Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Carol woke the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day. She had time off since her confrontation with Michonne, and she was going to savior every second of this little vacation in wonderland. She couldn't help but feel so alive and thrilled and lucky. She was on top of the world and if she fell, she was certain she would take off flying. She had no fear today.

It was a beautiful late summer day. The birds were singing outside, the light above was shining down and feeding her plants, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky to spook her off. She had every reason to enjoy the way she was feeling, and she wouldn't let a single sour note slip into her day. It was going to be a long and glorious day.

Daryl had dropped her off early this morning after Dale and Nadia returned to the store. It wasn't much after seven, but it had been the best morning. They picked up to-go breakfasts from Jerry's and sat on her front porch, eating and drinking coffee. Carol wanted nothing more than to cuddle up next to him on the loveseat, but they hadn't talked about that kiss yet. He said he wanted some time to think, before they made any more moves, and she agreed. It was a heady kiss, and it brought about a lot of thoughts, even if actions were louder.

As for Carol, she wanted more. She wanted a relationship. She wanted to know him better than anybody. She wanted the whole nine yards, or whatever Daryl would give, because she cared about him. So much. She worried it was too much, but she was too happy to look deeper. She'd known the man for months, but it wasn't love. She wasn't there yet. She was still in a happy puppy phase of just being kissed and kissed like that? Wowza.

She had to contain her giggle and smacked a hand over her mouth to keep from looking even more insane. She was smiling so much her cheeks were aching. It felt like the world would surely spin off with her while she squealed like an excited high schooler who'd just gotten asked to the prom by her crush. She hadn't been so excited about a guy or a relationship since she and Zeke dated years ago. She could truly see a future with him, so maybe that was why she was so excited.

Gosh, she honestly couldn't say one hundred percent that she was going to be happy with Daryl, but she knew that she wasn't going to be hurt or intentionally bruised. He had his own wounds to work through, and she would help him through them as long as he wanted or needed her help to do so. She wanted to be there to lend him a hand, but she knew her place in this world. It wasn't to bandaid everyone else's problems. She had to manage her own life. One step at a time. One day. One minute sometimes.

She blew out a sigh and sank down onto her couch, looking up through the skylight and seeing the baby blue sky overhead, clear and full of possibilities. She didn't know what the future held for her and Daryl, but she knew she had to talk to Shawn about a future they weren't going to have together.

"Okay." She pulled herself up and ruffled her hair, making a determined face and heading to her bedroom to change. This was a face to face conversation, and she owed him an apology. He could have been expecting her to have his child and was keen to see what their baby would look like, to interact with this baby and to watch him or her grow. She could hope not, because telling him would crush him. But she knew Shawn, and if he said yes, he had put himself wholeheartedly on the line. She had to be tender when she threw him back.

Adjusting the strap to her sundress, she grabbed her keys and purse and strolled out of the house. It was eleven in the morning. She hadn't slept yet, but she was going to talk to Shawn then Daryl then make sweet, sweet sleep on her bed for the next forty years, because holy fuck, she was exhausted. Driving wasn't a good idea. This was stupid, but she was already out on the road.

Luckily no one else was yet. The early morning wakers were still enjoying their breakfast or televised programs, and most people were already at work, waiting on that lunch break to hit them for thirty to an hour of freedom. Honestly, lunch and breaks were the only survivable part of work when it wasn't something you loved doing. Like Carol, for instance, loved her life and her home and her boss, but not so much her job itself. It wasn't a dream job; it was only to pay the bills and keep the lights on job. She wanted something she was passionate about, but she hadn't quite figured that out just yet. She was torn between doing work involving kids and going back to college to become a teacher of some sort. She just wasn't sure because of her disability. She'd need a TA, or something, to help keep the students in check.

Though that was a thought process for another night. She had Daryl on the brain, and Shawn on the heart, or vice versa, and she would deliver the news to Shawn that no, they were not having a baby together. Annette would have to wait on Beth or Maggie to have a sweet grandchild, and Carol was going to be in a relationship for the first time in months.

She pulled over at the Greene's mailboxes and stopped cold, her high dying down as fear rolled up in her stomach. She hadn't been in a relationship in months for a reason. She wasn't the easiest person to date. She had a lot of damage—nightmares, intimacy issues, wanting too much too soon, ect. She was a handful, to be put it clearly, and not all men could handle her. That sounded terrible, but it was the truth. She was just as much reason for relationships ending as her partners.

She didn't want that for her and Daryl. She valued his friendship as well as this new relationship they were starting. She wanted him to know that should they not work out, they still had that friendship, and it would be okay to come to her with anything. It would be difficult for her to get to that point, but she would be able to eventually. Hell, she still sent Zeke a Christmas card every year, and he went off and married to someone else. She hadn't told anybody she was still in touch with him, but he was her first love, so of course she kept that bridge up. She would do the same with Daryl.

God, she made it sound like it was already over before it began! She couldn't believe she was so pessimistic. She used to be an optimistic, but the world and a certain fuckhead beat that out of her. She had nothing but a stark face of reality to stare back at her when her relationships ended, so maybe that was how it was always meant to be. Her excitement and feelings didn't much matter if that were true. Maybe some people weren't meant to find their other selves. Some bodies not meant to be touched.

"Hey, Carol!" a voice boomed in front of her, but she hadn't seen them, eyes glued to the ground as she sank deeper and deeper into her dark thoughts, and just when she was about to fall into darkness, a hand touched her shoulder, and she gasped, snapping out of it. "Hey, easy there."

Annette! Carol smiled shakenly and set her hand over hers.

"Are you all right? You look sick."

Yeah, I'm fine, she signed. I came to talk to Shawn. Is he home right now?

"He's wrangling up some cows right now, but you are more than welcome to come with me and have some iced tea and wait in the foyer."

That'd be great.

Annette grabbed the mail and set a hand delicately on Carol's back, guiding her back to the house and questioning her on how she was sleeping, eating, if she was taking her daily vitamins and so forth. It was the standard Mom questioning, and Carol smiled at her. She was ever the mother hen to everyone in this town, and Carol was grateful, because she needed the distraction and the mothering both.

Annette set the mail down and went to the kitchen to get some almond cookies and iced tea, Carol dropped down onto the couch and sighed softly, and Annette returned about five minutes later with a tray, smiling down at the young woman and offering her everything on the tray. Carol helped herself to a cookie and cup of iced tea, observing the bags in the corner of the room. She wondered where they were going, or if someone had come home. The school year had just begun, so why would someone be home? Hmm. Curious.

"Maggie came home last night," Annette touched Carol's leg before speaking to get her attention, and Carol tilted her head to the head. "She has online classes this term, and she wanted to do them from home. She's out with Hershel at the market. She'll be home for dinner, if you want to stay that late. If you have plans, that's fine, too."

She nodded and set the cup of tea down, having gone through half of it and two cookies in her wondering.

"So, what brings you by?" She sipped her own tea and practically hummed with life. "Mm?"

I just need to talk to Shawn. I asked him for a favor, and I don't need it anymore. I just hope he understands and doesn't get offended, but the circumstances have changed.

"I see. Do you want to tell me about this favor? Or is that just too much?"

She smiled softly. It's personal.

"All right. I know when to keep my nose out of it." She returned her smile. "How have you been since the cookout? I don't think I've seen you since. Well, around town and the like, but not like this."

Good. I had a blast at the cookout, and I wish we could get together more often like that.

"I hear Tara's hosting a haunted house for Halloween, so you'll get your wish. It is a paid event, though, but I hear it'll be worth it." She wasn't going, because it was too late of an event for her, but she was sending her kids out of the house with candy for the little ones and baked goods. She and Hershel would have a little night to themselves, and it'd be very spooky and romantic, just like old times.

I hadn't heard, but I'm sure it'll be amazing. Carol could feel that a door had shut and spotted Maggie and Hershel entering with crates full of fresh veggies and fruits and jars of preservatives. Hello there.

"Oh, you're back." Annette rose from the couch and greeted her husband with a kiss, smiling at her daughter. "Welcome home."

"Glad to be out of that heat." Maggie dropped the crate she held gently on the floor and wiped her brow. "It's killer out there."

"It is mid-August, y'know." This came from the hallway, and Carol hadn't known what caught their attention, so she rose from the couch and moved to see Shawn had entered from the back. He smiled at them and set his gloves down on the table beside him. "Heat happens, city girl."

"I spent a few years at college and suddenly I'm a city girl?" Maggie played heavy on her natural accent, and Shawn chuckled. "I'm going to wash up. Why don't you take this into the kitchen, country boy?" She kicked the crate gently with the tip of her boot and headed upstairs to clean herself up, pausing to sign, It's good to see you, Carol. Let's catch up soon, all right?

Carol nodded.

"All right. Carol, want to crack open some peaches?" Shawn winked at her, and Annette smacked him lightly. "What? I'm hungry."

"No. It's not for eating right now." She gestured for him to take it to the kitchen. "Don't eat them. Make yourself something. There's plenty in the kitchen."

"Yes, Mother."

"I'll show you mother."

"C'mon, Carol. Gimme a hand?" He leaned over and picked up the crate, and they headed to the kitchen. Hershel followed to drop off his crate and then returned to get the rest of the items from the truck, and Shawn washed his hands and made a sandwich while Carol looked over what they had gotten.

A hand on the small of her back caught her attention when she was about to swipe the small package of candied almonds, reminding her to check out the market next time it was open, and Shawn guided her over to the table. They sat down, and he stuffed his face, waiting for the reason why she was here, and Carol couldn't help but look on in mild amusement as he smeared mustard and mayo cross his face, trying to sate the hunger inside him. She reached over and handed him a napkin from the pile in the middle of the table, and he thanked her, sheepishly smiling at her.

"So, what's up?" He swallowed and cleared his throat, leaning back now that the pangs had receded, and half the sandwich was consumed.

I need to talk to you about my request.

So, you've made up your mind then? You have a date set and all that business? He signed to keep his mother from overhearing, and to keep his business private.

Not quite. She bit her inner lip and worked up the courage to tell him what had happened to change the situation, having no indication of how he would react to the news.

What's wrong? Are you not sure? Because we've been over this a million times. You will be a great mother. You will make a beautiful baby, and it'll be so loved and brilliant and kindhearted. There's no way it couldn't be anything but.

It's not that, Shawn. She inhaled and just went for it. I am in a relationship of a sort with someone now, and I don't think it'd be a good idea for me to become pregnant by you. I don't know where this relationship will take me, if it'll even last or become something meaningful, but I think it will, so…while I am so, so grateful for you accepting my request, I have to ask you to put it on the backburner.

Oh, wow, that's…a lot. Who is the guy? Is it someone I know?

Yes, you do know him. Well, you don't "know" him know him, but you know of him and have spoken to him.

He picked a piece of cheese out of his teeth with his tongue and smacked his lips together. It's Daryl, isn't it?

A natural smile bloomed across cherry lips, and she bobbed her head to confirm it was, in fact, Daryl. She couldn't help but notice he looked exactly the same as he had before this news was shared, and she tried not to be bothered by it, but that wasn't going to happen. You don't seem that thrilled.

I'm not, to be honest. He leaned forward and ran a hand through his hair. It's not my business, but you should just be careful with that one. I've heard from Lou, the bartender at the only bar in town, that Daryl has a drinking problem and an oversharing problem. And it ain't anything pretty what he's sharin'.

Of course it isn't. He was drunk and telling of his past. We all know it isn't a good past, just one look at him and you can tell he's had a difficult life, but that doesn't mean he can't change. That he won't change. He already pulled back on drinking.

Yeah, for now, but how can I trust that he won't inadvertently hurt you? I mean, has he been drunk around you? If so, what was that like? And add a relationship to it.

That day at the lake came screaming into her head, and she couldn't pretend it hadn't. He had been crude. He'd been stupid and nearly drown, but that wasn't who he was. It was just a bad day topped off with a lot of drinking. That was just one day. What was one day compared to the hours of good times and good things they had experience together?

Shawn—

Don't defend him to me. I don't want to hear it. I want you to remember how it was when he was drunk and what he said or did, and I want you to keep it close to you should this…thing go south. I know it hurts, but it'll help you out in the end.

That's your great advice? Just hold onto the bad so when it inevitably ends, I won't be hurt by it? She scoffed. You're a jackass.

Daryl isn't the dating kind. There is no future of white picket fences and chubby babies with him. Just keep that in mind. He held a hand out to keep her from rising and leaving the conversation entirely. "Just trust me, all right? It'll be difficult is all I want you to know."

I already know it'll be a challenge, because of how difficult our respective damage is, but that doesn't mean we can't try. That we can't find something meaningful in the rubble together. Shawn, have a little faith. You haven't been there to see all the good.

"And the bad? How's that been?" She sighed. "My point exactly. Does it outweigh? Does it taint? I'm just curious. I need to know you'll be okay with him. You expose yourself in relationships, deep relationships, and I don't want that amazing trait to shrivel up and die, because he abused it."

He won't abuse anything. Just trust me on this. Yes, we've had bad days, bad weeks, but we've always made up. He just has some growing to do, and I know he can do it. He'll be able to have a healthy relationship with me. I'm sure of it.

"All right, if you insist."

And I do.

Then I am with you, one hundred percent. He stood up and held his arms out, Carol grinned and hugged him tightly, and he squeezed her tightly, making a silent vow to kick the man's ass if this went south at any point.

Daryl stared at the ceiling in his bedroom, one leg upraised, the other being used as a pillow by his dog, and he ran his fingertips over his chest, the buttons of his shirt making little noises against his nails. He had been in a daydreaming state all day, and Spike had picked up on it, but he didn't seem bothered by it. He seemed happy, in a way, to know Daryl had this level of calm within him, but Daryl wasn't sure if he was reading too much into his dog's vibe or not.

He chuckled softly and propped his head up with his other arm, exhaling deeply. It was a nice day, and he should make the most of it. He just didn't want to deal with people who potentially pop the bubble he'd woken up in, but there was someone he wanted to see, so he had to let people in as a people had put him in this mood to begin with. He would simply have to keep his shield up and be a duck. Let the world just slide right off him. Or some shit.

He rolled out of bed, Spike huffed at the movement, and Daryl grinned at him before heading to his closet to change into clothes. He had to stop by the supermarket and pick up groceries since he hadn't had time in the last couple of days, and honestly, he wasn't entirely sure he had what he needed for dinner here. He wanted to make a killer dish for Carol. He just wasn't sure when he would present her with it, because he felt awkward.

Their first kiss had been, like, practically perfect and romantic and all that gunk, and he had to keep that mood up. He had to wow her, but he didn't know how to wow her other than with his cooking and fishing skills, and there was only so much he could do with what was in the lake. Therefore he had to go to the supermarket and pick up fish and fresh veggies and all that good stuff. He would concoct a meal and then invite her over and make it…work?

He sighed. He had no idea what he was doing. The last relationship he had with that now in prison nutcase started with her sucking him off in a bar bathroom and stealing his favorite watch to pawn off for blow. He really should have read the warning signs, but he had needs, and she was more than happy to fulfill them, so he went with it until he couldn't justify it anymore. And Carol was nothing like her. He didn't want to even try and compare them. They were too opposing pieces on completely different puzzles.

Honestly, Pandora put him through a wringer. They were the longest "relationship" he had ever held onto, and it was a fucking tangled up mess. They were a four-alarm fire in an oil refinery, and they burned out so quick, taking everyone else down around them. And when the sex stopped, Daryl just hung around because it felt like the right thing to do. Thankfully, the sex had stopped, because she began using with needles and shit, and he didn't want anything to do with that. The people she hung around with likely shared needles, and he always got himself tested to know he was clean of shit like that. After Merle had contracted God only knew what, Daryl made sure he never followed in his footsteps in that regard.

He shoved his feet into his boots and tied them up, Spike rolled over on the bed and snorted, scratching his own back by wriggling on the sheets, and Daryl smirked at him before grabbing an overshirt and buttoning it over his sleeveless tank. He rubbed Spike's snout and headed out, grabbing his keys and wallet on the way, telling Spike to stay inside until he came back. Spike pouted at not being able to go, howling after him, and Daryl sighed before steeling his resolve and hurrying away before he caved. He loved that damn dog more than anything, but he couldn't have him in the store, and it was too hot for him to be in the car, so home it was.

Once at the store, Daryl selected some fine looking meats and a few fresh items and canned goods, stopping by the hardware store to place an order for delivery, and he spotted Michonne and Andre. He nearly made contact, but they were having what appeared to be a serious conversation, and Andrea looked upset. He figured it was about his new buddy having to go back to the city to be with his mom and stepdad. He didn't want to step into that, so he aborted mission and headed back home.

He'd just unloaded the groceries when his phone rang, and he was stunned to see who was calling. He happily answered and spoke to him while putting food away. The person calling was an old college friend. Now, Daryl hadn't actually gone to college, but he used to attend the parties to score free booze and pills when he was younger and didn't want Merle to be his constant hookup for shit like that, and he met Aaron there at a party. He was drinking, Aaron was high off his ass, and they fucked around with the freshmen. It was one hell of a party, and they were thrown out by the jocks, but they had sober pancakes and stoner milkshakes at a diner nearby, and it started a friendship that he valued.

Well, most days he valued it. Aaron was like a mother bird now that he quit smoking and started working in the peace corp. Daryl and he rarely spoke but remained close as hell, and even when Daryl wasn't thinking about him, he was subconsciously wishing him well, and it was the same for Aaron. They fit well together, and it was always a good time when they were together. And that might be happening again soon.

"Wait, you're "passin' through"?" Daryl disbelieved that and put the toaster tarts away while Spike jumped up to view his phone and wonder who this new voice was.

"Fine, I want to see how you're doing, so I'm swinging by. Happy?"

"Not really." He mused, and Aaron told him to fuck off. "When are you plannin' this little trip?"

"Next week. I'll be down to see you and meet that little beauty you adore so much."

Daryl frowned. "How do you know about—Oh, Spike!"

"Yeah, of course Spike. Who else?" Aaron paused and gasped. "Have you met someone down there? Daryl Dixon, are you holding back on me?"

"Tssh, yeah, I'll be right back to you with that." He picked up the phone. "Have a safe trip, see you soon, goodbye." He hung up the phone to avoid answering and looked down at his puppy, who was panting and wagging his tail. "We'll just let them meet each other and spare the awkward middle conversation where he interrogates me about Carol."

He barked.

"Good boy." He rubbed his snout and bent down to scratch his ears. "See, it'll work itself out."