Carol was standing there in front of him, looking extremely relived, an almost bashful smile on her face, and she was staring at him like he was the greatest fucking person on Earth for painting her baby girl's room. And the only thoughts going through his head right then centered around different ways to kill his brother for whatever sick, twisted reason was behind his elaborate ruse to get him and Carol alone together for the weekend.

His hands fell into his pockets' fearful she might lunge herself forward and throw her arms around him again, all the while a small part of him, a part he didn't understand or let himself dwell on, kept secretly hoping she would do just that. He bounced on the balls of his feet and nodded over his shoulder. "Hey, uh, I got something I need to take care of real quick. Is alright with you if I go tend do that?" He tried not to let the ill intentions he had planned towards his brother show through.

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Sorry, I didn't mean to barge over like this. I should have realized you might be busy. I really just wanted to thank you for what you did, to let you know how much it meant to me," she smiled at him, her sparkling blue eyes full of over-whelming admiration and appreciation of his kind act.

"You're welcome," he muttered, eyes flicking to the floor. He was feeling a bit overcome by how much this seemed to mean to her. He figured it would help her out. But Rick had him expecting to get yelled at for it, to be told he needed to learn to respect his place and not to let himself into her part of the house no more. He'd had no idea she'd be moved to tears by his reaction or snatch him into a bear hug.

With a luminous smile etched on her lips, she said, "I'll see you tomorrow?" More of a question than a statement.

"Mhm. After work," he agreed, without giving himself time to contemplate or say no. Hanging out with her in the evenings had become such a regular thing for him, the thought hadn't even crossed his mind to say no.

"It's a date then," her cheeks flushed at the wording she'd chosen and she quickly recovered. "I mean...well...you know what I mean."

Daryl hummed, his own cheeks feeling warm. He pulled his hands out of the safety of his pockets and placed them on the edge of the door. "See you tomorrow," he told her.

"Daryl?"

His eyes flitted up and met hers. "Yeah?" He watched her curiously as she hesitantly, full of caution and apprehension, took a small step forward. She met his eyes, gave him an almost apologetic look before she leaned in on tip toes and pressed a soft, quick peck on his cheek. The warmth in his cheeks changed into a full on blazing fire and he was positive his face was cherry red. His heart fluttered beneath his chest, and he stood frozen in place. Unable to flinch, or twitch, or move, or respond at all.

"Again, thank you," she whispered as she pulled away, shyly returning to her spot in front of him. She fiddled with her hands a moment as they stood there in a heavy silence. Finally, she spoke up. "I'll see you tomorrow, Daryl. And, I'm really excited about going to that hunting convention with you."

He forced a smile, well, a half smile. One that probably came off more creepy than it did endearing. He stayed frozen in place as he watched her walk away, keeping his eyes on her until the door to her place closed and he could hear the lock clicking in place. Still dealing with the shock that he'd be spending the weekend with her, mingled with the awe he felt from her surprising act of kissing him on the cheek, his right hand somehow found it's way to the spot where her lips had pecked his cheek. Such a tender act, one he wasn't used to. He could almost swear he could still the feel the warmth and tingle from where her soft lips briefly brushed his skin.

That tightening sensation that was growing all too familiar took over his chest and he had to suck in three steady breaths to compose himself. When he finally felt like he was back to normal he remembered the anger he was feeling towards Merle at whatever underhanded shit he was up to. His knuckles gripped the door knob tightly and he pulled it closed, being careful not to slam it. Letting out an irritated growl, he stalked off to Merle's room.

()()()

Merle's bedroom door was closed, but Daryl could clearly hear gun shots echoing into the other room from whatever action movie his brother was watching. Without a second thought, Daryl snatched Merle's door open, pulling it with such force a loud bang erupted as the knob connected with the wall. "What in the fuck is wrong with you?" Daryl growled, running towards the bed where his brother was kicked back against the headboard, about to take a bit of a sandwich.

Merle's head snapped up at the sound of Daryl's angry entrance, but instead of eliciting fear out of the elder Dixon, all it earned Daryl was a shit-eating grin. Merle bit into his sandwich, smirked smugly at Daryl, and said, "Guess she's going."

Daryl snatched Merle out of the bed by the collar of his shirt, not bothering to let go as he started to emit choking noises. As hard as he could, he tossed him up against the wall that was beside the bed. "I don't know what the fuck you're up to," Daryl gravely warned, "but whatever it is, you cut that shit out. Right now!"

Merle coughed a few times, spitting out a slobbery chunk of white bread and ham onto his floor. He didn't offer to fight back or buck up at his brother, instead, he kept that shit eating look etched on his face. "I'm doing you a favor, little brother. You should be thanking me. Now you get to spend a whole weekend with little mama over there."

"This ain't funny, Merle!" He barked. "I didn't know you invited her to go and you should've seen the look on her face when she noticed I didn't have a clue what the fuck she was talking about. You can't fuck with people like that, I ain't your damn puppet, and neither is she or that baby of hers. I swear to God, if you do anything to hurt either of them..."

Merle's smug look faltered. "Wait...So you told her she couldn't go? You told her you didn't want her there?"

"No...I couldn't! She looked so damn pitiful and sad about it when it crossed her mind that you were playing some fucked up joke or whatever the hell this is that I told her she could go and I wanted her there. You fucking lied to her and then you made me lie to her!"

Merle's grin remerged. "I didn't lie to her," he stated matter of factly. "I can't go with you. I'm going to the mountains. I ain't turning down a weekend of vacation pussy for your sorry ass just to go to that damn hunting bullshit for the 100th time."

"And you couldn't've told me that before? You couldn't've let me ask Rick or Glenn to go with me? Why the fuck did you invite Carol without telling me!"

"Because you wouldn't've!" Merle countered. "You're too much of a damn pussy, or to fucked up in the head, or too damn stupid. Hell if I know. Jesus Christ, Daryl. Sometimes I think mama had to be on that goop when she was pregnant with you. Because you ain't got a damn clue half the time."

Daryl pushed him further into the wall, tightening his grip around Merle's t-shirt. "I should put your ass through this damn wall right now."

"Do it and I'll beat your ass into next Tuesday," Merle warned, finally giving a heated edge to his words.

"Like to see you try," Daryl growled.

"Pull that stick out of your ass that's got you so wound up, would you?" Merle shook his head and changed his tone when Daryl wouldn't release his grip. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't want her there? Tell me you'd rather Rick or Glenn be going away with you for the weekend." Merle studied Daryl's face, feeling pleased when he saw the look of realization wash over his baby brother. "Exactly my point, shithead," Merle grumbled. "I didn't lie to her, and you ain't lied to her either. Because whether or not you admit it to yourself, you want her there."

Daryl sighed in frustration and let go of his brother, taking a step back and slinging his arms. "What the hell am I supposed to do with her all weekend?

Merle waggled his eyebrows and grinned lasciviously. "Oh, I can think of a few things. You want some pointers? She's still small enough you can probably work in some really good positions."

Daryl growled and stepped towards his brother again, but stopped when Merle held up his hands.

"Now, now. I'm just teasing. Calm your tits."

Daryl bit the inside of his cheek, but he pushed all the tension he was feeling down for the moment. He held up a hand, pointing a single finger at his brother. "I'm gonna get you back for this shit. You ain't gonna know when, you ain't gonna know how, but I'm gonna get your ass back for it."

Merle snorted and rolled his eyes at Daryl. "Yeah...I'm sure you will. But one day, one day you and her and that baby of hers are gonna thank me for it."

()()()

At work the next day Daryl kept thinking about everything that happened last night, and even thought he wouldn't admit to Merle, after he got used to the idea of Carol tagging along on that trip with him, he couldn't help but feel excited about it. Excited, yet extremely nervous and uncertain of what to expect or how things were going to play out.

He enjoyed her company. More than he'd probably like to admit or dwell on the fact that he did. And he'd grown rather fond of seeing her most nights after work. He even found he liked it when she followed him into the shed and watched him work on that bike. And normally he couldn't stand for someone to watch him work. It usually made him self conscious and insecure, like they were judging and critiquing what he was doing. But not with her. In fact, listening to her voice as he worked was soothing in it's own unique way.

But hanging out with her for a few hours a couple times of week in the safe confines of close proximity to his own home was one thing. Hanging out with her in a strange place with no escape if things grew too awkward, or if he felt over-whelmed, or if he found he needed a moment alone, well that was something else entirely. He was going to be stuck inside of a hotel room with her for two days, and that part was a bit terrifying.

He'd meant what he said when he told Merle that he didn't know what do with her all weekend. He wasn't exactly the best at entertaining people. He was fine being quiet, enjoying silence, at entertaining himself. But Carol, well she liked to talk. And she liked to talk to him a lot. She liked to ask questions, learn about his life, and sometimes, that struck a nerve or hit on something he didn't wanna bring up. And even though she was good at backing off when she pulled that chord, sometimes he still needed to pull away after. To be by himself for a while.

Then there was the fact that on more than one occasion he'd checked her out. Particularly when she was wearing a tank top or in a low cut shirt and he could get an eye full of her pert breasts.

Aw shit. What if dressed like that this weekend and he kept staring at her like some perv? Like Merle would.

What if she went to sleep in one of those tank tops and he got a boner with her right there in the room with him?

"Daryl? Daryl? " Hershel called out, trying to get the younger Dixon's attention.

Daryl's head jerked up, cheeks flushing when he realized the thoughts he'd been entertaining about his boss' niece. "Yeah?" He mumbled, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Rick Grimes is here and he's asking for you. Told him I'd send you up." He arched a brow at the young man standing before him. "You alright?"

"Uhhh, yeah, yeah. I'm fine," he assured Hershel. "I'll be right there."

()()()

A few moments later, Daryl walked up and joined Rick. He was a bit surprised at his friend stopping by his job to see him. It wasn't normal. His brows furrowed as he met Rick's eyes. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah. Everything's good. You just left this at the house yesterday." Rick held out a pocket knife to Daryl. One he'd been slicing the bags of deer feed open with yesterday.

Daryl reached out and took the knife, glancing it over and shoving it in his pocket. It was nothing special. Just a plain, maroon utility knife. "Thanks, got plenty at home, though. You could've kept it."

Rick shrugged. "Guess I wanted to stop by and check on you. See how things went."

Rick sounded sympathetic, like he already knew the answer to how they'd gone and that he was pitying Daryl. Daryl smirked smugly, thinking back to how happy and touched Carol had been at his gesture. "Things went great. She loved it."

Perplexed, Rick said, "Really? She wasn't mad you kinda broke into her house and painted her first child's room without you consulting her?"

Daryl shook his head, that same proud look washing over him that had last night. "Nah. Not all. In fact, she was so happy she cried and threw her arms around me. Hell, she even kissed me on the cheek before she left."

Rick couldn't help but grin at his friend. "Did she now?"

Daryl's proud look quickly changed to one of embarrassment. His eyes snapped to the concrete floor and he kicked his right foot back and forth. "She was excited," he muttered. "Meant a lot to her. It ain't the same for her as it is for you and Lori. That baby's daddy ain't around, Rick. He don't wanna be. Little help goes a long way for a single mama." Truthfully, Daryl was growing rather fond of Carol's unborn child, too. He was developing a need to look out for the kid. Though he thought he understand his motives behind that a little more clearly than he did his want and need to be around that child's mother so often.

Rick studied Daryl carefully, but didn't say anything to further embarrasses his friend. "Well, I stand corrected. Good thing you didn't listen to me."

"Didn't listen to you because you're a dumbass," Daryl joked.

Rick chuckled and rested his hands on his hips. "Popular opinion, I suppose. Anyway, I just wanted to drop that by and make sure you were alright. I could tell it meant a lot to you to do that, and I was just...You know what, it doesn't matter. Sorry I didn't help you out. I should have."

"It's fine. I work better alone anyway."

Rick tossed a hand up. "Well, I'll see you later this week. You still gonna come for that low county boil? Think Lori's inviting Carol."

"Yeah, man. I'll be there. See you."

()()()

When Daryl clocked out of work that even he decided to hang around to stop and ask Hershel an important question. That heartburn and all these strange feelings he was having were only intensifying, and it was starting to worry him a bit. He despised going to the doctor, but he was starting to grow a bit concerned with the frequency he was having these episodes. "Hey, you got a sec?" He asked his boss as the older man stepped out his office.

Hershel turned towards Daryl and smiled warmly. "Sure, what's on your mind." Daryl was no non-sense. Not one for casual conversation. He worked hard, harder than most people he'd ever employed, but Hershel doubted the boy was stopping him for a chit chat.

"Just got a question about the insurance I got with you. Can I just pick some doctor in town and go? I ain't never been to the doctor here, so I don't know how all that works."

Hershel paused, a look of concern washing over him. As far as he knew, the boy hadn't been to the doctor in the entire two years he'd worked for him. Not ever after that burn he'd recently inflicted upon himself. "Everything alright? I thought you looked a bit off earlier, but you said you were fine."

Daryl grunted and slumped a shoulder. "I don't know," he admitted, a bit reluctantly, but he didn't exactly have a choice since he'd brought it up. "Thought I was having heartburn the last few weeks. But now? Now I ain't so sure that's all it is. Nothing I take for it helps, and it just keeps getting worse."

Hershel, looking very serious, asked, "Well, what's going on? What are you symptoms?"

Daryl's thumb made it's way to the side of his mouth as he started listing symptoms one by one. "Chest gets real tight. Like someone's sitting on it. Sometimes it feels all warm. Like it's on fire. My stomach stays in knots, like it's jumping up and down or like my heart drops down into it. Sometimes...sometimes my heart flutters. Like it's skipping a beat or something. A few times I've had this weird fucking tingly feeling all over."

Hershel's concern dissipated and a knowing, amused look washed over him. "Can I ask you something, Daryl?"

He nodded.

"These symptoms, is there something in common whenever you feel them. Like a trigger. Something that always seems to be present when they get set off."

Daryl paused and raised his brows at the man. "What do you mean?"

Hershel chuckled at the boy's ignorance. "I don't know. Maybe you're a certain place when it happens. Or maybe you're thinking about a certain thing. Or around a certain person."

Daryl mulled the symptoms over in his mind. Starting with where he'd been and what he'd been doing the first time he felt them, all the way up until what was happening when they were the strongest they'd been. Then it hit Daryl. Out of nowhere. Like a ton of bricks collapsing on him.

That trigger was always Carol. Whether he was around her, or thinking about her, it always started with her. He thought back to that night on their walk to the quarry, how she was trying to describe what the baby pitter pattering around inside of her was like and how it was similar to butterflies fluttering around in your stomach and how she compared that feeling to having a crush or falling in love for the first time. He didn't realize how he hadn't figured it out sooner. Ah, fuck my life! He thought to himself, thinking about how he had to go away with her soon and how this knew knowledge was going to affect that trip. And fuck Merle up the ass with a giant splintery dildo.