sleep in the bed together, but she figured if she wanted Daryl to believe that they were together, she should.
Carol opened the door and walked into the room, pushing it shut behind her. She walked over to the bed and put down her knife and her pistol, shrugging off her jacket and her boots. She didn't bother undressing more than that before climbing onto the bed.
Upon feeling the dip into the bed, Tyreese looked over at her. "You okay?" He asked.
Carol sighed, but didn't look back at Tyreese. She pulled the blanket over her body and lying her head on the pillow. "No."
