Dsiclaimer: I do not own the walking dead, just grateful I can play with the characters.
The lyrics are from the song 'Meet me at the lighthouse' by Mister and Mississippi.
II hope you enjoy reading my stories, I certainly enjoy writing them. Don't get too annoyed by my mistakes since English isn't my native language, I still learn every day.
Please leave a review, honest feedback makes me grow.
Written for the Uss-caryl Bloody Valentine's day challenge 2015
Meet me at the lighthouse
At the prison
It was a cold night, approximately in February. Daryl couldn't really tell for sure since they didn't keep a calendar. But judging by the length of the days he would say last half of winter. He looked up at the clear night sky, it was about to be full moon in a couple of days too.
Daryl remembered something Merle always used to say to him when he was just a teenager. Merle used to give him advice on how to hit on girls. Most of the time it was for the worse and he ended up without a date and with a bruised ego. Maybe Merle could get away with dominant alpha male behavior, Daryl usually got turned down as he tried that stuff. If he was lucky that was, in the worst cases he got drinks thrown in his face or a beating from a jealous boyfriend.
Anyway, Merle had said that girls love that romantic shit, cheesy cards with cuddly bears on it, flowers, chocolates et cetera. He said a bunch of flowers was like an investment on getting laid later that night. Especially on the cheesiest of cheesy days, Valentine's day. That was actually one of his brother's better advices. Daryl smirked at the memory of one particular Valentine's day when the moon was full. Merle had dragged him out to town, because 'girls are extra horny when there's a full moon. Just add some cheap chocolate and you're rammed for the weekend.' That was what he had said and yeah it worked…but he had gotten so nervous he got drunk and couldn't remember he damn thing about that night. Only that he had to see a doctor a few weeks later for an, uhm, intimate problem.
But here he was, at the end of the world, on a cold February night staring at an almost full moon thinking about former love interests and comparing them to his new found friends. Hell, he felt more love for any newcomer than for one of his so-called girlfriends of the past. Most of them had been kind of skanky. Throwing himself at any man who could supply them with booze and drugs. From his spot in the watchtower he glanced over at the prison, seeking out the walls of C-block. Yeah, he loved this community and all the people in it, although he wouldn't always admit it openly, but he would trade it in a heartbeat to earn the love from one person in particular.
Carol of course. First he thought nothing of her, just a stupid woman who let her husband beat her. But then the asshole died and she drove a pickaxe through his head….multiple times. That had got him curious, then her girl disappeared and he went way and beyond to find her. Carol expressed her gratitude, but also told him she had no hope left. That had angered him and he went way out of line in telling her so. But it didn't scare her away. That had gotten him more curious. In the months spent on the road before they found the prison, his curiosity developed in a closeness and friendship. But when she went missing in the tombs he admitted fully to himself he loved her. But only to himself…sure she was friendly and sought him out if she needed help or advice on something. She joked and flirted with him, but Daryl wasn't sure how to respond to that. Was she interested in him just like he was interested in her? He couldn't believe this. He didn't have anything to offer, right? He was Daryl Dixon, before the turn a no-good guy from Shittown, Georgia. With no education, no job and no place to call his own. The day he turned 18 he left his father's house and ever since he followed Merle around. Just making a living in petty crime, an occasional job here and there and from what he could hunt in the woods. He knew the past wasn't important in this new world, but still… He had seen Carol interacting with other men at the prison, men who bragged about their university degrees and steady jobs before. He couldn't possible compete with that.
Daryl sighed and gazed at the moon again. Full moon, Valentine's day, Carol….an idea formed in his head. Wasn't Valentine's Day supposed to be about secret admirers? The commercial greeting card companies turned it into a couple's fest, but he remembered a small article in a magazine he read a few days before that said it was the day that you could anonymously send your love interest a token of your love. And he or she had to guess who sent it.
Daryl liked the idea of placing a gift in Carol's cell so she would have to wonder who…But what to give her? It couldn't be too obvious a gift like a Cherokee rose. She would immediately know it came from him and he would die if she rejected him. But if he left something too anonymous, like a random flower or candy, she might think some other guy liked her, couldn't have that either.
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Two days later
Daryl walked into the kitchen greeting Carol who was preparing breakfast as she did most mornings. 'Morning,' he grumbled. Carol turned around and sent him a smile. His heart leaped but he remained cool on the outside. 'Good morning,' she put down a bowl of porridge in front of him. 'Today's a special day,' she announced. His spoon stopped halfway between the bowl and his mouth 'Oh god, did she figure it out already?,' he thought alarmed. 'The guys brought back coffee from the run,' she went on unaware of the alarmbells ringing in his head. 'Actual, real coffee, no powdered shit. Want some Pookie?'
He must have looked like an idiot, staring at her with his mouth hanging open 'Uh s-sure, I 'd love some.' She smiled again and poured him a cup. 'Sorry, no cream, no sugar.'
'That's okay, I always liked it black,' Daryl closed his eyes and took a long sip, savoring the bitter taste and let out a sigh 'Aaah, had almost forgotten how good that is,' When he opened his eyes he caught Carol staring at him, hastily looking away when he caught her eye. She was busy cluttering around with the dishes all of a sudden. 'I-uh I got to go. Hunting..back tonight' he mumbled. Carol looked over her shoulder 'Sure, good luck. Stay safe.' 'Yeah, stay safe,' he muttered back. He strained himself not to run out of the prison. Cat was out of the sack now. He had left his token at her bunk this morning and he would know tonight if she'd take the bait or not.
Carol finished the dishes and walked up to her cell. She felt like an idiot getting all flustered over Daryl as he caught her staring at him. Ever since they were out on the road for all those months she gained interest in him. Sure she had noticed him before at the quarry camp and she was deeply grateful when he persisted on seeking Sophia, even when all hope was gone. But being out there…him protecting her from the dangers, giving her gun training, teaching her hunting skills, Noticing him being patient with her when he snapped at everybody else, the little hints they shared a common past, the little remarks about it between the two of them …She just felt they had a special connection. For long she was afraid to label it as 'love', but she caught herself staring at him like a schoolgirl as he wasn't watching. Worrying about him when he was out. Thinking of him, sometimes in inappropriate ways when she couldn't sleep. She wanted him, period. But she wasn't sure he wanted her the same way. Carol was afraid to just bluntly exclaim her love to him…what if he rejected her, it would ruin the friendship between them for sure.
She sighed and shoved her thoughts about Daryl aside as she entered her cell. She planned on taking a sweater since it was quite cold today when she noticed a small folded piece of paper on her pillow. She stared at it with curiosity before she picked it up and unfolded it. It was a page ripped from one of the magazines lying around in the prison's library. A poem or songlyrics were printed on it. Carol didn't know the song, but the words filled her with warmth.
'Meet me at the lighthouse
By the seaside, when the night falls
I'll wait there, staring out to sea
Let's sail away now, disappear with me
It's you, and the things that you do
I can be myself around you
For the first time I knew
That it's always been you
All I am, it's all for you'
Carol pondered over the words for a minute. The lighthouse at the seaside? The ocean was miles away. But then it dawned her. Glenn had once referred to the watchtowers as lighthouses as they all had a huge searchlight in the top room. And the seaside… there was one tower that was never used for guard duty as it only oversaw the lake. It was very unlikely walkers would come from that direction.
So…..someone was asking her to meet him at the far watch-tower at nightfall, because, well that was obvious, he loved her. Carol felt all giddy and excited and was wondering who would leave her such a note. Was it wise to go there tonight, she thought. She expected she could trust the people inside, but the far tower was pretty remote and isolated. Should she tell somebody about this? Maybe ask Michonne to come with her and peek out this stranger before she would decide to go up there? She chuckled, all this secrecy and anonymous messages, just like Valentine's day. Certainly it was that time of year wasn't it? She could check with Hershel, he kept some kind of calendar using the phases of the moon.
Carol made up her mind, she would go there, alone, she wouldn't tell anyone about it. She felt she could trust everybody in their little community, she didn't want to feel afraid. She would check the tower from a distance and of course she would bring her knife. Just in case.
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Daryl returned at the prison late that afternoon with his kills. It had been a quiet day, with not so much game and any less walkers. And he was pretty distracted anyway, thinking about tonight. He stalked to the shower area to clean himself up a bit.
After changing in some clean clothes Daryl slipped into the kitchen to grab some dinner before the herd came to eat. As much as he liked this whole community, Daryl still liked some peace and quiet at suppertime. Glenn and Rick were on cooking duty tonight but Daryl wasn't the only one eating early. He spotted Maggie and Michonne sitting in the corner eating and talking. He sat down with them 'Hey, where's Carol?' Maggie shrugged 'Dunno, she has been acting a bit weird all day if you ask me.'
'Oh,' Daryl fished 'acting weird, how?' 'Pfff, absent-minded, staring in the distant, checking all the men out, smiling to herself for no apparent reason' Michonne ticked her fingers as she went down the list 'Tell you this, my sister acted the same way years ago when a guy from her office sent her a Valentine's card with a message to meet him somewhere.' 'Really?!,' Maggie asked eager, always up for a juicy story 'what happened? Did she go?' Michonne chuckled 'Yeah she went to that bar, but she had no idea who was her secret Valentine. She was hoping it was the hot colleague from down the hall, so imagine her surprise and shock when it was this other guy.'
'Was he that bad, hm? I mean, an overweighed, sweaty guy with horrible breath and model airplanes as a hobby?' Maggie questioned 'I received a Valentine from someone like that once.' She shuddered at the memory. 'Michonne smiled 'Nah, he wasn't that bad, but my sis always talked about his as a friend. She just couldn't think about him in a romantic way so, when she discovered his, uhm, feelings for her, their friendship was ruined. Shame really, he was a nice guy.'
Daryl nearly choked on his food. Gawd, what if it would turn out that way? Carol hoping the message was from one of the hotshot newcomers and finding him instead. Daryl, the grumpy nice guy who's shoulder was good enough to lean on, but not in a romantic kind of way. What was he supposed to do now? He cursed himself for his foolishness by sending that message. He shouldn't go tonight. He felt bad thinking about Carol being stood up, but what if it ruined everything?
'Any Valentine-from-hell-stories on your account, Dixon?' Michonne grinned. Daryl looked up startled 'Huh? Oh yeah, plenty. Kind of thing that just happens when you have Merle around to chaperone you. One time Merle arranged a blind date for me with the sister of his flavor of the week.' The women leaned in to get this rare opportunity to hear a story from Daryl's past. ''t Was a horrible evening. I had been working all day and was dead beat tired, hadn't eaten enough too. I was kinda early at the bar where we would meet and I believe I got pissfaced drunk after just one beer. So she arrives with Merle and her sister, and I look at her and tell Merle ' Didn't know your girl was Cinderella'. 'What?' he says. 'Yeah' I go 'cause she is sure as hell the ugly stepsister.'
Maggie and Michonne bursted with laughter 'Aww, that's nasty Daryl.' Daryl raised his hands in self-defense 'Hey I was drunk, and the girl was ugly. Anyway, needless to say I went home alone that night, after the stepsister poured a whole pitcher of beer over me.' Daryl chuckled 'and there was Valentine's day I finally got lucky but ended up with crabs.' 'Ooh ieuw,' Maggie yelled out in disgust. Michonne laughed 'poor you.' Daryl finished his dinner and got up 'If you'll excuse me now. I'm off, see you around.'
Daryl walked towards C-block, wondering if he should seek out Carol to fish a bit and find out what she was thinking. He approached her cell but found it empty. He stood their clueless of what to do when Hershel crossed his path 'Carol isn't here. I guess she is having a date of some kind.' Daryl looked at the old man puzzled. 'Well,' Hershel continued 'her thought have been drifting off all day. She changed her clothes, even though her old ones weren't dirty. She even took the time to seek out that pretty red top. And she went out of the prison trying not to get noticed.' Daryl gaped at him not sure knowing what to say. Hershel always seem to know what was going on without needing to ask questions. 'She asked me today what date I thought it was. I said I guessed it was about half of February, Valentine's day for that matter. And I guess she is off to the far tower by the lake. If you hurry you can get there in time.' 'Did Hershel just wink at me,' Daryl thought unsure.
'In time for what?' Daryl asked trying to sound innocent. 'In time before she gets disappointed to find no one there.' Hershel patted Daryl on the shoulder and made way to his own cell. 'Good night.' How the hell did the old man always…kinda knew. Daryl thought he was pretty observant, but sure he could learn a lot from Hershel there.
No time to lose now. Daryl ran won the stairs and out of the prison. It was dark outside. He cursed again at himself. He had told her to meet him at nightfall and now he was late. He approached the tower, dark against the full moon, he slowed his pace looking around for Carol. 'Hey,' a soft voice drew his attention, Daryl turned to the sound of it. 'Daryl, what are you doing here?' Thoughts raced through his head, what to do, what to say? Not too late to bail out yet. He could pretend he was just walking by. He opened his mouth to tell this lie 'I, uh I was-' but then he saw her smile and sparkling eyes, was she thinking, knowing that he…? To hell with it, he started this game, would only be fair to play it till the end.
'I was supposed to meet somebody her,' he said. Carol looked both confused and hopeful. 'Here at the lighthouse by the seaside,' he almost whispered saying the words from the poem he tore out of a magazine as he was afraid she would recognized his handwriting. Carol stepped up to him saying nothing. She reached for his face with one hand gazing at him. She drew closer and pulled her lips to his ear whispering 'All I am, it's all for you.'
The end