Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Walking Dead. All characters belong to the creators of the television series and graphic novels.

A Quiet Night In

Carol's feet felt like she'd walked fifty miles barefoot over jagged rocks. The first thing she did when she got home from working at the bakery was kick off her shoes and sink her toes into the soft carpet. It wasn't the plush, cushy stuff like she'd seen in Yumiko's penthouse suite, but it suited her fine. She had enough space to stretch out and relax. It was much quieter than the place Daryl had been in just a few weeks ago. Now he was settled into something similar to hers just down the hall.

She considered her quarters middle class around this place. The digs weren't bad, and she certainly had never had the finer things in life before the end of the world. She had privacy, a comfortable bed and a decent sized kitchen that she could dance in while she cooked supper if she wanted to. Not that she felt like doing any of that after being on her feet at the bakery for nine hours. Still, it was a nice thought.

By the time she showered and changed into her favorite lounge-about outfit—a pair of black yoga pants and an over-sized button-down flannel shirt that reached halfway down her thighs—she was ready for a glass of wine and a movie.

It felt so strange being able to come home from work with her day's wages in her pocket and stack of DVDs to choose from. Sitting on the couch watching a movie with a glass of wine in her hand was the farthest thing from her mind just a couple of months ago. But here she was. This was life now. And while she didn't like the backbreaking work, it was better than risking her neck killing walkers and foraging for food all day. Plus, Daryl was there, and as long as he was there, she was going to be there, too.

She thought about the past few weeks as she popped a movie into the DVD player and settled back on the couch with her first glass of wine. She stretched out on the couch and sipped her wine and watched one of her favorite romantic comedies, smiling wistfully at her favorite scenes and watching in awe as a bunch of people who were long since dead sauntered about the movie sets all glammed up in thousands of dollars' worth of clothes and jewelry. It felt strange. Decadent. It felt wholly unnatural, like a lot of this new home of theirs. Needing money again, having what amounted to class systems. No, it didn't sit well with her, but she wasn't going anywhere so long as Daryl was staying put.

She knew why he stayed. For the kids. For Connie. He'd denied it a long time ago, back before she'd fucked everything up at the cave. But Daryl never had been one to talk about his feelings. It had taken her ages to get even the smallest bit of details about what happened with Leah, and she was certain she still didn't know the whole story.

She was about twenty minutes into the movie and just pouring her second glass of wine when she heard a soft knock at the door. She paused the movie and put her glass down on the coffee table. Another soft knock sounded before she got to the door. She slowly turned the deadbolt and opened the door just a crack to be cautious. When she saw Daryl standing there with his hands stuffed in his pockets, she opened the door a little wider and greeted him with a slow smile.

"Hey, neighbor. Come to borrow some sugar?"

"Huh?" Daryl blinked at her, and her smile widened. "Oh. Uh, no. Was just coming home. Thought I'd stop and check that leak under your sink you were telling me about."

"Lance sent someone by earlier. It's fixed."

"Lance," Daryl snorted. Carol narrowed her eyes at him. Did he sound…jealous?

"You want to come in?" She opened the door wider for him, and he glanced at her briefly before stepping inside. She shut the door and watched Daryl look around.

"You decorated."

"Yeah, well. I figured I might as well make it home while we're here. You know, it's no New Mexico or anything." Her voice was soft and bright, and Daryl let out something between a chuckle and a grunt.

"What's Lance know about plumbing anyway?"

"Nothing. That's why he sent a plumber," Carol noted, folding her arms across her chest.

"You on a first name basis with him?"

"Mr. Hornsby just sounds so old and stuffy," Carol sighed. "We have an understanding." She watched Daryl chew the inside of his bottom lip a moment. "I might have gone outside the walls a few times and brought his favorite wine. He might have moved Ezekiel up the list at the hospital." Daryl glanced at her. "Tit for tat." At his smirk, Carol quirked an eyebrow. "He's a fake. I can smell a fake from a mile away. I haven't figured him out yet."

"I have," Daryl muttered. "How's Zeke?"

"He's good. Resting. He gets to go home tomorrow. They say he should make a full recovery."

"Good. That's good," Daryl offered. He noticed the open bottle of wine and the paused movie on her TV screen. "I guess I should head out since your sink's fixed and everything."

"You don't have to rush off."

"I probably should."

"Oh. The kids. Sorry, I know you need to get back to them."

"Kids are at Jerry's tonight. Ezra wanted a playdate with RJ, and Judith tagged along. I think she just wanted some of Nabila's famous lemonade."

"It's pretty good," Carol smiled. She took a deep breath. "No kids tonight. You probably have plans." Daryl eyed her a moment before he glanced toward her kitchen.

"Mind if I take a look at the plumber's handywork?"

"I've never seen you fix a sink in all the time we were at Alexandria," Carol pointed out. Daryl snorted and turned toward the kitchen, sliding his angel wing vest off and draping it over the back of a kitchen chair. Carol followed him and couldn't help but admire the view when he bent over to open the cabinet doors under her sink. Maybe he wasn't showing plumber's crack, but it was a damned fine view.

"You know, I think I've seen a few pornos start out just this way," she teased. Daryl nearly banged his head on the underside of her sink and quickly straightened up and shut the cabinet doors. His face was red when he muttered something under his breath. "I'm teasing, Pookie." Carol bit her bottom lip while the redness slowly drained from Daryl's face. "How's Connie?" Daryl looked at her, and she couldn't quite read his expression. He looked tired. Maybe even a little exasperated.

"Busy. Working on a story. Saw her and Kelly on my way home."

"Oh." Carol nodded her head. "She's been working hard lately. Maybe you should invite her out for coffee, or…"

"Why do you keep doing that?" Daryl narrowed his eyes at her, and Carol's eyebrows shot up at the sudden question.

"What?"

"Why do you want me and Connie to…to be something so bad?" he asked.

"Daryl, I just thought…"

"You thought wrong. We're friends. Family. It ain't like that. I told you before."

"Ok. I just…she's sweet. You seem happy when she's around."

"M'happy when lots of people are around. Doesn't mean I wanna be with 'em like that. It ain't like that."

"Why are you so defensive?" Carol asked, taking a step toward him. "You don't have to be embarrassed. And it could be like that if you just…" Daryl took a deep breath and turned his whole body toward her. She gasped softly in surprise when she saw something flare in his eyes she didn't quite recognize.

"Don't you listen? It ain't like that. Won't ever be. Maybe if you tried proddin' her about it you'd understand. It ain't like that for her, either." Carol opened her mouth to say something, but Daryl cut her off. "Even if we wasn't friends, it couldn't be like that. It ain't easy for me." He swallowed hard, and Carol moved past him and grabbed for her wine glass. Her face was flushed, and she wanted to chalk it up to the wine she'd already drank, but something was eating away at her.

"You haven't been the same since the cabin."

"No. I know," Daryl said quietly. His gaze softened, and Carol took a sip of wine.

"You still care about her. Leah." Daryl froze. "I saw the note, Daryl. You were in love with her."

"You don't know what you're talkin' about."

"'I belong with you. Find me.'" She felt a lump rise in her throat, and her eyes stung. Daryl's shoulders slumped, and he shook his head. "Didn't have nobody. Didn't have nothing. Just her. Just that cabin. Just the dog. Rick was gone. And you. You had a family. Your boy and Ezekiel. You were gone, so I moved on." His voice faltered there at the end, and Carol's breath caught.

"Daryl…"

"Just forget it. I'll let you get back to your movie." He started for the door, but Carol caught up to him, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "Don't go." Daryl paused then; his hand poised on the door knob. She watched his resolve crumble, and when his hand fell and he turned, she saw something very different in his eyes. "You tried. With Zeke and Henry. I thought I had to try, too. And after a while, I started to believe I wasn't ever gonna have what I wanted. Thought I belonged out there. Alone. With her. I didn't love her, but it seemed better than being alone. So, I lied to myself. Told myself if I tried hard enough, I could love her. Like I love you." Carol's eyes were brimming with tears now, and Daryl looked away. "Ezekiel's a good man. I'm glad he got the surgery."

"He is a good man," Carol choked out. "But he's not the man I love." She let out a choked laugh. "He was good to me. I loved him. But I didn't love him the way he loved me. I couldn't, because…" She took a shaking breath. "Wow. All this time." She turned and placed her glass down on an end table. And she turned again, taking two swift steps toward him. In a moment, her hands were on his face, and she was kissing him, and everything felt right for the first time in years. Daryl was shocked still for only a moment before his fingers tangled in her hair and pulled her closer. When Carol finally broke for breath, she looked up at him and blinked back her tears. "I love you too."

"Sure it ain't just the wine talking?" Daryl asked, cheeks pink and eyes sparkling. It was as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders, and finally they were both standing there, exactly the people they were supposed to be.

"Shut up," Carol laughed, getting a grin out of him. "Just kiss me."

The End