In the Cold Light of Day

Carol put the towels back on the rack and smiled. Daryl had convinced her that showering together made sound ecological sense and it would be too if you could take a quick shower and then leave. Apparently the cold light of day hadn't cooled Daryl's ardor. He was downstairs now waiting for her. It was time to get to work. She and Daryl were moving their possessions over to this house today.

Daryl was standing in the living room looking at the paintings and she knew that he would see this morning what he had missed in the lamp light last night. The peaceful scene of the pond in the center of town with its flowers and sheltering trees didn't have any people in it. Off to the side as if carelessly discarded was a toy sailboat lying on its side. Sam's sailboat.

The farm painting was all golden light from a hot Georgia summer sun. Slightly hazy as if the memory was beginning to fade but clear enough so that you could see that the house was slightly sagging and the grass had taken over the yard. And if you looked closely enough you would see that on the last step there was a small rag doll lying there that looked as if it were waiting for the little girl who had loved it to come back. Sophia's doll.

Daryl swiped at his eyes, "Didn't see it last night. Sometimes when I'm out in the woods I feel like Merle is right there watching me. When my dad would come home drunk and start beating on mom, Merle would take me to the woods behind the house and tell me to stay there and then he would go back and try to defend her from him. He taught me to hunt and track and I never feel him close like that anywhere else but in the woods. They're not really gone as long as we love them."

He took her hand again and they took the short walk back to the other house together. The moon still hung in the dark gray sky but morning was taking hold. Still, Carol was surprised to see Rick and a strange man talking in the kitchen. A charming little guy who introduced himself as Paul Rovio but said that his friends called him Jesus. Carol noticed that he was friendly to her but Paul was more interested in Daryl. Paul's gay and he's hoping that Daryl is too.

She made breakfast while the men talked about a community called "Hilltop". Rick wanted to go there and trade for food today. Michonne came in with Judith who wanted Carol's attention and her breakfast. Michonne joined the conversation while Daryl helped her cook. He was quiet, just listening until Paul said that Negan was demanding more and more tribute.

"Who is this asshole Negan? Bunch of his thugs tried to kill us on our way home a few weeks ago. We ain't giving him shit. Those kind never want half a loaf. They won't be satisfied until they have it all." Daryl's angry growl made Judith whimper and Michonne picked her up to comfort her.

Rick and Daryl exchanged a look and Carol knew that Daryl would be out on some mission soon. The last few weeks of calm were over. Alexandria would be at war with this new group soon. Daryl was right. This Negan would want Alexandria for himself. Winter was coming and they couldn't make it out there anymore.

Morgan came upstairs for breakfast. The two of them had agreed to disagree. Daryl didn't know that Morgan had body slammed her because Carol had made the others in the room promise not to tell. Morgan had begged her forgiveness and she had given it because she shouldn't have stupid enough to start a fight when a herd of walkers was outside.

By the time breakfast was over their plans were made. Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Paul, Maggie, Glenn, and Abe would take "Jesus" back to Hilltop. It supposedly wasn't all that far and they would be back this evening. It might be a trap.

Carl had shown up for breakfast last and was eating and sulking about being left back. Join the club, Carl. Maybe it is only right to leave the toughest ones here to guard our home. The two of us will protect Judith. We always have.

Morgan offered to do dishes and clean up the kitchen and Carol fled to her old room upstairs. Daryl followed her into the room and shut the door behind them. Carol went to the window and stared out at the street. Her town was busy this morning. The little kids were being escorted to school and the adults were headed toward their jobs. She knew them all by name now. She liked most of them. Don't want any of you to die.

Daryl kicked his boots off and settled on her bed. "You ever think about me when you were lying here?" Way to change the subject, Daryl. Maybe that what he wanted. Didn't want me to go down the rabbit hole again.

She gave up the window and sat down on the bed. "You come home tonight and I'll tell you all about it when we're in bed."

"I'm not going to think about you today. You don't think about me either. Stay alert. Jesus said that he takes the women for slaves or wives. Stay alive. Something happens you know I'll come and get you." Daryl rubbed her leg with his hand and she wanted was to sink down on the bed with him and let the world float away.

Carol bent and kissed him softly, "Get your ass up and get ready. I'm not going to fall apart because my bae is running off yet again. I would remind you not to stay away too long or John Osborne might start looking better."

He laughed but got off the bed and put his boots on, "I love you, Carol. I'ma going to stay alive and you behave yourself while I'm gone. And what in the hell is a bae?"

"It means that I love you and I think you're cool. I'm going to be here when you come home this evening. We'll eat dinner here and then go to our house where you are going to show me that I'm your bae."

Daryl put his arms around her. "Don't wanta go. Rather stay here and let you boss me around all day."

She burrowed her head into his shoulder, "

Later Michonne was rocking Judith and singing some song that Carol never heard on the porch. Carol settled in the other rocking chair. "So you and Rick".

Michonne smiled. "Me and Rick. So you and Daryl."

"Yes, me and Daryl." She and Michonne exchanged happy smiles.

Carol put out her hand and Michonne took it. "What was that song you were singing?"

"My mother sang it to me. It's from Zimbabwe. My mother and father immigrated to the United States before I was born." Michonne kissed the top of Judith's hair, "I sang it to my little boy, Andre. He loved it." She's lost a son in all this.

"I'll watch over her while you and Rick are gone." Carol promised. We've lost too many children. Not one more. Ever.

"You are the only reason I can go. Knowing that you will always look after Judith and Carl. You kept Carl in the house when the wolves came in protecting Judith. That kept them both safe." Michonne cleared her throat. "I'll watch over Daryl too."

Carol squeezed her hand. "Thank you. How would you feel about my asking Enid to help out babysitting Judith? And maybe have Carl work with Morgan on defenses?" Michonne is their mother now. It is her call. Not mine.

"Carl said she had a little brother. She's good with Judith." Michonne seemed okay with it, but she gave Carol a questioning look.

"She's like us. She's lived out there and survived. She's struggling to find her place in Alexandria. Like me. I get it."

Rick and Daryl came out with their run bag. Carl and Enid followed them out. Carl still looking sulky. Morgan bringing up the rear looking enigmatic.

Michonne gave Rick to Judith while she gave Carl a hug goodbye. Rick smooched Judith and hugged Carl. Rick handed Judith to Carol and then hugged her, "Take good care of them and yourself." He gave her and Morgan a stern look, "Remember you two are on the same side. You squabble again and both of you are going to sit in a naughty chair."

Daryl gently rubbed Judith's head and kissed Carol goodbye. "You stay safe."

She kissed him back, "Don't be a hero. I have plans for you."

Glenn and Maggie left their house and came toward them. Those two look so happy. Maggie's going to have a baby. For once let things work out for the best. We've had plenty of the worst.

Morgan stood beside her on the steps watching them go. Daryl did not look back and she didn't want him to. He's got something to do and so do I.

Carl turned to Morgan, "Let's go to other house and I'll make you some coffee. We need to talk."

Morgan eyed her warily but finally gave her a cheeky grin, "Daryl hasn't cleared the gates and you are already trying to kill me or seduce me. Sounds like my day just got more interesting."

Carol muttered through gritted teeth, "Guess which I would rather do? I'm trying to stay out of the naughty chair."

He laughed then, a surprisingly robust bellow, "I apologize."Lay on, Macduff,

And damn'd be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!'"

Carol recognized the Shakespeare reference. Macbeth's last words to his enemy Macduff telling him that this fight would be to the finish. Macduff kills Macbeth then. Cute reference. She shook her head at him, "Quote another play; the two of us are way more Lady Macbeth anyway."

Carl and Enid had drifted back into the house and Carol took Judith to them. Keep them busy. Idle hands being the Devil's workshop. Morgan met her at the door of her new house. He always knows what's going on. Sneaky bastard.

Morgan wandered around the house as she made the coffee. She found him in the living room looking at the paintings. He took his mug and sat down on the couch beside her. "This place looks like you. Pleasing on the surface but so much more than that. There are all these hidden gems. Like the paintings and the books. So who are you really?"

Carol ignored his question. "I want the two of us to work together to protect Alexandria. I know that you've been working with Abe to strengthen the walls against walkers, but I want us to do better than that. We need to keep out human predators."

Morgan sipped his coffee, "How about some of that apple cake." He really was a sneaky bastard.

"Go sit at the dining room table." She handed him the next to last piece of cake and sat down with him at the table. He probably didn't want the cake. Just kept me distracted until he could think about what I had said. Smart sneaky bastard.

"I've had nightmares about what happened between us. You make me angry and I lose control. We're fighting and I pick you up and one part of me knows that I should be doing this and I do it anyway. In my nightmares you don't wake up and I'm there trying to get you to open your eyes and then I know that I've killed you." His hands were shaking and she knew too well that feeling. Regret and remorse and the inevitable second guessing.

Carol gave his hands a little pat, "I've been doing some soul searching of my own. You and I are too much alike. We both have done things that we regret. You tried to become someone who would never use violence against another person as a way to atone for your past. I tried to become cold and ruthless so that I wouldn't feel the guilt and remorse over what I didn't do. You aren't Obi-Wan Kenobi and I'm not Aurra Sing. You aren't the man who cleared everything in his path and I've not the woman who was too weak to save her daughter anymore. We need to stop hating that person and let them go." Her own hands were shaking now.

Morgan took a bite of cake. He has to think everything through before he says it. We really are alike. Two peas in a pod. My brother from another mother. He knows me and I know him.

"So you want me to help you design ways to kill other humans to save Alexandria."

"It is to save the humans inside Alexandria. You could have killed me that night. You didn't. You couldn't. That's how you knew I couldn't kill you. You hate hurting anyone and that is how you know I hate it too. Let's meet in the middle."

He gave her an unbrotherly look, "Daryl is a very lucky man."

Don't go there, Morgan. That's a might have been because Daryl is a very lucky man. "I love him. He's my rock in the storm."

Morgan gave a nod, "Daryl is a good man. We need more firepower and more people on the walls. I served in Afghanistan and Iraq with this guy. We stayed friends after. A real prepper, lived over in the West Virginia mountains. I visited him there right before this happened. He had a nice farm there and a bug out house up in the hills. He was divorced. No kids. He had stockpiled all kinds of munitions. I'll go there and see if I can find him. I'll leave in the morning."

"You are giving in too easily. Are you going to run off?" Back to sneaky bastard.

"Maybe you aren't the only one who has been seeing Denise. Maybe I go in the morning instead of late at night. Maybe I want a home too. By the way, I want to live in your basement." Morgan took another bite of cake. "Good cake".

"No, stay with Rick and Michonne. Daryl and I want some privacy. This is our house." I want to move here to get away from people not bring them all with me.

"The basement has an outside entrance. I won't be in the way. You do know that Enid will be moving in soon." Morgan finished his cake and coffee.

I've got to get rid of that cake. It attracts ants and people. I lost control somewhere here. Didn't I say no? "Daryl doesn't know about our fight. Sooner or later Eugene will blurt it out. You don't want to be close by when he finds out. Enid will be fine with Maggie and Glenn."

He nodded agreement, "She probably would be, but you need her. Carol, you attract children. You have too much love to give to not give some of it to Enid. If I have to give up being Obi-Wan Kenobi then you have to allow yourself to be around children. She's a tough little cookie. Like you." Has he been eavesdropping? Sneaky bastard.

"You can't go until we see our group gets back here. Daryl will want to go and if he goes then I'm going." Did I win or lose this argument? I can't tell. Morgan is not going to live in our basement. Enid is not moving in here. I'm sure of that.

"Let's go next door. Take Judith for a walk and inspect our current defenses and what needs to be done. Enid and Carl can go with us. You ready?"

Carol stood up, "I'm ready."

AN

Didn't see that coming, but the Muse says that Carol and Morgan both have to move toward the center. I always write Carol and Morgan as being the best of friends.

I tried to keep this at two chapters. Didn't happen. Carol isn't going to be on this week either.

Review?