Sorry for the wait! I hope you all like this chapter!

Chapter Twenty-Six

Carol made her way back to her cell. Her mind was in a fog. Beth called to her as she passed through the common room and Carol only had the energy to wave at the girl before walking into the cell block. Rick hadn't been in the room and she wondered if he was down in the tombs, again, hacking at walkers.

When she pulled back the curtain covering the doorway, she was surprised to find that Daryl was still there. However, instead of lying in her bed naked, like he had been when she left, he at least had a pair of pants on. When he saw her, he made a move to sit up, but she waved him back down and crawled into the bed next to him.

"Everythin' okay?" He asked, concerned.

"I just want to sleep for a week. Maybe when I get up, this whole mess will be solved." Her back was to him, but she was pressed as close as possible to his side.

"What did Rick want to talk to you about?"

"Michonne."

"What?" The bed shifted and he leaned up on his elbow so he could look down at Carol. Carol didn't move to look up at him. She remained still.

"I think he wanted me on his side when it came to whether we should give Michonne up or not." Her eyes didn't leave the stone wall in front of her and her head laid flat on both her hands. With her back to him, she couldn't see Daryl's reactions to her words.

"And what did you say?"

"I told him what I told you. We can't give her up and we need to leave. I fear he's disappointed in me that I wouldn't choose his children over a woman we just met." Finally, she turned on her back and looked him in the eye.

"You didn't choose Michonne over the baby and Carl," Daryl reassured. "You gave him a choice where you wouldn't have to choose."

"Maybe if Sophia was still with me, I...I would be like Rick. But..." Her throat clogged up at the mention of her late daughter. Her beautiful Sophia. Who she would have died to protect.

"I don't think you would have been any different," Daryl said, his voice soft. "You would have wanted to keep Sophia safe, yes, but I don't think you would condemn an innocent woman to do so. You would still want to leave and save Michonne. Wouldn't you?" The way his eyes bore into hers made Carol think he was staring right in her soul. This time when she teared up, it wasn't because she missed Sophia, but because this man seemed to know her so well and they had only just met.

"I...think you're right." She cupped his cheeks and gave him a watery smile. How had she been so fortunate to have this man in her life, now?

"I think I am too," he said a little smugly before leaning down to kiss her. He was more confident with her, now. Especially after what had transpired between them only an hour before. He went back down on the bed and pulled her close.

"Rick said he would tell everyone later. Do you think he'll do it tonight?"

"Don't know. I think he needs to think over some things before bringing the issue of Michonne up to everyone. Especially with the woman right there." He kissed the back of her head, acting as if he had been with Carol forever. "For now, rest."

"I can do that." Daryl pulled the sheet to cover the both of them. Carol didn't care if anyone were to come looking for them and found them both in the same bed. She had nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed about. Daryl had only been in her life for a few days, but it was almost as if he had been in it forever.

No one came to get them for a while and when they did, it wasn't for a meeting but for dinner. Carol was sleeping quietly in his arms and Daryl was tempted to climb over her, once Maggie walked away from the front of the cell, to grab them two plates and come right back. But if he didn't want Carol to wake up while he was gone to see that he had left.

"Sweetheart," the endearment felt natural coming out of his mouth. "You need to get up. It's time to eat." Fortunately, it didn't take that many shakes to wake Carol up.

"I'm starving," she mumbled.

"Perfect timin', then." Daryl allowed Carol to get up from the bed before he climbed out himself. Before he pushed back the curtain to follow Carol, he groped around for his shirt. It was okay for Carol to see the scars on his skin, but not anyone else.

The cell block had grown considerably darker with the setting of the sun and Carol was only a silhouette as she waited for him at the top of the stairs. There were a few candles scattered throughout the block, giving off enough light so people could see where they were stepping and not trip. This had become even more important now that Hershel had to get around on crutches.

Carol kissed him one last time before descending the stairs. Daryl was sad to see that their time together would be over. Though Rick had taken Carol away for a little bit, it had almost felt as if they were in their own little bubble and that it was just the two of them.

When they walked into the room, everyone was there. Except Rick. Even Michonne was sitting at one of the tables with a bowl of something in front of her. Her mind seemed somewhere else as she took a bite.

The Greene sisters were standing next to the pot of food. Carol walked up to them. "So, who cooked?" She asked with a smile.

"I did," Maggie answered.

"Good. It's safe to eat, then." With a wink at the younger Greene, she pulled her in for a quick hug before grabbing the two bowls Maggie was offering her.

Carol followed Daryl to one of the tables, which was a table near Michonne. Though, they didn't say anything to the woman as they settled in to eat, they wanted to be near in case Rick brought up the situation with the Governor that evening. Carol knew that they wouldn't be the only ones who would go against Rick's decision. Just because they had lost a lot in the past didn't mean they had lost their humanity as well.

The room was full of quiet murmurs as different family units sat at different tables around the room. Carl sat with Judith in a carrier by his feet. Glenn, Maggie, Beth and Hershel sat at a table by Carl. Everything went silent when Rick walked through the door from the prison yard. His face was like stone and instead of grabbing a bowl of food and a seat, he went right up to the table where Carol and Daryl were sitting.

Ignoring Carol, he looked right at Daryl. "Once you're finished, Daryl, we need to talk." The tone of his voice suggested that it wouldn't be a pleasant talk either.

"All right," Daryl responded calmly. "Give me a few minutes to finish here."

Rick nodded sharply. "I'll be outside." Without another word to anyone else in the room, and not even a glance towards his children, Rick turned on his heel and walked out the door he had just come through. Everyone's conversations had ceased and they all looked at Daryl.

"I don't like it," Carol whispered, not wanting to be heard.

Daryl shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Probably just wants to talk more about the problem with the Governor."

Carol was rubbing her arms and gnawing on her lip. "I don't think that's it." She looked up at him with watery blue eyes. "Don't let him bully you, okay?"

"I ain't." He wished he could cup her cheek or something, but didn't want to oust his relationship with Carol right there. Especially not when Rick seemed pissed with him for some reason.

Daryl finished his meal in a few more large bites before taking up his empty bowl. Carol hadn't touched her food since Rick had walked into the common room. He knew she was worried about whatever Rick planned on telling him and he was trying hard not to worry about it himself. After all, he was pretty sure he hadn't done anything wrong. Up to the point, Daryl had done everything Rick had asked of him with no arguing or complaining. Daryl wanted to belong with this group. He wanted to be accepted. He hoped he hadn't done anything to jeopardize that.

Before leaving the room, he made sure to stop by Carol. Touching her gently on the elbow, he hoped that it conveyed that everything would be okay. However, when she looked up at him, eyes ready to spill over for some reason, it looked as if she wouldn't believe him even if he were to say the words aloud.

"I'll be back in a bit, okay?" Their exchange was being watched by every pair of eyes in the room except for the baby's and Daryl didn't care.

"All right. I'll be here. Waiting." She gave him a half-hearted smile.

Daryl nodded and walked out the door. Rick was pacing a few feet away and at the sound of the door opening, he stopped. It was nearly dark out and with no lights; it wouldn't be long before it would become hard to see.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Daryl asked, already wanting to get this over with. If he was going to get yelled at, for whatever reason, he wanted it to be done quick so he could back inside.

"You haven't been here long, Daryl," he stated.

"I know," Daryl replied slowly, confused that Rick was stating the obvious.

"You haven't been here long and already Carol hangs off your every word and treats you as if she has known you her whole life."

"Doubt Carol hangs off my every word," he mumbled. "Woman has a mind of her own, she don't need to look to me for guidance."

"And yet, I think she has."

Daryl didn't like where this was going. "What do you mean?"

"Did you tell her about Michonne?" Rick asked, but Daryl knew that he already knew the truth.

"Yes," he answered. "I did." He wasn't even going to justify himself. Rick probably wouldn't care what he had to say anyway.

"And did you tell her your stance on it?"

"I did," Daryl said once more.

Rick's face grew hard and his blue eyes turned to ice. "So, it's no wonder when I told Carol about the plan, she answered almost in the exact way you did."

"Now, you hold on." Daryl was angry, now. How dare the man think Carol was his parrot? "Carol didn't like the plan and it wasn't just because I didn't. She would have answered the same fuckin' way if I hadn't told her a damn thing!"

"You've known Carol for a week. I've known her for months and I know she would do anything to protect this group. We're her family. You're just a man that showed her a little attention."

Daryl's fist connected with Rick's jaw before he could even register what he was doing. Rick's head snapped to the side and he stumbled a bit, but didn't fall. Daryl didn't regret a thing. The man had no right to think of Carol like that. Like she was so desperate that she would hop in bed with any man that showed her some interest.

Instead of retaliating with a hit of his own, Rick looked back at Daryl. The area where he had been hit was already swelling up. "Look, I shouldn't have said that," he said, looking genuinely regretful. "Carol is one of the few people in this world I care about and who I consider a part of my family. But do you see where I'm coming from?"

Daryl let himself calm down a little. "I get that Carol is a part of your family, but you don't know her as well as you think. I know she'd do whatever needs to be done for her family. But send a woman to her death or worse? Especially when it can be avoidable? I don't think she'd go for it."

Rick was silent for a moment. Contemplating. The stress of leading was plainly seen in the lines on his forehead and around his eyes. Rick had aged ten years since the first time Daryl had met him those few weeks prior at the house. "We'll have a meeting in the morning to see what everyone thinks." He was unwilling to say that Daryl was right about Carol. "Michonne will not be present and neither will you."

Daryl opened his mouth to protest. After all, he was a part of this group now. Rick beat him to it. "I know what your stance is on this, but I want to see how Carol responds when you're not around and she's surrounded by her family." Daryl clenched his teeth and didn't say anything.

"You'll be with Michonne on watch," he said, making it sound like an order. Daryl wanted to refuse. If Rick wouldn't let him in on a group decision, why should he even listen to the man? But what else was he going to do while they were meeting?

"When you get back inside, can you tell Carol she's on watch tonight? I'll be the one who will relieve her." And just like that Daryl was dismissed. Rick turned and strode away from him and into the dark towards the tower. Daryl had no choice but to do go back inside.

Carol was sitting in the same spot he had left her in. Everyone else had seemed to head to bed or at least to their cells for the night. She was gnawing on the skin by her thumbnail when he walked up to her.

"Ain't that my thing?" He teased, hoping that it would ease the worry lines on her forehead.

Her thumb dropped from her mouth and she stood up. The worry was still there. "How did it go?"

"Good," he lied.

"What did he want to talk to you about?" Carol didn't think look completely convinced.

"He just wanted to go over some plans for if the Governor attacks," he lied, again and hated every second of it.

Carol's eyes glanced down at his hands and she gasped. "What happened?" She held up his right hand and for the first time, he noticed that the knuckles on his first two fingers were swollen. "Oh my God. You hit him."

"I did." That was the first truth of the conversation.

"Why? Did he hit you back?" She stepped closer and examined his face to find that there were no marks or bruises.

"No. After I hit him, he realized what he said was wrong and that was it." And that was all he was going to say about that. If Carol were to know what Rick had said about her, she would be upset with the man and that wasn't something she needed at the moment, anyway.

"So, he was angry with you about something." Carol bit her lip once more. "Because of me, wasn't it?"

"No," he quickly said. "It was because he didn't know you as well as he thought. It was no way your fault. Promise." Carol still didn't look convinced. "He wants you on watch tonight, though."

"Oh." She looked disappointment. "I thought that maybe we could...sleep together tonight. In the same bed," she spoke nervously. "It's been a while since I shared a bed with a man before." She looked up and gave him a sheepish smile.

Daryl's heart beat in overtime. They had slept together before, though it had been for a few hours and the way Carol was talking, it seemed like she wanted to make it a permanent thing. Which was more than fine with him. "When Rick relieves you for his watch, you can slip into my bed. If you want."

"I don't want to wake you up."

"I don't mind." Honestly, he would be glad if she were to wake him up when she crawled in next to him. That way he would know for sure that she was there in the bed with him.

"Okay." Placing a hand on his shoulder, she leaned up and kissed him quickly on the mouth. "I'll see you in a few." Daryl hoped that those few hours would go by quickly. He couldn't wait to have Carol in his bed again.

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