Hold me now,
'Til the fear is leaving,
I am barely breathing.
Crying out,
These tired wings are falling,
I need you to catch me.-Red "Hold Me Now"

Potential Spoilers under the cut.

I don't own the Walking Dead

They would be here soon. The air was thick with anticipation for what was to come. Everyone was armed, the cars were packed, a last resort if they couldn't hold their own, and no one spoke.

The silence was eerie, but nothing could be said. No one wanted the final goodbyes. They didn't want to believe they would need them.

They were scattered around what they had left of the prison, and Daryl was alone.

He'd brushed pass them upon his return, the look on his face, and the lack of his brother proving the worse had come about. Rick had tried to talk, to console, but Daryl would have none of that.

He stalked away from the gate, leaving Rick's hand grasping for air, and a new wave of anxiety settling over them.

The hadn't much cared for Merle, but going out like that was a fate for no one that was their own, even briefly;And seeing the salty streaks on Daryl's dirt stained face and the puffiness of his weary eyes was painful.

If the strongest among them could be broken, who could really keep standing?

Carol found him outside, sitting on the cat-walk. He'd been cleaning his arrows, but he'd given up, in favor of resting his head in his hands.

She made only enough noise to alert him to her presence before settling beside him on the ground, laying her rifle aside, she reached for his shoulder.

She didn't plan on saying anything, because, in the end, what could she say? She understood the pain.

She only managed to brush her fingers against him before he scooted over, avoiding her gaze, and putting a few feet of space between them.

"Daryl...don't do this.."

She inched closer, steadily, reaching forward again to rest her hand on his knee. He pushed her arm away, not roughly, but firmly.

"Daryl..."she murmured carefully, "I just want to help you..."

" ? No. Just go away." He growled, jumping to his feet and pacing viciously in small circles.

"Well? Just go. I don't want you here." He hissed, glaring down at her, but his anger didn't reach his eyes. He looked so vulnerable. She could see the tears pushing the surface.

"No." She murmured quietly, remaining on the ground, sitting on her knees and watching him.

"Why not?" he yelled, not quite loudly enough to really startle her, but with enough venom in his voice to make her close her eyes, taking deep breaths to keep her in her place.

"You know why." She murmured, in as soothing a voice as she could conjure.

He glared at her, but his eyes were watery. "That's bullshit then."

It wasn't his words that stung, more the expression on his face that had the tears threatening to spill over;but she pushed them down, willing them away in the face of his anger.

She'd seen it before. It wasn't at her, it wasn't at them, this was anger at himself, and at someone who could no longer be held responsible.

"Go ahead. Get mad, okay? Get pissed off, throw something, break something, do whatever you need to, Lord knows you have the right to, but don't push me away. Not after everything." Carol didn't raise her voice at him, but their was no mistaking her tone.

She caught his eyes, and held his gaze for a minute, and she saw it all change. The defiance cracked, the anger shattered, and in those few seconds, the truth came through in waves over his blue eyes. He rested his head against the railing, and his body was raked with sobs.

Carol waited, measuring the length of his sobs, and the sight of his tears. As much as she wanted to go to him, to hold him, she knew that he did not want that.

Seconds went by, and the sobs became noiseless, and she could not stop herself from going to him, touching his shoulder, his face, turning him to face her.

His hands were trembling, and when he lifted them, he did not push her away, as she expected, but leaned against her as she embraced him, his head finding the crook of her neck.

"We can't pull away now, Daryl. We need people to live, to survive. It hurts...but it is the only way we can keep from falling."

He huffed in response, and pulled her closer.