Disclaimer: I don't own AMC's The Walking Dead or any of its characters, wishful thinking aside.

Authors Note #1: This story is meant to fit in some point during the winter when they were going from house to house. Focusing on the scenario of: What if Daryl and Carol had met once before, decades before the virus and their escape from Atlanta. * Just to clear something up, this could be construed as an AU – however the way I plan to work it into the plot makes it virtually cannon compliant.

Warnings: Contains some minor season two and three spoilers, references to Daryl's past, clear allusions to domestic abuse/violence, sexual imagery, adult language and mature content.

Lady in Red

Chapter 5

The waitress's eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hair as she stared in surprise. Head bobbing from her to the man in question like she was watching some sort of tennis match as her mouth dropped open in shock. But even more interesting was the strangely troubled look that flashed across her face as she turned around to face her - chewing on her lower lip like she wanted to say something, but eventually thought better of it.

However, like any professional, she shifted gears quickly, sweeping up their empty glasses before crossing back over to the table in a cloud of knock off Chanel No. 5 and low riding jeans. She snatched a pen from behind her ear and a notebook from her apron as she leaned up against the booth. Close enough for her to make out the flaws in her makeup - spots where the concealer had worn thin, revealing bruised flesh and angry fingerprints that spanned from cheekbone to neck as she tried to make herself heard through the din.

The sight alone made her shiver. How could someone so damaged act so happy?

"Sure thing hon. Two Johnnie Walker Blacks, double, on the rocks and chilled, won't be more than a few minutes." She replied, flashing her an uneven smile as she scribbled down the order and headed off in the direction of the bar. Her happy demeanor at odds with the fading bruises as she moved effortlessly through the late night crowd.

"It's your green to waste." He remarked after a moment, effectively rousing her from her thoughts as his eyes took on a suspicious glint. Almost as if he was half expecting this to be some sort of elaborate con or a joke at his expense as he stared at her from behind the curtain of his stringy bangs - body language borderline sullen.

"Hey, you did me a favor. I wasn't in the mood for that kind of company tonight." She answered honestly. Getting flashbacks of the moment when she'd pulled up outside Jay's apartment - excited about surprising him with her new dress as she snuck around back and unfolded the fire escape. Planning on climbing right through the bedroom window as she showed off her other special purchase, not the dress, but rather what she was wearing underneath it.

"Then why are 'ya here? I mean no disrespect lady. But you're dressed to the nines and this is the one place in town that people actually expect to score." He pointed out, leaning away from the breeze as he lit up. Eyes fluttering shut in apparent bliss as he took a long, unintentionally erotic-looking drag.

She raised brow. He was blunt. She'd give him that. But believe it or not, she found it surprisingly refreshing - especially after all of Jay's half-truths and empty words. She'd never wanted to be coddled. To be handled delicately or lied to simply for her own peace of mind. But ironically everyone from her father to her ex had done exactly that. …Until now.

…Until him.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She replied after a moment. Smiling, this time a bit ruefully as she remembered the look on Jay's face when she'd slipped through the window. Expression going blank as her eyes had caught on the tangled sheets and stray limbs, having enough time to pick out the bloodshot whites of Jay's eyes and a rumpled head of long blond hair before she made for the door. The scene freeze framed in living color as all the things she'd hoped for when she'd dreamt of a life with him went up in an ugly cloud of cloying ash and bitter fallout.

She sighed, tracing her finger around the rim of her glass before she made to speak. "Ever get the feeling that you're missing the fine print when it comes to a relationship?" She hummed. Taking a cautionary sniff - then sip of her drink as the rich liquor hit the back of her tongue with all the subtly of a small nuclear explosion.

Jesus that was strong! And he was on what? His second, maybe third glass?!

"Fine print, big print, don't much matter which. They all end up the same way." He grunted, draining his glass with a messy swallow and slamming the empty down on the table.

She mused on the truth of his words as the waitress arrived with their drinks. Redneck wisdom, who would have thought? – It was surprisingly philosophical coming from someone like him. Maybe she shouldn't have been so surprised, but she was. But perhaps that was her own failing; after all, she knew better than to judge a book by it's cover.

"With you in a bar?" She finally replied, coy and just a little bit smug as she swirled her drink around her in glass - feeling giddy and buzzed as she marveled at her own boldness. She wasn't exactly sure where the smart ass comment had come from, but she certainly didn't regret it. Not when his eyebrows shot up and the hint of a smirk flirted with the corner of his lips.

"Hey, I don't exactly see you batting a thousand here, lady." He shot back, quick on the mark in a way that made her smile as he flicked the ash off the end of his smoke and took a drag.

"True enough." She countered, figuring that after her jab it was only fair that he nailed her right back. Satisfying herself with simply catching his interest as she caught his gaze and smiled.

They talked for over two hours. And for the first time in a long time, she felt alive for every minute of it. The man had a surprisingly quick wit and an attentive stare. The kind that actually makes you two parts nervous and the rest excited as you force yourself to meet it. Too caught up in the novelty of having someone's undivided attention as the man actually seemed interested in what she had to say rather than simply the fact that her lips were moving. Both of them eager to push the conversation to the next plateau, the next high, the next thrill as she pressed her advantage and moved down the bench until it was just the aisle and a handful of feet that separated them.

It had been something of a competition. Bantering back and forth until they'd exhausted all avenues of propriety and strayed into the grey. With idle thought lurching ahead of common sense until it became a game of toeing the line and seeing how far they could push each other away from it. It was a delicate chess match played without pieces or rules and it was thrilling to say the least.

He offered up almost nothing of himself. And for some reason, she did the same. It was part of the thrill she supposed. There were no names. No places, or points of reference, just the here and now. It was surprisingly exciting, not knowing. There were no stakes, no risks, just the moment. It gave her time to appreciate what she had right in front of her. Things like the bold honey-tang of the whiskey in her glass and the low, lilting rasp of his voice filling in the silence.

It was near closing time when she decided to take a chance.

"So, do you want to dance? They're closing up soon and it seems a waste not to make use of a perfectly good band." She ventured, gesturing off towards the stage where a soulful country band was crooning out the lyrics to some George Jones song she only half recognized. Light on the piano but bold on the guitar as the music filtered through the bar like stylized silk.

Her muscles were tensed for rejection. Surprising even herself when she realized how much she wanted him to accept. Held captive by the idea as it percolated in the back of her mind. Visualizing those big palms curling around her waist and the musk of old leather rising in her senses as he cut in and pulled her close.

…Jesus.

She thumbed the rim of her glass and took a calming sip. Not quite daring to meet his eyes as she sensed rather than saw his posture stiffen.

But instead of an outright dismissal, he managed to surprise her once again by looking confused and perhaps even a bit unsettled by the prospect. In fact, he acted as though she'd caught him off guard, almost as if he didn't get propositioned left, right and center. - But then again, she'd been wrong before. Sometimes people couldn't see past what was being projected. And sometimes they didn't want to either. Too afraid of what it would mean if they had to work for it.

"Is this another one of those fine print things?" He asked after a few beats. Expression so guarded that she nearly missed the humor sparking there. Fingers flirting with the dwindling stub of his cigarette as he knocked off the ash and took a careful drag.

She smiled. The expression going all the way to her eyes as he caught her gaze and held it, surprised to find her feelings mirrored there as cheeky confidence and professional prudence melded together. - She chose her words carefully, feeling a lot like she was battening down the hatches before a hurricane as she ran her tongue across her lower lip. Hopefully optimistic but guarded against the worst as she leaned forward and made to speak.

"If I say yes, does that mean I still get my dance?" She countered; tossing back an errant curl as her fingers skittered across the table. Nervous, but defiant as she watched him shift through at least a dozen different expressions before settling on something in between amusement and annoyance.

The grin she got out of him was awkward. As if he were somehow unused to the expression as he stubbed out his cigarette and leaned forward, running a calloused hand through his hair to reveal bright blue eyes and a thoughtful look.

"I guess one won't hurt." He grunted. Twisting around in his seat to look as the band started playing the opening strains of "Forever and Ever Amen" by Randy Travis.

"That's the spirit," She said with a laugh. Finishing her drink and smoothing the wrinkles out of her dress all in one smooth motion. Lingering a bit around the waist as the silky material clung the flare of her hip like molasses to the rim of a jar, all but begging to be touched.

And she wasn't ashamed to deny the little flare of heat that smouldered to life in her belly when she realized she had an audience. Watching him watching her as the lights dimmed and his eyes followed the soft curve of her thighs as she slid off the bench and swayed to her feet.

A/N #1: Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think! Reviews and constructive critiquing are love! – This chapter is a bit shorter this time as you got two this week. The next one should be up sometime next week, stay tuned!

A/N #2: If you like country, I would actually recommend taking a listen to "Forever and Ever Amen" by Randy Travis. I am not even a big country fan, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was looking for songs that came out around the time Daryl and Carol would have been in their twenties and this song ended up fitting the bill. I can really see them swayin' to a song like this in some backwater bar. Daryl all uncomfortable as the occasional lyric breaks through the fog of holding her in his arms and Carol too busy both admiring him and trying not to laugh to do anything else.

"Look back, and smile on perils past." - Walter Scott