Quinn and Carol, Alexandria

I wasn't sleeping, just resting a bit for a little while. After some time the front door opened without knocking and anything, I opened my eyes to see what was going on. Daryl stepped inside carrying a pheasant over his shoulder. Carol immediately jumped on the opportunity.

"Wow! Give me that!" she said as she grabbed the bird and disappeared in an instant to go to their house and start cooking it. Daryl followed her with his eyes, then closed the door behind her. I hesitated for a moment, but then it burst out of me:

"Daryl, I am so sorry…" I started. He turned around to face me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Daryl…" I said as tears started to sting my eyes. "I would never want to hurt you like this. I am so sorry you had to see it."

He put his crossbow down and stepped closer, avoiding my eyes. He sat next to me on the couch.

"Please, say something…" I said as I quickly wiped away my tears. He rested his elbows on his knees as he was sitting bending forward. He turned his face towards me.

"It's none of your fault. It's mine. I kept Carol and you were alone, because of me," he said in his low voice.

"Are you kidding me?!" I said and I grabbed his hand. "Don't you dare to do this, to make me feel even worse, I already feel guilty! Do not say it was on you," I said as another tear rolled down my cheek. He looked at me, and with his other hand he wiped away my tear.

"It wasn't your fault," he said gently as he looked me in the eye.

"It wasn't your fault either," I said quietly, looking down at our hands. He let go of my hand, moved closer, and hugged me gently. I buried my face in his shoulder, he stroked my back.

"It's okay," he growled quietly. After a couple of minutes, we backed away, I wiped my face once more.

"I was outnumbered and…" I started, but he interrupted me.

"Stop. I said it wasn't your fault."

"I hate that I always need to be saved," I said honestly.

"Shit happens. The world is like this now," he said as he leaned back on the couch.

"I hate to be a burden," I said staring at my own hands.

"You're not a burden," he said gently, but his voice was a little bit bored. He was tired of me saying this all over again. But I had to, because I felt like that. We didn't say anything for a couple of minutes while I thought this through, then he interrupted my stream of thoughts: "Where's that asshole?" he asked to change the topic.

"I don't know. Probably fixing the wall," I said sadly. Daryl saw that I was down, so he made up his mind to try and make me feel better.

"I kissed Carol," he stated and examined me with his eyes to see my reaction. My eyes widened, I jerked my head up.

"What?!" I asked. "And you're just telling me now? What happened? When? Why Carol didn't say anything?" I showered him with my questions.

"I knew that would make you feel better," he said smiling.

"Wait, you just made it up?" I asked disappointed.

"No, no, it happened," he said still smiling. He looked so cute.

"Awww… I guess I have to torment Carol for details because you won't say anything," I said as I patted his shoulder. "I'm so happy for you."

He looked me in the eye and we smiled at each other. Just as we were talking about her, Carol stepped through the front door.

"I just put the bird in the oven…" she started, but I interrupted her instantly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked excitedly. She looked at me confused, then glanced at Daryl.

"You told her?" she asked surprised, Daryl nodded. "Well then, it can't be helped I guess…" she said smiling as she stepped closer to us. She put her elbows on the back of the couch and looked down at me.

"I want details, now!" I said. She chuckled, blushing as she glanced at Daryl.

"She's feeling way too good," said Daryl smiling as he glanced at Carol.

"Yeah," said Carol, thinking.

"Do not torture me like this!" I said.

"Okay, okay nothing happened, I kissed him that's all," said Carol smiling.

"You kissed him? Daryl… You said otherwise," I poked his arm, he glanced at me.

"Whatever, it happened," he said, hiding behind his hair, blushing. "You know what? I'll check that bird," he said and stood up, grabbed his crossbow to escape the situation.

"Thank you for checking on me and I'm still sorry," I said as he was leaving.

"There's no reason for you to be sorry," he said as he closed the front door. I turned to face Carol immediately.

"So?" I asked. Carol rolled her eyes while smiling. She threw her hands helplessly.

"He said he was ready, and came really close, but hesitated, so I kissed him. That's it. Nothing happened since. Happy?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah, I'm over the moon happy! Finally! You are so cute together. I love you being a couple," I said smiling at her.

"We're not a couple… I mean we don't put labels…" she said unsurely. She straightened her back, glanced around like she was searching for something. "I'll go and check the bird before Daryl ruins it," she found an excuse too, so she could escape my questions.

"Anyway, you are one step closer to being a couple. Why would he ruin the bird?" I asked.

"He doesn't have a clue about herbs and spices," she said smiling.

"Oh," I chuckled.

Then my smile faded away as she was preparing to leave.

"Have you seen Negan? Is he coming home?" I asked sadly. Carol took pity on me and let out a sigh.

"I'll make sure he does," she stated and left. I watched the front door close behind her. I lay back down on the couch. My head was still pounding. I closed my eyes to rest a little bit, but I fell asleep once again.

…

I got startled when the front door opened, it was already dark outside.

"It's just me," said Negan quietly in the dark. I felt relieved immediately when I heard his voice. I saw his silhouette go to the kitchen and lit a candle, revealing his face in the dim light. He stepped closer and put the candle on the kitchen table. He turned to me and our eyes met.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"My head still hurts," I said quietly. I felt ashamed and heartbroken for what I did. Carol told me he was crying outside when I had my worst trip. He removed his jacket and threw it over the armchair. He sat next to me on the couch, avoiding my eyes.

"What's up with the wall?" I asked.

"It's stable, for now," he said, still not looking me in the eye.

"Negan, I…" I started but I didn't know what to say and how to say it. It was easier with Daryl. I tried again. "I am so sorry… Carol told me what kind of things I said… My brain was not mine…"

"I know that," he said and glanced at me. "I know it wasn't you. It hurt even more because you… you were gone," he said, his voice almost breaking. My tears started to pour.

"I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault. It was hard to watch, but you couldn't help it," he said gently, quietly. He turned his eyes away once more. I moved closer to him and slowly reached to his cheek. I felt his warm tears rolling, while mine were pouring silently as well. He looked me in the eye again, and I fell under his spell. His teary eyes made my heart slowly break.

…

Author's notes: Listen to "Forgive me" by Evanescence.

Thank You for reading! ❤