Author's Note: Thank you for every moment spent on one of my stories.

TWDTWDTWD

She didn't say another word that morning. Daryl felt like he'd made a mistake, commanding her to do what she did. They hardly spoke anyway, for two people who spent so much time together, but now the silence was unnerving. She hunted with purpose, a single minded determination that would frighten a lesser man.

For the first time, she took home more kills than he. She didn't waste a single arrow, hitting every creature in the centre of it's head. He, for the first time on a hunt, became distracted. He was torn between scouring the forest for more Walkers and watching her, following her every move. He watched her because he was not convinced that she wouldn't go into shock and burst into hysterics at any moment. He watched her because she was so focused on the task at hand that he wasn't convinced she'd notice another Walker creeping up on her.

The string of animals on her belt began weighing her down and he knew she would carry on until she could carry no more if he didn't stop her. She was coming down from another tree when he reached out and placed his hand on the back of her neck. "Come on. It's time to go." She flinched at the contact, as if noticing he was there for the first time, but she strung the last squirrel to her belt and nodded, shouldering her bow.

The rain finally got to her, she felt every layer of clothing sticking to her skin. She wanted a hot bath, a cup of tea and sleep. Lots of sleep. She knew the hot bath was out, but the last two she could manage. Hunting had forced her to remain calm. When she pulled the knife from the skull of young Walker, she wanted to cry. That was somebody's boy. Somebody's baby. She swallowed the emotion like a pill, forcing it deep down. She asked for this. She asked to protect herself. She did it. She could do it. But she wouldn't act as if every Walker that met their end wasn't a loss. Somebody, somewhere, loved that Walker. Or had loved. They were important to somebody, at some time. She knew that she would take the second lives of many more Walkers, every one that crossed her path. But she would never treat them like they meant nothing.

As they walked through the clearing, following the property wall to the entrance, she stole a glance at Daryl, striding alongside her, frown lines etched into his forehead.

"I'm alright." She told him, slowing her pace.

"You ain't actin' like it." He slowed with her, almost at a standstill.

"Sorry. I just..." She trailed off, not sure how to articulate what she wanted to say. "I don't know what I expected...just not that."

"Not what?" He asked.

She knew he'd think she was crazy if she said what she really meant. She mourned the loss of the lives she had taken. "I only ever took out one Walker before today." She deflected.

He raised his eyebrow at the this. "One?" He repeated with disbelief.

She nodded. "I know, it sounds stupid, right?"

"Can't say I'm not shocked. How the fuck did you make it this far?"

"Other people. Ed. Rick. You." She shrugged. "Never done anything for myself. Wasn't allowed to and then...I just didn't know how."

"Until now." Daryl gave her a nudge on the arm before resuming their pace back to the house.

"Until now." She repeated with a small smile.

TWDTWDTWD

She insisted on cleaning the kills as usual before going into the house, the porch roof protecting her from the rain. Daryl offered to do it all, but she refused to be swayed, taking the time to clean the blood from her weapons whilst Daryl reported back to Rick on the Walker sightings. It was agreed that the door would be retrieved tomorrow, rain or no rain.

Finally finished with her chores, she peeked her head into the living room, where most of the group were resting, lounging over the chairs, soaking up the warmth of the fire. She said her hellos to them, before telling them she was going for a nap.

Peeling off her sodden coat as she made her way up the stairs, she spotted the wash basket of clothes standing in the corner and groaned when she realised everything she owned would be wet. She was down to three shirts, a pair of cargo pants and a pair of jeans. She'd written a list of things she needed, but since the idea of the wall, everything else had been left by the wayside. Clothes had been washed the day before, with the intention of hanging them out to dry this morning. A plan that went awry.

Daryl was in his room when he heard her groan, changing his own sodden gear. He opened the door, spotting her pulling the wet clothes from the basket.

"Wha's wrong?" He asked as he buttoned up the shirt he'd slid on.

"I'm out of dry clothes." She moaned, pulling her boots from her feet, one at a time.

"Hang on." He stepped back into his room for a moment, returning with a shirt and pants in his hand. "Here."

She stepped forward to take the bundle. "You sure?"

"Of course I'm fuckin' sure, geez." He rolled his eyes. "We'll go to town to get you clothes when the wall's done."

"We?" She asked, not believing what she was hearing.

He let of a puff of air and looked at her pointedly. "Yeah, you and me. You can come to town."

Carol resisted the urge to squeal and do a victory dance, settling for a broad smile. She picked up her boots, heading for her attic, stopping on the way to kiss him on the cheek. She felt him freeze but she did it anyway. "Thank you, Daryl." She said softly, walking away.

He rolled his eyes at her but she just laughed, the sound carrying until she reached the door to her room.

Damn women, he thought.

TWDTWDTWD

Three days later, the rain had finally stopped and wall was complete. There was a sigh of collective relief when the last brick went down and normal service could be resumed. Carol was itching to make the trip into town and was overjoyed when Daryl announced they would be making the trip the next day. It would just be the two of them, he had informed Rick and they would be going for just the clothes. Anything else would be a bonus. Rick understood, knowing that Carol's first time out had to go smoothly. Glenn told them of a women's clothing store not too far from the outskirts, the store not too big for them to search and that was the only place they were aiming for.

Daryl sat on the porch the evening before, prepping the guns for the next day. He'd been debating with himself about whether or not to give Carol one. She had no clue how to use it, although he would give her a rundown on how to do so, without actually firing it. But using a firearm in Newtown was only as a last resort, the sound drawing every Walker for miles to them. He worried that she would use it without thinking, just to kill. He wanted to give her every weapon he could though, whatever it took to protect herself.

He heard footsteps approach him and for a split second he thought it was her, taking a break from her cooking, tonight was going to be rabbit stew. He quickly realised that the steps were too heavy to be Carol's and he looked up to see Lori Grimes approaching him. Never a good thing, he noted.

"Hey." She sat beside him without invitation and he nodded back, not stopping his cleaning. "I'm gonna cut to the chase here, Daryl. Do you think it's wise taking Carol with you tomorrow?"

He stopped and looked up at her, hardness crossing his features. "It's gonna be fine."

"You sure about that? Because a few weeks ago, Carol had never even come close to handling a weapon." Lori fidgeted with the dish towel in her lap.

"I ain't worried about her handlin' weapons. She uses that bow like she were born with it in her hand." He put the gun back together quickly, eager to get away.

"There's a difference between killing a squirrel and killing a Walker, Daryl."

"Yeah and she's done that too. This is my call, Lori. She's come a long way since Atlanta. Lot more'n you think." He tried to not to raise his voice, the window to the kitchen was ajar and only a few feet away.

"It's a lot to handle, not when she doesn't have to!" Lori stood up as he did, watching him scoop up the guns.

"Not now she doesn't have to, sure, but who knows 'bout next week? Next month? Next year? None of us know how long we got here, she deserves a chance to protect herself!" He couldn't help yelling now. "Trust her."

"I do! It's just -" Lori threw her hands up in defence.

"You mean you don't trust me? That I ain't taught her well enough?" Daryl cut off his tirade when the porch door swung open, Carol standing there, plate in hand.

"Everything alright?" She asked, looking from Daryl to Lori and back again.

"Sure." Daryl answered, striding towards her. "Dinner smells great." He brushed past her, refusing to look her in the eye.

"Sure does." Lori agreed, following him in.

Carol hadn't heard the argument, only the raised voices of the two people she was closest to but she instinctively knew it was about her.