Daryl stormed back into his house after dropping Carol off seething with rage.

"Merle!" he yelled banging on his door, "ya better open up shithead!"

He heard the loud thuds as Merle came to the door and swung the door open.

"What?!" Merle grunted.

"What the fuck is your problem, I told ya I don't want to hear about your job shit, especially not when we have damn guests ya jackass!"

"Oh touchy touchy," Merle mocked laughing, "someone have a soft spot for his little lady friend?"

"Fuck off," he snarled, "thanks to you she doesn't want anything to do with me, why can you keep that god damn mouth trap of yours closed."

He let out a low chuckle, "why you got your panties in a twist boy? There's plenty of other pussy out there and from what I saw this morning you didn't get any of that last night."

Daryl let out a growl, "back off Merle."

"You really wanna jump her pants that bad?" he asked rhetorically, a wide grin on his face, "I tell ya that woman been with me last night, she would of been walkin' funny this mornin' and not even remembered your name boy."

Daryl's blood ran hot and without much more thought he swung his fist to meet Merle's gut.

Merle keeled over holding his front, "the fuck was that for!?"

"Asshole," Daryl muttered walking off before Merle caught his breath back.

"Hey how was your date last night?" Michonne asked sleepily, clearly only just waking up.

"Don't go there," Carol warned sitting down on her bed, towel wrapped around her.

"What was it really that bad?" she asked, "I saw you go home with him, you were pretty drunk to be fair, did you pass out before the good shit?"

"Michonne no," Carol sighed, "look all that happened was he took me back to his, I tried it on with him and he turned me down for being too drunk, I woke up in his bed fully clothed, had breakfast and then after that he started acting all weird."

"Weird? What do you mean by weird?"

Carol explained the story about Daryl's brother and how Daryl suddenly snapped when there was mention of future dates.

"I guess he was just trying to play it nice until I went home?" she asked looking for Michonne's opinion that maybe she was wrong.

"Hm I don't know, he seemed pretty all over you last night, I swear any more eye fucking and you two probably would have got it on right there in the gallery," Michonne snorted.

"Yeah but maybe it was the way I acted after we left? I mean I was a bit grumpy with him when he turned me down, but I was drunk, I'm not usually like that and then he went on to tell me that he thinks I'm cute when I'm mad, I don't understand what changed."

"You say he only changed when his brother was around?" Michonne asked.

"Well yeah when he first came out and tried to hit on me and then obviously the mention of more dates after."

"Maybe he has an issue with his brother and not you? Ever consider that?"

"No Michonne it was definitely me," Carol responded dismissing the idea that there still might be a possibility he liked her.

Michonne huffed in response, "okay whatever you say, don't put your walls up so quickly though."

"I'm not putting my walls up I'm just being realistic about what happened and not trying to create this delusion that it was his brother and not me that was the issue."

"Course I'm the delusional one," Michonne replied sarcastically.

"Right," Carol said firmly.

It was clear the conversation about Daryl wasn't going any further, Michonne could see that.

A loud noise came from Michonne's end of the phone and Carol listened in confusion.

"Michonne are you with someone?" Carol asked.

Michonne swallowed hard, "no, course not."

Carol could hear another voice from across the room, "you are too!"

"No I'm not," Michonne lied.

The voice got loud and more distinctive as a male's.

"Oh my god is that Rick?! You slept with him!"

"Shh!" Michonne hissed, "look I have to go but I'll call you later okay?"

"Do not bail on me now Michonne, I want details, now!"

"I can't Carol I have to go, I'll call you tonight, bye!"

"Michonne-" Carol started but the phone was already dead.

Carol shook her head and smiled, she was so going to get details later.
She still wasn't any further with the Daryl situation though, not that it was really a situation, he didn't like her plain and simple. She wasn't even going to entertain Michonne's theory, there was no point holding on to something longer than need.

She shook her head of the thought and got up to get changed. It was definitely a pajama day, a comfy oversized tshirt and fluffy socks was definitely the way to go. Once she was changed she took the towel off that was wrapped around her head and let her wet crazy curls fall. She began to dry her hair not hearing her phone vibrate with a text from Daryl Dixon.

"Fuck," Daryl grunted seeing Carol's bag left on his bedroom floor. She'd made it clear she didn't want to see him again but he guessed she might want this back. He debated calling her but he'd rather avoid that awkward conversation, instead he opted for texting her, telling her he'd be ten minutes or so to drop it off.

He checked his phone before he left but no response just as he'd expected.

He wanted to explain himself to her, that he was nothing to do with Merle's work and never would be. Whether she would let him though was another thing.

Pulling up outside her house gave him a lump in his throat that he was forced to swallow. He was more nervous than he was the night before, he really liked this woman and didn't want Merle to get in the way of this.
After a few minutes of just sitting Daryl got out of the car and walked up to her door, bag in hand. He knocked and took a step back, the lump making it's way back up his throat.

Carol turned off her hairdryer, she swore she heard someone knocking. She hopped off her bed and quickly made her way down stairs, seeing a figure through the rippled glass pannels.

"Who the-" she murmured as she swung the door wide open, "oh."

Immediately Daryl had a whisper of a smile go across his lips as she stood before him.

Her hair a wild mass of long tight curls, wearing nothing more than a large off the shoulder tshirt and pink fluffy socks, not a scrap of makeup on.

He stood there in silence too long before he realized this was when he was supposed to speak.

"Uh, bag, your bag, I mean, you forgot it, so I'm just, y'know, here," he thrust the bag forward, the tips of his ears now burning with embarrassment.

This time it was Carol who was struggling not to smile at his awkwardness.

"Oh well, thanks," she said quietly taking it off him.

"Yeah, um, so I just wanted to explain-"

"Daryl I've told you to save it, I don't need explanations," Carol said firmly.

"But-"

"No, don't waste your breath," she interrupted again, more stubbornly this time.

"But if you'd just let me-"

"No thank you, I'm-"

"Would you let me talk woman!" Daryl interrupted loudly.

Carol opened her mouth to speak again but then shut it when she saw the warning look he gave her.

She sighed a little, waiting for the disappointment to hit, "okay go on then."

"Look me and my brother have nothing to do with each other, I barely ever see him nowadays, I'm not in the same line of work, never will be it just ain't worth the risk-"

"Wait what?" Carol asked, god she was really confused now, line of work? What was he on about?

"Merle, I know the shit he's doin' ain't good but I ain't no part of it I promise. I'm sorry he talked about it in front of you, I don't usually let him talk 'bout it at all, less I know the better. I get if you don't want to see me again, I just, I just wanted to, explain."

Carol was even more confused now, "Daryl I'm sorry I don't have a clue what you're on about."

"What? Then why'd you leave this morning and get in a pissy?" Daryl asked now equally confused and regretting telling her anything at all.

"Why do you think? As soon as your brother mentioned us going out again you snapped at him telling him to stop, it was very clear that you didn't want to see me again."

"Oh my god," Daryl muttered rubbing his forehead, "that's not why I snapped at him. I snapped at him cause he's a big mouthed asshole, I wouldn't take a penny of his money to take you out, the money, it doesn't come from good places. If I'm gonna take you out then yes it might not be the classiest restaurant in town but it'll be somewhere using my money, not his."

Carol stood there slacked jawed, not really knowing what to say as she processed his words, Michonne was right, the issue wasn't with her.

"So what does Merle do?" she asked.

Daryl shook his head, "I don't know, you shouldn't know, it's jut best if only he knows."

"You want to see me again then?" she questioned, her voice full of uncertainty.

Daryl nodded going quiet.

"Even after I was mean to you when I was drunk?"

He let out a little laugh, "yes."

Her mouth slowly grew into a smile but then suddenly disappeared.

"What?" Daryl asked concerned noticing the change.

"You have to leave, right now, go," she squawked as her hands flew to her face.

"What why?" he laughed as she panicked and turned away from him.

"I just remembered what I look like now go Dixon!" she yelled walking away from the door.

Daryl took a step in, "Carol you look fine, really the fluffy socks are working with those legs."

She let out a snort, "Daryl go, I have no makeup on or anything, you have to leave, we've not even been on one official date!"

"Don't matter to me, Carol I find you just as attractive in this as I did in the dress last night now will you please come back here," Daryl called after her as she ran half way up the stairs.

"Bullshit," Carol shouted down, "give me ten minutes and I'll be back down okay, just make yourself comfortable."

"You're being ridiculous," he called up.

"Don't care," she responded childishly getting a chuckle out of him as he walked away towards the living room.