Daryl knew people were going to start looking for them soon. The last warm, golden light of the day's sunset was fading from the windows. It would only be another 10 minutes and they would be in complete darkness. He held Carrie against him, fingers dragging softly across the top of her back, feeling her smooth skin under his calloused fingertips.
Carrie dozed in his arms, exhausted and wrecked from her emotions and disturbia. She was perfectly beautiful when she slept. Daryl wished the peace she was in could stay with her during her waking hours. Her face was soft and relaxed. She wasn't biting at her lips or her fingernails. The tension and stress released from her body as she slept, pressed against Daryl's side.
Her head was resting on his shoulder. Carrie's body was tucked under his arm, her breath grazing softly across the skin where his shirt was open. Daryl weighing up whether they could stay or if they had to go.
Carrie shifted slightly under his arm. Her hand on his chest curled up slowly, her fingers touching the plastic circle of Daryl's shirt button. Her fingertips skated softly over the rough cotton texture of his top. Tilting her head back, Carrie's tired, dark green eyes looked up slowly to Daryl.
His mouth curled slightly at the corner. His blue eyes scanning her face, pausing briefly at her dark lips. Rubbing his rough thumb in small circles on Carrie's shoulder blade, Daryl turned his face and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.
Adrenalin and passion behind them, Carrie's ribs ached hard in her chest. Her breathing hitched slightly as she moved to sit up. Daryl slid his hand to her shoulder and eased her to her back, flat on the linen clothed ground. Out from under her, Daryl pushed the sheets off himself and got to his knees, hitching his jeans up and doing up his fly.
Carrie cradled her arm into her side and closed her eyes again, resting her head back on the cool sheets. Daryl spotted her jeans and underwear a few feet behind him. He reached over and collected her clothes, as she opened her eyes again, watching him move in the darkening room.
Carrie reached out her hand to Daryl when he turned back around. He picked up her palm in his and moved in close to her side. Putting an arm around her shoulders, Daryl helped Carrie sit up as she winced slightly at the stab in her ribs. Carrie smiled at him briefly and held out her open hand for her jeans.
Daryl smirked to himself as he sat back down beside her, legs crossed, and withheld her balled up clothes behind his back. Carrie frowned slightly with a small curl in her lips.
"What are you doing?" She asked. Her voice was soft and husky, making Daryl's skin break out into goosebumps at the sexy rasp.
"Gettin' your full attention." He grinned slightly. Carrie looked at him puzzled before he continued, his gaze hardening. "We gotta talk."
Carrie's confused smile faded into a mixed expression. Her temporarily, intentionally-forgotten breakdown souring her and mixing with a dose of guilt and sadness. She put her hand to her lips, fighting away the horrible tickle in her throat as her eyes filled with her held back tears. She looked away from Daryl briefly before again picking up his eyes, and giving him a subtle nod.
"Carrie. You and Jack matter to me." He began, hoping more words would follow. Daryl didn't really know what he was going to say to her. He just looked into her large green eyes and let the words come. "This world ain't worth shit anymore. All we have is the people around us. Our family. It don't matter if yer blood or not. That is our family now." He pointed to the roof, gesturing to the people on the floor above. "You're my family now." Daryl put his hand on Carrie's linen-clothed leg. He watched his own hand as he gently squeezed her shin and stroked her softly. "You an' Jack. And I'm gonna do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Even if that means 24 hour watch to makes sure ya safe from yerself."
Carrie buckled at his words. Her overwhelming guilt crashing through her chest, strangling her from the inside. She put her hands to her throat, trying to ease the constricting feeling. Shaking her head softly, Carrie found her choked voice.
"I'm broken." She rasped as she closed her eyes.
Daryl watched her as the held back tears finally rolled over her cheeks. He cupped his hands around her face and wiped away the tears quickly before more could follow. Shaking her head slightly to make her open her eyes again, Daryl recaptured her dark green pupils in the fading light.
"Ya ain't the first person ta go crazy in these tombs, and ya ain't broken. Not if ya still want ta be whole again." He spoke slowly, making sure his words were getting through. He held her gaze before letting go of her face and getting to his feet, tossing her the jeans before he walked back to the entry way.
Picking up Rick's torch before it gets to dark to find it, Daryl turned back to Carrie as she tugged on her jeans on the ground. She slid the denim on awkwardly, hitching it up her hips one handed. Daryl stepped behind her and settled back down on the ground, his legs either side of Carrie, his chest to her back.
Daryl felt around Carrie's front and picked up her bandaged wrists tenderly. He spoke softly into her ear as she settled back against him, her legs crossed loosely in front of her. Carrie shivered slightly as Daryl's gravel-rough whisper against the side of her head sent a tingle in her spine.
"There ain't no valium anymore." He spoke softly. "No shrinks, no pills, no hospitals. If you wanna get control a this, ya gonna have to do it yerself." Daryl reached up and brushed Carrie's hair back from her ear. He pushed his lips softly to the side of her head and drew small circles on her forearms with his coarse thumbs
With a soft sigh Daryl whispered more. "When I was seventeen, my brother was in prison, and my old man was beatin' the shit outta me." Carrie tensed slightly at his words but didn't stop him from talking. "I couldn't take it anymore so I got outta there. Ran away. Ended up in a shitty-ass small town on the edge of a Cherokee land reserve. Teenage boy, I only had eyes for this one girl. She was full Cherokee and I was jus' a piece-a-shit white trash kid, but she still made the time of day to talk to me." Daryl smirked slightly at the memory as Carrie settled in against him, feeling the hard muscle of his chest pressed into her back. "She was smart. Told me I was full a rage and talked me back from the edge a couple a times herself. She taught me a few things. Most important 'f all, she taught me how ta focus and calm m'self. How to breath and stay zen."
Carrie rest her head back on Daryl's shoulder, trying to match her breathing with Daryl's. He continued to rub little tight circles softly in her skin and felt her relax back into him.
Carrie's mind just focussed on the feeling of Daryl's heartbeat, thumping against her shoulder blade. It was only a half-beat out of time with her own. Daryl breathed soft and steady against her ear. He closed his eyes and brushed his face gently against hers, his coarse facial hair scuffing softly along her bruised jaw.
Sitting stone still, Carrie and Daryl just breathed for a few minutes together, as the last light left the room and the laundry fell into darkness around them.
Daryl lifted his right hand and brought it to Carrie's face, turning her slightly towards him on her injured left side. He kissed her softly, in the dark, on the side of her mouth.
"If it ever starts ta get too much for ya out there, ya come find me and we'll jus' breath together." He reassured. "I'm always gonna be there for ya."
Carrie held her eyes closed and just nodded against his face. He felt her gesture and kissed her again softly.
Daryl pulled himself away from the quiet warmth of Carrie and picked up the torch from the back of his jeans. Aiming it away behind them, he clicked the beam on and the mute illumination lit up the small area around them.
Daryl got to his feet and picked up Carrie's boots, passing them back to her. He found his 9mm and tucked it into the small of his back, pulling his shirt down over the top of it. He watched Carrie tug her boots on before stepping behind her again. Daryl put the torch in his mouth and bent down to hook her under the arms. He helped her get to her feet and stepped back, giving her room to straighten her top and do up her fly and belt, as he took the torch from his lips and gave it a quick flick around the dark room.
Carrie took in a deep shuddering breath. The painful spike at her inhalation deflating her quickly and making her clutch tightly again to her ribs.
"Come on. We'll go slow." Daryl said as he moved to her good side, lifting her arm and draping it over his shoulders. He couldn't put his hand to her side so he just held onto her belt and waist of her jeans at her hip instead, hooking his thumb inside her pants.
He picked up his crossbow and slung it over his shoulder as they stepped through the door back into the dark, foul passages.
…...
Daryl tapped the small aluminium torch on the steel bar door of the gen-pop room of cell block 'C'. Carl, Hershel, Maggie, Glenn, Michonne and Rick had been milling around at the tables, waiting for Daryl and Carrie's return. A collective look of relief swept over the group, as Carl jogged over to the steel door with the keys.
Unlocking the door, Carl swung it open and stepped back, letting Daryl and Carrie inside.
Daryl was walking her to the cells when Carrie softly squeezed his hand and looked into his eyes. She pulled her hand back from across his shoulders and stood alone, under her own wavering strength.
Carrie didn't know where to look, but she found her eyes couldn't quite seem to meet the faces of the people standing in front of her.
"I'm …sorry." She said in a cracked whisper. "I…" Carrie shook her head, not knowing where to begin.
"It's okay Carrie." Rick nodded solemnly, looking briefly to Daryl's somber face.
Carrie sighed softly and looked up to meet Rick's steady gaze. "I'll get better." She promised.
Rick nodded and Hershel smiled softly to her response. Daryl stepped to her side again and helped her move with a slow shuffle to the cells.
Getting to her cell door, Carrie was startled slightly when she saw Carol sitting beside her bed on the chair again. Carol flinched awake at the sudden presence in the door way. Daryl and Carrie's appearance waking her from her light doze. Standing up quietly, Carol ran her hands over her sleeping thighs and wrapped her arms around her middle, wearing a small, tight smile that didn't quite make it to her eyes. She looked to the bottom bunk where Jack was curled up asleep, facing the open room, breathing softly.
Carrie, following Carol's eyes, stepped into the cell with Daryl behind her. Carol nodded softly and went to leave the suddenly-full little room. Carrie shot out her hand and picked up Carol's wrist in her long fingers. Squeezing it softly she met Carol's eyes and silently thanked her. Carol just nodded again and stepped out past Daryl.
Watching Carol leave over his shoulder, Daryl moved forward closer to Carrie and steered her towards the bunk. He pushed her softly so that she climbed in to the bed, curling up behind her son on her undamaged right side.
Daryl reached up to the top bunk and quietly dragged the mattress from the bed to the floor. He met Carrie's eyes briefly, and gave her a small quirk of the lips in return. He settled down on the floor, his eyes landing on Carrie's fingertips that just breached the side of the bed. Daryl reached up and brushed them softly. Her hand sunk down further over the edge and stretched for Daryl's touch. His calloused fingers wrapped around her hand. Carrie's long fingers curling into his palm as he grazed his thumb over her knuckles. Her hold only softened once she fell asleep. Daryl slipped his hand back from her soft grip and turned to lay on his back.
A soft breath passed his lips as his thoughts faded from Carrie and Jack, into sleep.