It was barely light out when the sounds of people started stirring began to fill the house. Glenn worked on building the fire to boil water, as Sasha, Tara, and Maggie sorted through their meager supplies, searching the house for anything they may have missed before heading back out on the tracks.
Daryl prepared to head back out to hunt for food, planning on taking Carol with him. With skills rivaling his, he didn't want anyone else at his side out there now. He stood up and walked over to the bed, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest with each breath. Perfect pink lips were turned up into a tiny smile, making him wonder what thoughts were filling her head. He didn't want to wake her, not after her restlessness last night. Something was clearly bothering her more than she let on, but she wouldn't talk about it. All he could do was wait until she was ready, and he would be there. He wasn't letting her out of his sight again.
"Daryl, we need to talk about a few things before the two of you head out there," Rick said, holding his hand up to keep the pair from disappearing into the woods.
Daryl pulled Carol into his left side, his arm around her protectively, his right hand twitching near the knife handle at his side. Now he wanted to talk. Not before making a hasty decision to kick one of their own out when he wasn't even in charge anymore. Now.
"Listen here, brother," Daryl sneered, blood boiling with anger. "You left the kindest, most caring woman I've ever met, the woman who's been raising your children, in a subdivision in the middle of nowhere to fend for herself. You didn't give a fuck whether or not she lived or died!" Daryl felt Carol squeeze his hand and turned his attention back to her.
"Or worse!" Daryl yelled spinning back around, almost nose to nose with the former sheriff. Memories of the comments Joe and his merry band of assholes had said about women, when they found Michonne... "Did you ever stop to think for a second, one fucking second about what could happen to a woman alone out there?" Carol squeezed his hand again and he stopped yelling, her eyes pleading with him to calm himself down some.
"This woman has put everyone else before her, including your kids, and you threw her away like she was-" Daryl took a deep breath before continuing, wrapping both arms around her waist, his hands grasping her. "You left my woman to die, Rick. That's not something I'm going to forget."
"I'm sorry," Rick apologized. His eyes shifted down to his foot, which was kicking at the loose gravel scattered across the ground, anything to keep from looking at Daryl. "I didn't realize you two had made it official."
"Doesn't matter either way. It's up to her to decide if we stay or if we leave, together. We'll talk about it out there and let you know what our plans are." Daryl said as he took Carol's hand and they vanished behind the line of trees.
"What do you want to do?" asked Daryl. They walked in silence to a clearing in the woods, a winding creek cutting through the middle of it and ending in a small pond. Daryl sat down on a large boulder at the water's edge and looked up at Carol, waiting for her to respond. "I'm with you either way," he added, suddenly nervous that she didn't understand his unwavering dedication to her.
"Daryl, I can't ask you to do that. The others need-"
"Fuck them!" Daryl growled, cutting her off mid-sentence. He sprung up from the rock, his eyes narrowed at her and began pacing. "I don't give a fuck what the others need. You're what's important to me. It's always been you Carol. Why don't you get that?"
He took a deep breath, sitting back on the boulder, his eyes cast down at the water. Looking at his own reflection right now made him angrier. He hadn't meant to take his frustrations out on her, but as always, she was there, letting him get it all out. "Wherever you go, that's where I want to be."
She sat on the rock next to him, just letting him know she was there, that she understood. There was a time in her life when any man raising his voice would have her scurrying away.
They sat next to each other in silence, watching as the tree branches swayed in the wind. Carol noticed there were still fish swimming in the pond. She was wondering if they would still be ok to eat when Daryl spoke up, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"Want to make it official?" he asked, looking into her reflection. She looked at him, curious about what he was thinking. "Glenn already introduced you to the new guys as Mrs. Dixon."
"Mrs. Dixon?" She snorted. "But I don't have a dress, or a maid of honor. And the nearest church is just dreadful."
Daryl watched the way her eyes lit up as she laughed at her own joke. Never had he seen something so beautiful, so perfect. She was simply amazing.
"I'm serious. Ain't no church, but we don't need one. Just you and me," Daryl said as he removed something from his pocket. He kneeled down at her feet, taking her left hand in both of his. "It's not much, but it's all I have. Put it together just for you. I found the necklace when I was with Beth, and I picked up the jasper on the med run with Michonne. Planned on coming back and telling you how I felt, but…"
Her mind was racing as she looked at the jasper, tied to the silver chain with what she was guessing was fishing line, and realized how serious he was. Carol repeated the name a few more times in her head, becoming more comfortable with the idea each time. The fact that her legal first marriage hadn't worked out for her wasn't a reason to avoid it this time. It already felt as though they were tied together spiritually. It would be nice to share vows of their own, adapted to this world of course.
"I, Carol, promise to love, honor, and cherish you, to watch your back always, to aim for the head, and to never let you turn." She took a rubber band from her jacket pocket and wrapped it around his finger a few times.
"I, Daryl, promise to love, honor, and cherish you, to watch your back always, to aim for the head, and to never let you turn." Daryl put the necklace on her, his fingers trailing down her neck as he fastened the clasp. "By the power, uh, given to me since there's no one else around, I now say we're Mr. and Mrs. Dixon. I may kiss the bride." He gently pressed his lips to hers making their new union official.
Their walk back to the house where the others stayed was taking longer this time. Daryl walked slower, not wanting to put an end to their alone time. For once, Carol was more aware of their surroundings than Daryl. She found a minivan, and upon finding it unlocked, crawled inside.
"It's still pretty early. Rick won't be expecting us back until this evening, and we already know what we're going to tell him. Any fun ideas to pass the time?" Carol asked teasingly, shutting the van door behind him.