Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Denise left to tend to Nina's injuries, Carol dried and found herself being taken to the guest bedroom by Michonne, and she was stunned at the sight of gowns lying around the room, beautiful wild flower bouquets wrapped in decorative paper and ribbons, and her girls spinning around in front of two mirrors in their new gowns. She couldn't believe her eyes at the sight and nearly wept because of it.
"No tears." Beth cupped her cheeks and wiped at her eyes. "You cry, I cry, and we will not have a couple of pregnant ladies crying on your weddin' day."
"Good luck with that plan." Carol snuffled.
"Then we'll go waterproof," Beth giggled. "Come and sit."
"Mommy, look!" Charlotte spun around and ran over to her. "I'm a queen!"
"So you are." Carol beamed at the sight of her happy little girl and sat down in front of the vanity as instructed. "You look beautiful, baby girl."
"So will you." She hopped up onto her lap, minding her belly and saw her wrapped wrist. "What happened, Mommy?"
"It's nothing for you to worry about, darling." She tucked an artificially made curl behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "I'll be fine."
She pursed her lips together but didn't press the subject. Beth brushed out Carol's hair carefully while Enid began to file her nails to paint them, and Sasha held up gowns in the mirror for Carol to reject or accept as her wedding gown. It felt so unlike her first wedding day with Ed, and she was so grateful for that. She wouldn't want to repeat that day if all the world made her. She was blessed with three amazing kids and an amazing man to be her husband. All the world had made this happen when she needed it most. Maybe the world wasn't so terrible. Maybe parts of it were poisoned, and it couldn't be helped, but overall—the big picture—was healed and trying to heal the sickened parts, but that was a thought for another time. Right now, she had to decide on a tiara veil or a flower crown.
She laughed as Beth approved of her dress and her veil choice, Charlotte went ahead and began to play with the extra veils, and Mika played with her. Carol admired her two beautiful girls in the mirror, Beth brushing out her hair and asking her if she had any particular style she wanted her hair to be in. She had no idea, and she asked Beth to just do what she felt was right for her.
Carol stroked her stomach while Beth made up her hair and face, Sasha had the dress already for Carol once hair and makeup were done, and Denise joined them about thirty minutes later. She and Carol made eye contact, and Carol knew Nina had been seen and medicated. She would be just fine. Carol didn't know how she felt about Nina being just fine within their walls. She didn't like having a traitor in their midst. She didn't like having a child kidnapper/killer so nearby, and she didn't like Nina. She didn't feel pity for her. She didn't feel anything towards her anymore, and perhaps that indifference was scarier than feeling angry or hurt or betrayed.
Mika lowered herself down beside Carol as Beth finished the last if her hair and whispered, "I need to talk to you and Dad when the ceremony is over."
"Is everything all right?"
"Yes, it's fine." She looked over her mother's gorgeous face and grinned. "You look amazing, Mom."
Carol blushed and gripped her hand. "So do you, honey."
"Thank you but not as good as you look." She rose up, and she looked at her mother's reflection. "Dad's gonna be blown away."
Beth beamed. "It's the way my mama taught me to wear makeup—subtle but accentuating—and Carol has a lot to work with. She's a natural beauty."
The blush worsened as red burned across her cheeks and neck, kissing lightly against the tips of her ears. "Thank you." She bowed her head.
"Hey, Carol? Look up." Sasha moved to be standing beside Beth and placed her hands on her hips. "You're too beautiful to look down."
"A classic beauty," Charlotte commented, removing a veil from her hair and setting it back on the bed. "That's what Daddy always says."
"When does Dad say that?" Carol had never heard him say such a thing.
"Well, he says it to me," Charlotte replied.
Carol couldn't help but laugh at her precious little girl. "I love you, Charlotte."
"I love you, too, Mommy."
"Okay, okay. I'm done." Beth stepped back, admiring her work. She'd braided back sections of Carol's hair, weaving baby's breath into the braids and leaving the rest down in their natural curls. The light and dark grey melded wonderfully with the baby's breath, and it brought out a natural cream in Carol's makeup. She looked gorgeous. "Here, take a look." She held a mirror up to show Carol the intricate weaving of baby's breath into braids in the back.
"Oh, my." Carol gasped at how beautiful her hair looked. "Beth, it looks amazing. Thank you."
"You're welcome." She lowered the mirror. "Now let's get you inside that dress!"
Luckily the dress Carol had chosen came in just at her new size. It fit perfectly, accentuating her curves and soft features, and she looked like a model. It was such a lovely gown, with its A-line bodice, laced long sleeves and open back, which her hair covered most of the revealed skin. The sight of her brought tears to Beth's eyes and to Carol's eyes, made Charlotte squeal and made Mika take a photo to remember this day by. They helped Carol downstairs to give her the rest of her attire. The needed items—something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.
"I already have the something new." Carol set a hand on her stomach. "And something old. These earrings were my mother's."
"Oh." Michonne nodded. "Here. This can be your something borrowed."
Carol held out her hand to accept the necklace chain. "Thank you, Michonne." She fastened it around her neck and adjusted it to rest against her neck.
"Something blue." Beth thought for a moment. "Mmm…."
"Me!" Charlotte jumped up. "My eyes, Mommy, my eyes! I can be your something blue!"
Carol didn't want to tell her that wasn't how it worked, so she went with it. She kissed her cheeks and thanked her for being the best and bluest, and they escorted Carol to the church. She was surprised Daryl had agreed to get married in a church, and Beth said it was all for her. She almost broke out in tears, but Michonne made a joke couples, and she tearfully laughed through it. She was grateful for them and asked Michonne to walk her down the aisle.
"Where else would I be?" Michonne grasped her hand consolingly. "You're glowing."
She inhaled and exhaled deeply to calm the emotions sweeping through her. "I thought you were supposed to help me not cry."
"To a point." She nodded. "Now, your fiancé is waiting for us. Do you want him to see you crying down the aisle?"
"I don't know. I've been very surprised by Daryl today. I can't guess what's on his mind." She was joking, but it sounded serious, and Michonne laughed softly, questioningly. "I am joking."
"Thank God. I was almost concerned."
"Don't be. I haven't felt this happy in so long, and I can't begin to express it."
"Express it with Daryl. In your vows," she suggested. "And it'll be…perfect."
"Oh, shit, my vows," Carol blanched. "I'd completely forgotten that I had to actually say vows."
"Don't worry. You're great at improvising."
"Not at my wedding." She blew out a sigh and thought of what she could say. "Good God. Can I just…not speak? I think that's a viable option."
"No, it's really not."
"Who the hell decided to spring this on me? Out of the blue?"
"Daryl," Beth answered.
"Well, shit." She shook her head gently to keep her hair from coming undone, and she exhaled again. "Okay. I'm ready."
"Good, because so is everyone else." Beth paused and met Carol's eyes. "Who do you want to walk ahead of you? We have the girls as the flower girls, of course, but I can bring Sasha back here if you want her as a bridesmaid."
"Um, I hadn't really considered any of that." She thought it over for a moment, looking at the faces around her, and she smiled. "You all are standing with me today, and I couldn't ask for a better batch of family. Standing beside me up there or sitting down in the pews, it doesn't matter. I know you're with me."
Beth blinked back tears, smiling at her tearfully and nodding. "All right then. Um, the girls will go out first then me, because I'm already here. Then um…you'll take it away."
"Thank you, Beth." She grasped her hand and squeezed affectionately.
"No, thank you." Beth embraced her. "Thank you for all of this life, because without you none of it would have been possible."
Carol held her for a moment then Beth stepped back and dried her eyes before her makeup ran. She laughed lightly at how silly she was being, but they insisted that was nonsense. She had every right to her emotions, and it only made today even more special. To see the grace and strength of those around her, Carol knew today would be unforgettable. It would be filled with love and laugher and light, and that was all on Daryl in the best way.
The music signaling them to start creeping out from behind the church door began. Beth drew in a calming breath and positioned Mika and Charlotte at the doors, Charli looked back and gave her mom a thumbs up, and Carol laughed and tossed a thumbs up back at her. She flashed her a grin right before Beth opened the doors to the church; the mere opening of doors had everyone rising from the pews and turning to see the glowing bride and her accompanying entourage.
"Charlotte, Mika, go slow, like we practiced," Beth whispered, setting a hand on their shoulder to let them know when to walk. She looked at Michonne before taking her place in line behind Mika.
"All right, you ready for this?" Michonne inquired.
"More than words can justify." She nodded.
Michonne offered her arm, Carol grasped it tenderly with her freshly painted nails, and they glided down the aisle. Carol took that moment when the girls moved into position at the front of the church and Beth checked with Abraham on the rings to see all the hard work everyone had put into this.
There were white wildflowers flowers lining the pews with teal and lavender ribbons, purple and white flowers lightly dusting the floor they were walking on currently as done by the girls and beforehand. There were honey-hued candles lit and placed carefully on the floor and around the altar, and a small lavender and white swirled, cloth-draped arch Sasha and Enid had grabbed (because it was so perfect for the color scheme Beth had worked out with the rando flowers growing inside the walls). It was all waiting for her at the end of the aisle, with the man she was going to marry and Gabriel.
Michonne stopped a few feet away from Daryl and grasped Carol's hand on her forearm. "I'm only giving her away to you, because I know I can trust you to stand by her as equals in love for the rest of your lives." She lifted up her hand holding Carol's to Daryl, and—of course—he accepted it.
She sat down beside Rick on the pews, Daryl laced his fingers through both of Carol's hands when she finally stood in front of him, and he couldn't take his eyes of her. She was a goddess before him, stunning and gorgeous and breathtaking. There would never been another woman as stunning as her in his eyes ever.
"You look…incredible," Daryl whispered to her.
"So do you." And she meant it. Even though he only wore jeans and a nice, crisp white button-down shirt, he looked beautiful. He had combed his hair, brushed his teeth—she could smell the mint there—and she'd never seen him so clean before. Even his nails were spotless. She was captivated by him and feeling truly blessed. She couldn't stop the tears from building up behind her eyes.
Gabriel began with a short speech about love and life, Carol used that time to think of what to say to Daryl for her vows, and Daryl wanted nothing more than to kiss her and be married to her. He was beyond grateful to have found her. There was no one else in the entire world for him other than her, and no time had made him love her less, only more. More and more each second of every day, and he hoped his vows encompassed all he felt. He'd been working on them since he asked her to marry him, and having read and written and re-read and re-written them a million times since then, he felt he'd finally gotten it right. He'd finally gotten everything right.
"The couple has prepared vows, which they'll say at this time," Gabriel turned it over to the enchanting bride and dashing groom.
Daryl cleared his throat and spoke to her—only to her. The rest of the world didn't matter as much as she did, so these words were to be spoken directly from his heart into hers. There was no other way he could speak them. "You have always seen the best in me. From the beginnin', you…saw passed my walls and shaped me into a man of honor, a man worthy of love and bein' loved. You were never afraid of me. You never judged me until I needed that judgement, that lecture to point me back to who I truly am.
"I've always wondered how you could see so much in me when I saw none of it. I saw the same angry redneck most people still see today, but you…just knew I was made to be more. You inspired me to change, to do better, to be more involved. You cared for me and loved me. And I thought I was training you, looking after you, checking in on you, but no, it was the other way around. You singled me out from the group and made me belong somewhere for the first time in my whole life….
"You brought two beautiful and amazing girls into my life, girls I proudly watch grow, girls I love and am the father of. Girls who stand by us today to see the love that brought them into this new world, and soon…we'll have another child to add to what we've already built. I'm not scared. I'm ready for whatever comes next in this journey with you, and I'm gonna be your sword, your shield and your strength when you need me to be. If you need me to be. You got…endless pockets of each." He released one hand to reach up and cup her cheek, she closed her eyes at the contact, a tear sliding free, and she nuzzled her cheek into the warmth of his palm. "You are why I've survived my old and new life. You are…my soul, Carol, and I want to be with you until the end our story. To have and to hold. Through sickness and in health. Till death parts us." And with those words, he slipped the perfectly crafted and sized ring onto her finger.
Carol opened her eyes and exhaled as more tears fell free, grinning at him like he was every reason to smile that ever existed. "You couldn't have made it easy for me, huh? How am I supposed to follow that?"
Laughter erupted from the right of them, Carol hardly noticed, and Daryl chuckled, bowing his head for a moment before lifting it to meet her eyes. He reclaimed her hand and laced his fingers once more through hers, and he whispered words for only her ears. She nodded and decided to speak on how it's always been between them. There was nothing else to speak on than how they began, as the current was now, and the future was unknown.
"When I met you…you were like this surly young man who wouldn't listen to anybody about anything, and you pushed the entire world away. You pushed me away, but I decided I wasn't going to let that happen. I made a decision…for the first time in my life…to bravely approach this burley man and befriend him, because all I wanted and needed was a true friend. And what I found in you completely surpassed my expectations.
"What I found beyond the cutoff plaid sleeved and sour puss expressioned layers were the makings of a truly good man. I found my best friend. I found the very definition of honor. I found the man that every father tells his little girl doesn't exist, and the love there. God, the love there was tremendous. It was friendly and warm, a blanket and shield I desperately needed those long, challenging months on the road. It was competitive and secretive when your brother nearly came between us. When he nearly come between who you were and who he wanted you to be. It…was romantic and heady when I had thought that part of my life was over….
"Our love has always been in motion, Daryl Dixon. It is always in this constant movement, this constant change from hopeful strangers to best friends to lovers to husband and wife, and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for us. With our daughters who wouldn't be the young ladies they are today without your influence and guidance and love, with our baby boy who…will raise all sorts of hell, because what Dixon boy hasn't raised hell in the time we've known them?"
More laughter, and Rick nodded to Michonne, who sent him a "Of course I know Merle was a handful. He tried to kill me. A lot." look, and Carl snorted a laugh at the expression. Daryl laughed, too, because it was so fucking true.
"I can't thank the forces that brought us together enough. Be it God or the Universe or…pure luck, I am forever thankful. There is no one else I would want to be my sword, my shield and my strength, but most importantly, above all else, my husband. I am honored on this day to become Carol Dixon." She beamed at him around the tears profusely trickling down her cheeks. "You are my soulmate, Daryl, and I am…blessed to be in love with you for the first time but never the last time. I could never love you last, because every day I fall in love. That won't ever stop. You are my first love every single morning all over again."
Gabriel sputtered out a choked sob at her words. "Sorry," he whispered.
Carol laughed gently and met Daryl's eyes, gliding his ring over the length of his finger to its final resting place. "In all my nine lives, you are the love of it every single time."
He dropped her hands and cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears and adjusting the smudged makeup, bringing her face up and kissing her deeply—thoroughly—and throwing fucks to the window at how it might be seen as embarrassingly, because he kissed her with every ounce of love he felt for her in that moment.
Applause broke through the barrier their love had built, everyone was once more on their feet, clapping and whooping, and Gabriel's voice broke through with: "I now pronounce you husband and wife!"
Daryl broke the kiss and murmured, "I love you, Carol Dixon."
"I love you more, Daryl Dixon." She grinned at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, sealing his mouth with her painted lips.
The reception occurred at the school where Francine had been preparing the spoils of Noah and Eugene's hunting trip. There were chairs of all shapes and sizes stretching out onto the street, picnic tables were carried over, and blankets laid out on the ground—all for sitting and all angled to be around or facing the happy couple's table. There were even more flowers and candles on the ground and tables, and everyone came together to make today work. It was beautiful and touching, and Carol had to excuse herself to touch up her face, because she had to look like a ghoul by now.
Beth set up the microphone and its stand near the garage doors, alongside the guitar and digital piano. She was going to provide the couple's first dance song, and most of the music, because apparently no one thought about music or entertainment. Luckily, though, Enid was also a singer and didn't mind taking shifts with Beth. And to Beth's surprise, Noah volunteered to sing, too. She had heard him singing with Monroe, but she never thought he'd do so in front of other people. She wrapped her arms around his neck and told him they were going to sing a duet. He instantly argued with it—lightheartedly—but her word was law in high heels and fat curls.
Carol touched up her makeup and carefully removed the veil from her hair, smiling at who that left behind, and she couldn't make the smile shrink or fade. She was blissful. She hadn't felt this way since Charlotte was born, healthy and alive. Or when she saw Daryl and held him in her arms for the first time in years. Or when she saw Mika again. Rare moments of bliss.
She set her hand on her stomach and stroked it with her thumb. "We need to talk to your daddy."
"What about?" Daryl stood in the hall, having come to look for her once the small talk had proven to be too much without her by his side, and he looked down at her stomach with a slight frown on his lips. "Is somethin' wrong?"
"Not wrong, just…complicated." She bit her bottom lip and grasped his hand, escorting him to the living room of the house connected to the school. She sat him down and tucked hair behind her ear, searching his eyes and smiling at him. "I love you, you know that right?"
"The whole town knows it." He didn't like this conversation already. "What happened?"
"I went to see Nina."
He blanched. "What? Why would you do that? I told you we'd handle it."
"I—I know you did. I know you had it all worked out on interrogation and who would do what when, but Daryl, she's a member of those assholes. I—I had to know who and what we were up against, beyond Ila and Eeron. Beyond the group members we saw in the woods." She set her hand over his on his knee. "I had to know."
"What'd she tell you?"
She rehashed the information Nina had given her on the Shah, of the type of children they hunted and age they preferred them to be at. She could see he didn't like it. And it wasn't because they were likely child sacrificing assholes, but because she had taken time out of her resting day to go down to the cells and demand answers from Nina. A threat. She hadn't even gotten to the physical altercation between the two of them, and he was already frowning.
"So, in two years when Charlotte becomes eight, they'll be coming for her." She gripped his hand firmly. "And as for now…Nina said they were desperate. They'd go after Judith simply because she's about the right age with the right skin."
"But her eyes are brown."
"Desperate times," she reminded him.
He shook his head. "Look, why don't we talk about this tomorrow? Judith is dancin' with Rick right now. I'll keep an eye on her, and we can call a town meetin', go over this with more detail and with Nina."
She wet her lips. "It won't be that simple."
"Why not? We got people waitin' to give speeches, waitin' to dance with you and take a couple pictures. We got… I dunno, one of those couple dances comin', and Beth found some non alcoholic champagne in the cellar at Deanne's place. We can both drink that durin' the speeches and toasts." He smiled at her. "C'mon, it'll be great."
"No, Daryl, that all sounds lovely. I'm looking forward to it, but it won't be that simple to question Nina, because I shot her in the kneecap and stabbed her in the shoulder." She lowered her eyes when a muscle in his jaw jumped. She could almost hear his teeth gritting as he rubbed his hands over his jeans. "She threatened our son, Daryl. I had no choice."
He shook his head. "They were just words, Carol. How could you…?" He studied her body language, her resignation, and frowned. "It wasn't just words, was it?" He reached over and grasped her wrist, which was currently covered by a sleeve. "This ain't just part of the dress, it it?"
She slowly shook her head no and met his eyes. "The knife was at threatening to kick me until I miscarried. The…um, gunshot was due to a physical fight we had."
"What?" His voice was like a blade slicing across a record disk, and she gulped. "You're pregnant. You can't fight anybody."
"I know that, but she came at me unexpectedly, and…she sprained my wrist. She cut me, too." She removed her hand from his and placed them on her lap. "She…cut my stomach, Daryl."
"What?" It was now whisper-thin, and he blanched even more, staring at her and turning towards her on the couch. "Oh, my God, is the baby okay? Honestly, okay? Let me see the cut."
She nodded. "The baby is honestly okay. I—I checked in with Denise. I had to be sure the baby was all right. I didn't mean to put us in danger. I only needed answers. She is the only person I could turn to for those answers. I am so sorry."
"She coulda killed him," Daryl murmured softly, brokenly.
"I know, but she didn't. That's the most important part to take away from this. She didn't, and I got answers."
"At what cost, Carol?!" he snapped, rising off the couch and whirling around to stand in front of her. "Our baby for a few more bits of information we coulda gotten without any bloodshed?!"
"We don't know if she would've told us anything without bloodshed!"
"Well, now we don't!"
"I'm sorry."
"God, Carol, I—I can't do this." He gripped his jaw and met her eyes, tears sparkling there. "I can't do this."
"D—do what?" Her entire body had ran cold, and she couldn't breathe. The entire room felt as if they were space with a breach on the ship, which vacuum-sucked all the air out until they were choking.
"Will you stop this shit? Please?" She said nothing, but her eyes dropped even lower. "You want her dead so bad you don't care what happens to you."
"That's not true," she weakly elicted.
"You never came back from the Kingdom. It's been like talking to a goddamn ghost these last few days."
She swallowed and lifted her head. "I'm doing the best I can."
He leaned in and thrust a finger into his chest. "I'm the one you tell. Me." He waved his left hand to emphasis the ring there. "You come to me with any concerns with the Shah, not fuckin' Nina." It came out softly, lovingly, and he sighed. "You come to me."
"I don't know how." A tear slipped from her eye, and she wiped it away quickly, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering.
"You gotta try, all right? C'mere." He held his hand out, she accepted it and buried herself in his arms, and he kissed her hair. "I'm always here for you, Carol. When are you gonna realize we're on the same side?"
"I know we are, but you don't seem as concerned about the Shah as I do." She spoke into his shoulder and tried not to cry.
"'Course I'm concerned. I just don't let it rule me. You got this…tunnel vision when it comes to Charlotte and Ila. Nothin' else matters or exists when it all comes into focus, and it terrifies me."
"You try losing a child and withstanding threats on another."
He held her tighter and rubbed her back, consoling her and soothing her worries and doubts regarding the Shah. He vowed they would question Nina tomorrow and come up with a solution together, as a couple and as a town.
"Thank you." She rested her forehead against his chin and snuffled, and he placed a kiss there on her brow. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Mom? Dad?" Mika knocked on the doorframe and smiled at the sight of them all cuddled up together. "Hey, it's time for your first dance as a married couple."
"Oh." Carol carefully rubbed at her eyes. "Is it?"
"Yep." She grinned. "I picked the song. Well, Charlotte and me picked it, but it was mostly mine. I'm going to sing it with Beth since we don't have the music, and Enid is going to back us up on the guitar. We just did a sample, and it sounds bitchin'."
Carol laughed. "What did you just say?"
"What? Those were Enid's words." She laced her fingers together. "C'mon!"
"Wait, wait." Daryl waved her further into the room, and she obliged. "What did you want to talk to us about? We got a minute."
"Oh, that. It's…" She sighed. "I had sex with Henry at this last visit, and I thought I was pregnant, but I'm not."
Daryl tensed in Carol's arms, and Carol decided to take over the conversation. "What?"
"We made the decision together. We'd been dating for a long time, and we love each other. It happened organically, and it…was nice. Until I thought I was pregnant that is."
"And how do you know you're not?"
"Guess what came?" She laughed dryly at their expressions. "I—I got my period during the ceremony."
"That doesn't mean anything." Carol approached her. "We'll talk to Denise and be sure."
"I can be pregnant and still bleed?" She frowned. "Seriously?"
She nodded. "I've known women who've had their period throughout their entire pregnancy."
"Oh, that sucks."
"Yeah, I'll bet it does." She wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Look, I'll talk to you about Henry later, and we'll definitely be going to speak to Denise, but for now let's just enjoy the wedding."
"Why Denise? Because she's a woman doctor?"
"She's our only doctor."
"Right, I…I'd forgotten." She swallowed. "That's fine. I have a ton of questions for her."
"Yeah, me too." Carol clearly didn't know a whole lot about her body, because Ed always wanted her in the dark. It was his second body to own and control, and anything she had questions on, he beat them back. No more. She needed to learn for her daughters and herself, because she was not going through another pregnancy after this one. "We'll get to answering all questions—tomorrow."
"About my fox too?" she hopefully inquired. "We'll talk about the fox?"
"I suppose." She looked at Daryl for support now, and he caught up to them at the door. "Any opinions?"
"Yeah, we'd better get out there before Beth comes to find us," Daryl stated.
They departed from the house, Mika ran over to the mic where Beth was, and Daryl clasped her hand, leading her around their table to the driveway where they would have their first dance as husband and wife. He had no lessons on how to dance, but Beth assured him it was rocking back and forth; and he knew Carol would assist him if he needed it, so he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. Enid began the introduction to the song, Mika and Beth both grinned at the sight of the happy newlyweds, and Carol rested her hands at the base of Daryl's neck.
"You ready for this?" She searched his eyes. "We've come so far, and we have so far yet to go. Are you ready for it?"
"With you by my side, 'course." He gripped her waist. "This family is all I need."
She smiled at him and kissed him. "This family is all I need, too."
"No more sneakin' off for secret interrogations?"
"No more," she vowed. "It's you and me."
"And all I can taste is this moment, and all I can breathe is your life. And sooner or later it's over; I just don't wanna miss you tonight," Beth sang, holding onto Mika's hand as she sang alongside here. "And I don't want the world to see me 'cause I don't think that they'd understand. When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am."
"Since when does our daughter know about the Goo Goo Dolls?" Carol whispered, resting her head on his chest as they rocked back and forth, not too flashy, but entirely romantic.
"The who?" Daryl inquired.
"Right, different tastes in music."
"Not big into music," he confessed.
"Don't let Beth hear you say that."
"Noted." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Hmm."
"What?" She lifted her head.
"Nothin', I just…really like this."
"It's called dancing." She grinned at him. "You like dancing?"
"Guess so—but only with you." He heedfully dipped her back, as he'd seen Merle do with women he wanted to charm, and a few times in the movies. He'd also seen Mika and Charli dancing a few times over the years, and Charli would insisted on being dipped.
Carol blinked when he righted her, and she slid her arm down to his forearm. "Did you just dip me?"
"Do you have a problem with it?"
"No, I…like learning more about you. Apparently, I'm in for more surprises." She chuckled happily. "I can't wait to see more of you, Mr. Dixon."
"Oh, you'll see plenty of me when we get home, Mrs. Dixon." He leaned down and slowly kissed her, savoring the taste of her lips and the traces of her tongue against his. She moaned against his lips and pushed up on the tips of her toes, demanding more, and he would have happily taken her to the bedroom only twenty feet away and given her exactly the more she demanded, but at the clearing of throats, he decided to wait on that. After all, they had the rest of their lives.
"I just want you to know who I am…."