A/N - I haven't updated this story for a while as the summer is a really busy time and I haven't got much time for writing :( But I wanted to add this little chapter for everyone!

The evening sun was setting high in the sky, Daryl cleared his throat and shifted his head to look at his friend next to him. He had only known her for just over three years, but it felt more like twenty. Being with her had always been so easy, like she had always been there. Never judged, never questioned, just accepted him.

"What?" Carol asked almost suspiciously as she noticed the intense way he was studying her.

"You okay?" he asked tentatively in a low voice.

He had come out for some air and a smoke, but in truth he had followed Carol when he had noticed her quietly leaving the hub of the main bar. When he had found her sat on the steps gazing out into the distance in the direction of the ocean, he had silently sunk down beside her.

"Mmmm.." she responded, averting eye contact. "I'm fine."

Daryl knew her better than that, they were two of a kind. He blinked a couple of times before he went on to remark, "You aint gonna fool me.."

"I said I was fine," she snapped back.

"You don't have to pretend - it's me!" Daryl said sincerely with kind eyes. He was aware how this new civilised place had a strange way of bringing shit to the surface, of making you deal with things you had been able to successfully keep suppressed with the daily fight for survival over-shadowing everything else. He'd had Sienna to help him here, now he wanted to help Carol just like Sienna had helped him.

"And you don't have to feel responsible for me," Carol replied thorough clenched teeth.

Daryl flinched slightly from her terse tone. Carol could see his face drop and she regretted the harsh tone of her voice. She cared for him so much, but she didn't want to hold him back now he was happy.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them for a few seconds. A breeze blowing in from the ocean whipped around their faces as they both contemplated their thoughts. Breaking the silence Daryl decided to take a gamble and talk to her again. "It's fucking weird at first being here, but it gets better, I promise ya. You just gotta give it time. What ever happened, happened, we've just gotta start over." He let that comment hang out there waiting for a response.

Carol glanced at him and her eyes softened. It had always been there, his kind heart, his compassion and empathy, but now it was as though he knew he didn't have to hide it anymore. He could be himself and she could see he really wanted to help her, and it made her heart melt a little, and that thought alone filled her with a warm glow. Maybe she would never fully deal with her demons, but she knew she needed to at least try. Her mouth twitched into a small smile. "Yeah….I guess."

Daryl gave her a half smile in return and held her gaze, his deep blue eyes although considerably more well-rested now, still held the deep creases of a lifetime of strain and tension. He wanted his friend to find peace, she deserved that.

"That what you're doing here, starting over? Settling down and making a life?" Carol asked changing the subject, and she raised an eyebrow watching him carefully. She looked at his masculine profile from where he was sat next to her, his eyes were staring straight in front of him now and he chewed down on his thumb in a way she had seen him do a thousand times before.

He shrugged. He knew Carol had over-heard his earlier conversation with Michonne about Sienna. It was no secret he had found something at last, something to live for, he was crazy in love with her, and she had changed him, and helped him heal. He drew in a breath and trying to sound as casual as possible he said. "Yeah."

Carol felt a pang of emotion hit her.

...

"So you gonna pull your whole Betty Crocker thing here too?" Daryl smirked allowing his hair to fall into his eyes as he lightened the mood.

Carol smirked back, remembering how he had mocked her when they had first arrived at Alexandria and she had played the innocent housewife. He had told her she looked ridiculous in her frumpy clothes and in return she had mocked him for his personal hygiene and refusal to shower. A thing that didn't appear to be an issue anymore, Daryl still looked a little rough around the edges here, but he was noticeably cleaner than he had ever been before. It was funny what would motivate a guy Carol thought, and Daryl had proven to be no different to any other hot-blooded male in that respect. Carol guessed Sienna had more luck in that department seeing as he was getting regular sex from her.

"There you are," they both suddenly heard Sienna say, and they looked up to see her stood in front of them with a pale looking Maggie next to her.

"Everything okay?" Daryl asked looking up.

"Yeah, I'm just feeling a bit off colour," Maggie replied with a weak smile.

"I'm going to walk Maggie back, as Glenn and Rick have gone off for talks with Monroe," Sienna explained, the breeze blowing the braid in her long blonde hair across her face.

"It's okay, you don't have to," Maggie interrupted, looking from Sienna to Daryl.

"You can't go back on your own," Sienna insisted.

"I'll go back with Maggie," Carol suddenly said abruptly, standing up.

"Okay," Maggie said sensing a little tension.

….

Daryl didn't say anything to Sienna, as they watched Carol and Maggie walking away, he knew Sienna thought Carol was a little off.

"She okay?" Sienna asked referring to Carol, her blue eyes round and inquisitive as she looked at Daryl. She knew Carol meant a lot to him

"I dunno," Daryl replied truthfully. "She aint herself still," he explained, although truth be told he was finding Carol's hot and cold behaviour a little baffling.

"You know she's in love with you," Sienna blurted out.

"Nah," Daryl responded firmly, and he creased his brow from where he was hiding behind his hair, as he was quick to dismiss her statement again, "Nah, aint like that," he repeated, shaking his head.

"Maybe not for you, but it is for her, Daryl," Sienna continued gently. She had spotted it straight away, that Carol was in love with him, but she knew first hand how Daryl wasn't exactly the sharpest at spotting female signals towards him, and he needed Sienna to spell it out right now, because he needed to understand why Carol was behaving a little off. Daryl had told Sienna he hadn't had sex with anyone since the start of the outbreak, and she believed him. But Sienna wasn't a fool she could see the love he and Carol had for each other, maybe if things had been different? So right now it couldn't be easy for Carol to see him with another woman, when for a while it had just been her.

Daryl shook his head again, his jaw gaped open slightly as he watched Carol walking away in the distance. Could Sienna be right? Deep down had he known that all along?

"Come on," he said in a low gravelly voice, and he touched Sienna's arm, as he jerked his head in the direction of their place. The night was drawing in fast and he was aware that this was his last night before he, Monroe, Rick, Glenn and a few others went out into the infected zones again…..

A/N - Thanks for reading. This was a short chapter, but who doesn't love a little Caryl friendship to clear the air! Keep reading. There is more action (and maybe some smut) to come soon! ;) ;) Thanks again so much for all the support so far! Please review as it really motivates me to write more!