The Long Road Home
"Whatcha thinkin'?" His words were muffled, groggy and rasping as he pulled himself from the depths of sleep. She'd listened to his quiet breathing for the last couple hours.
"How do you know I'm thinking?"
Daryl inhaled deeply as his arms tightened around her. The bare skin of his chest burned pleasant fire against her back. "Can always tell when you're stirrin' over somethin' like that."
Carol chuckled softly. Even dead to the world, of course he could.
"So what is it?"
Her shoulder twitched in a gentle shrug. "Nothing new."
He was quiet for a while as his calloused fingers stroked over her skin. "Gonna be alright, whatever we find."
"I know."
"I ain't goin' anywhere without you."
She smiled, burrowing deeper in his arms. "I know that, too."
Silence reigned again.
A nugget of worry invaded his thoughts. "You okay with last night?" he asked.
She turned in surprise, wriggling onto her back to look at him beside her. "Of course." He chewed his lip as she studied him. "Are you?"
Daryl nodded, but the worry didn't dissolve away from his face. "Just...didn't want ya ta think it only happened 'cause of what we're doin' today." His features curled in concern. "'Cause that ain't why."
She skimmed the muscles of his arm in a soothing rhythm. "I know that's not why."
"Didn't want ya ta think...we rushed it or something." He looked so serious, she almost laughed.
"Daryl." She bit her cheek, but try as she might, she just couldn't stifle the widening grin. Still, she fought to keep from dissolving into an audible giggle. "Of all things..." She shook her head, choking down a laugh. "I don't think we rushed it."
"Yeah," he agreed absently, forehead wrinkled deep in thought. Then, he realized the weight of her words. He'd known he loved her the minute he saw her standing by that gate. Maybe before. He'd searched for her for two years and danced around her at the prison long before that.
The seriousness of his expression melted away, and she watched as his lip curled up in a sheepish grin. "Yeah," he repeated with a blushing chuckle. "Guess maybe we didn't rush that."
She was struck by the beauty of that grin. Mesmerized by the way the lines melted off his face when he smiled. By how young he looked when he watched her like he was watching her now.
Impulsively, she kissed him. At first a quick peck, but his eyes darkened and he leaned in for more. Flush against him, she could feel his want against her hip.
"Still early," he breathed softly into her ear, nibbling gently around the lobe. "Ya wanna not rush it some more?"
Again, laughter threatened to bubble up in her chest. No, not laughter, she realized, so much as joy. Who would have known, she thought. Daryl Dixon could almost flirt.
"What do you think?" Grinning, she lost herself completely in him.
At last, they pulled the old Chevy through the gate.
Bernard offered a solemn wave as Carol fought back the pinpricks threatening her eyes.
"You still sure?"
She looked over at Daryl as he pulled out onto the main road. Bernard disappeared from view as the gates drew closed. She forced herself to stop looking in the rearview mirror.
"I'm sure." Her fingers drifted down to the useless radio. Flipping the switch a few times, she found only static. Ritual done, she sat back in her seat. Anything , she figured, was worth a chance.
"You never did tell me." Daryl squinted past the rising sun.
"Tell you what?"
"What you was stewin' over so early this morning."
"Oh." Carol tilted her head to the window and enjoyed the feel of sunlight on her cheeks. "I was thinking..." She trailed off. "It's silly, really."
He eyed her briefly before turning back to the road. The Chevy swayed over a gaping pothole.
Rolling her eyes, she continued. "I was thinking that it was the best morning I'd had in a really long time." She swallowed. "And I'm not going to let anything change that."
He drove for five miles before he spoke.
"Was what I was thinkin', too."
The road was clear for a little while. It wasn't until mid-morning that they hit the first traffic snarl. The rusting bodies littered the road far too thickly to navigate through.
Daryl hopped down from the hood of the car. "Goes on like that for at least a mile. Too far to try to get through by the ditch."
Carol nodded from the map. She traced one finger on a skinny red line. "We can go this route, maybe. Might have had less traffic at the outset. Maybe have a better chance of being clear now."
Daryl nodded, scanning the field on their left for any sign of walkers. "'Bout the only option 'less we're heading another day out of our way."
She stiffened beside him as he shouldered his bow. The lone walker fell to the ditch.
Daryl peered at the highway, rubbing his knuckles over his eyes. The gray road snaked ceaselessly into the distance, winding its way through the countryside. They'd been at it for hours. Clear roads were hit or miss, though it seemed to Daryl they were mostly miss.
Beside him, Carol leaned forward in her seat. He could feel the tension grip her form. "Daryl?" She squinted, shading her eyes against the late afternoon sun. "I think I see..." She squinted some more. "Pull over."
He hit the brakes in confusion. "What -"
"Pull over!" Seeing the frantic urgency in her eyes, he wrenched the car to the side of the road.
"Turn it off. Get out of the car and lock it." She made for the door and he did the same.
Daryl jogged around the front of the car, bow ready though lowered in his hands. He saw nothing, but Carol tugged frantically at his arm. "Come on." She darted for the trees as he followed behind.
Raising the bow, he followed her deeper. About a hundred feet in, she stopped and motioned him behind a tree. "That way," she whispered, gesturing out toward the road. Checking first behind them, he turned to the road.
It was only then that he heard it. An engine. Coming closer. Closing in rapidly from the highway beyond. His heart picked up a thrumming pace. There was no telling what kind of people were in that car. They'd been lucky so far, but Daryl knew it was best to avoid every person they could. The car braked slightly as it neared the Chevy, but picked up speed and continued on without fully stopping. Crouching, they watched as it passed them by. Waited until it disappeared into the distance.
"Must've figured that old thing wasn't worth a look." Carol brushed the dirt away from her knees.
Straightening, he looked at her in wonder. "How the hell'd you hear that?"
"I didn't. I saw light from where the sun must have reflected off of it in the distance. It was moving, so I figured it had to be a car."
From over the ridge behind them came a stumbling form. Another appeared close behind. Tearing his eyes from Carol he tipped his head back to the car. "Got company comin' over the ridge. Better clear out."
She surprised him by heading over to the driver's side and holding out both of her hands. With a shake of his head, he tossed over the keys.
They holed up for the night in a tiny cabin that wasn't, by Daryl's reckoning, much more than a shack. It was sturdy enough though, with high-set windows and two ways to exit. Its position, backed up to a bluff but shielded by trees, made for an easy one-sided watch. The car remained ready right by the door, hidden well, just like the house.
They cleared it in minutes, finding nothing more than a couple of birds. There wasn't much left in the place, and Daryl figured it must have been abandoned long before the end.
Once it was cleared, they began to explore. As he searched the cabinets, more in habit than in hope, he noticed Carol pause in a doorway. When she didn't move apart from an uncertain quirk of her head, he straightened, fingers resting on a disused sink. "You okay?"
"I think...I've been here before." He watched as she stepped through the tiny rooms, brow crinkling in concentration. "It seemed familiar when we drove up, but..." Her fingers dragged on a door frame. "I've been here."
"When?"
"Just after the prison."
He flinched at the words.
"Stayed a night, I think. Maybe two. It was dark when I found it, so I wasn't sure by the outside...but I remember the woodwork." She looked around the tiny living space. "I kept watch out that window."
His eyes drifted over to the darkened glass. He didn't know how to respond. Guilt like a vice settled in on his chest. "You okay stayin' tonight?"
"Yeah. Just...I remember thinking I'd never see it again." She considered. "Guess there's a lot of that going around."
"Guess so." He fidgeted slightly and gestured toward the worn, sagging couch. "Should sleep some. I got watch."
"You don't have to do that. I can keep watch, too."
He shrugged. "I ain't tired."
Sighing, she settled into the faded fabric.
But sleep was elusive, and Carol found herself restless. After a couple of hours spent drifting half-awake, she sat up, abandoning the dreams that edged their way in. Daryl turned to her, framed in the window by the light of the moon. Rising from the sagging cushions, she made her way over to him, marveling at the way he pulled her back to his chest. He seemed to like her body right next to his. It was all so different from the way it had been. Before, he'd flinch if she so much as brushed his hand.
One powerful arm circled her waist. ""M sorry," he whispered, lips against the top of her head.
"What for?"
He was quiet for so long, she thought maybe she'd somehow dreamed the whole thing. "For you havin' to do that on your own. Being out there on your own. For not finding you sooner."
She wound her fingers easily through his. "You found me as fast as you could. And none of that matters anymore."
He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Only forward, right?"
She nodded. "Only forward. As long as I'm still with you."
At Carol's insistence, he slept for a while just before dawn. After a quick breakfast, they found themselves once again weaving their way through the country roads. The farther south they got, the more traffic they found, but the old Chevy edged its way through. They talked a bit, Daryl careful to keep the topics light, but she noticed the way his knuckles whitened as they gripped the wheel.
Late afternoon, he looked at the map. "Think it's just a couple miles on down that road." He indicated a gravelly trail branching off from the highway they were currently on. Above them, the sun tumbled rapidly from the sky. Sucking his lip, he turned to her. "You still sure?"
Her stomach was fluttering and she was positive he could see the way her hands shook as she refolded the map. "I'm sure."
"Okay, then."
They drove the last couple miles in total silence.
At last, he slowed, tires crunching on the weedy gravel. The car lurched to a stop before a high chain link fence. She could see the water slides rising behind.
At first, she saw nothing, too blinded by the shock of actually being there. Then, signs of life.
Turned up dirt. A tiny garden. Stomach lurching, her thoughts went to Haven. Cement walls and empty pools. Movement from the side of the yard. People she didn't know scurried for shelter at the sight of their car. Guns. Muted shouts, muffled by the hum of the engine. A tall lanky form jogged up toward the gate, then tucked itself behind concrete.
Her heart beat too fast to catch her breath.
Rick.
She looked to Daryl with unsure eyes. Found him peering through the windshield with his nostrils flared. He turned to her. "You ready?"
"Maybe you should go first." The words tumbled out. "What if he doesn't..."
Daryl clamped his teeth, ready to tell her again that it wasn't like that. But then he stopped. It had been two years. The inside of the complex crawled thickly with strangers - so many more than he'd left behind. He wasn't sure what kind of welcome they faced.
"'Kay," he agreed. He eyed the area around them. It seemed safe enough, apart from the rifles trained on their car. He could make one out from the top of a slide. "Stay in the car. Keep the door locked after me. "
Opening the door, he slid out one leg. "Whatever happens..." I love you. He couldn't seem to choke out the words.
"I know." Her eyes were huge as he turned away.
And then he was gone with the keys still hanging from the ignition.
She watched him make his approach with his arms half in the air and the bow resting readily at his back. Carol tried to swallow, but found her throat far too dry. Step after step, he approached the fence.
Rick eased out from behind a wall. The rifle he carried was lifted high, trained directly at Daryl's head.
She saw it, the moment recognition flooded his form. The gun dropped down to his side, then to the dirt. He shouted something to the people behind him as his steps quickened to open the gate. Daryl stopped short of entering, but Rick stumbled out. Through the filthy windshield, she watched as he clutched Daryl's shoulder in disbelief.
Mute words passed between the men. She saw Rick try to nudge Daryl into the compound, but he refused. An arm in the air, and Rick stepped back. Fell back, really, then gathered himself and turned to her car. A hand rose shakily up to his head.
He knew. She could tell by the way his shoulders hunched.
Daryl turned, too, and at his nod she pulled the keys. It took her two tries to open the door. Heat prickled her back as she stood, and the ground seemed to tremble beneath her legs. Step by agonizing step, she made her way closer with the keys clutched in her hand. The ragged metal bit at her skin.
He saw her. Rick. Looked at her like she'd come back from the dead.
And maybe, she mused vaguely, he wasn't far off.
Despite his graying hair, he seemed well. Older and tired, thin but well. She stopped about ten feet away, unable to push herself any more. She felt Daryl's eyes as everything slowed.
Rick stepped from Daryl in an uneasy sway. Took a few stumbling steps toward her, then blanched to the side. "Carol -" Her name left his lips, coughed out in a sob.
She couldn't bring herself to move. The white-hot sear of anger took her by surprise. Heat blurred her sight, jolting her straight down to her boots.
"I'm so, so sorry." And Rick sank to the dirt just outside of her grasp.