AN: I love all you guys for your support. Your reviews and follows seriously make my life a little brighter. This is not a super long chapter, but I hope that it meets with your approval. Read on!
It was getting late by the time everyone had started to come back into the common room. Hershel and Carl had come in first and true to his word, Daryl never let go of Carol's hand as she was welcomed back by the two with just as much enthusiasm as Beth, who had returned with Judith. Maggie and Glenn had returned next, coming over to hug her and tell her how worried they had been and how happy they were that she was going to be okay. But after the all of the greetings and well wishes had been said, a common question had hung in the air. What exactly had happened? Rick had not explained much to them, only that she had thought she had cancer and that it was now impossible, but that she was sick. She took a deep breath and tried to explain as they all sat around her, listening closely to her as she spoke.
"I had cancer, leukemia, back before the walkers happened. I fought it and went into remission. And then the world went to hell. I was never sure when it would come back, but I knew it was only a matter of time, the fear was always in the back of my mind. So when I started getting bruises about four months back, I just assumed that my time was up. I just sort of gave up, stopped eating, got way too stressed out and ended up making myself sicker. I figured I was going to die anyway, so it didn't really matter what happened to me. I went a little crazy, but I'm sure you all know that. But I'm going to be just fine, according to our new friend Eric. I just have to start eating and take all of the supplements that I need and I'll be back down here in no time, cooking and cleaning just like I always have. I should have said something a long time ago, I know that now. The only thing I can say is that I was scared and I didn't want to worry anyone, didn't want to be a burden again. Can you all forgive me?"
The group was silent for a moment, each looking at her like they were on the verge of tears. Hershel blinked his back and leaned over, pulling her in for a hug before releasing her and looking into her eyes. "Carol, there is nothing that you need to be forgiven for. We should all be begging your forgiveness for not realizing that there was something wrong with you. For making you feel like you couldn't tell us what was going on. We take you for granted, we're all guilty of it. But if you think for a second that the only reason we want you well is so that you can do the housework, you are sorely mistaken. We love you Carol, we're family, all of us. I'm sorry if we've never told you that. But I can say that for me, you are just as much one of my daughters as Beth and Maggie are. You've been like a mama to both my girls, Glenn and Carl too. You hold us together, you make this place a home. I know that life hasn't been kind to you, it's obvious that you've never thought all that much of yourself, but you need to know that. You are a pretty amazing woman, we all know it, Daryl seems to know it, judging by the way he hasn't left your side in days, and I think it's about time you realized it. You are in no way a burden on any of us. We're just glad that god gave us all another chance to show you that."
Daryl held her hand tightly as he watched her blue eyes fill with tears. It was pretty clear that no one, aside from him, had ever said anything to her nearly as kind as the words Hershel just spoke. It was now even more apparent to him that her life had been just as hard as his had been. He didn't know all that much about her former life, aside from the hell she had been through with Ed. But it was obvious that somewhere along the line, she had just accepted the fact that she was nothing. But he knew that nothing could be further from the truth. And so did everyone else apparently. She was strong, funny, loyal, smart, and for him, the sweetest, sexiest woman he had ever known.
Everyone else was nodding as they looked at her, trying to show her they felt the same. She smiled as she sniffed back her tears, and pulled them all in, hugging them one by one. It was an emotional scene to say the least, but when it was over, it was as if a dark cloud had been lifted. Rick, Michonne and Eric had chosen that moment to return and they had brought with them all of the supplements needed to make her well. They had walked into the middle of a happy room and they each made their way over to Carol, expressing their own feelings about how much she meant to them, even Eric, who once again thanked her for rescuing him from the woods, before giving her a bag full of bottles of pills and a brief list of instructions for how to take them. She couldn't help but notice the way his eyes found Beth in the room, even as he was speaking to her, and it just made her smile all the more. This was it, this was her life now. She didn't see the dark walls of the prison they called home, she didn't think about the groaning walkers just beyond their fences. All she could see were these people. Rick and Michonne, a stranger couple than even her and Daryl, leaning in close and whispering to one another. Carl, smiling more than she had seen him do in months, sitting on the floor playing peek-a-boo with his sweet baby sister. Glenn and Maggie, sitting together, her head on his shoulder, secure in the knowledge that they had each other. Hershel, sitting quietly off to the side, watching with a curious expression as he saw Eric make his way over to Beth, who was finishing up supper, and shyly ask her if she needed any help. These people were truly her family. She had brothers and sisters, children, and most of all, a man to share it all with. She looked at Daryl, who had stayed quiet through everything, but had never left her side, had never even let go of her hand. This man, this mystery of a man, was staring at her, his eyes brighter than ever before as he smiled when her eyes met his. She knew now more than ever what that spark she had felt when she first met him meant. This was her soulmate, the part of her that had been missing her whole life, the empty place in her that she had tried to fill with work, with Ed and Sophia, with any distraction she could find. It had taken the end of the world to find him but now that she had him, she wasn't wasting any more time. She never broke her eyes away from his as she spoke up.
"Rick, I need you to do something for me?"
Rick walked over to her, slightly amused by the strange look on her face. "What did you need Carol?"
She didn't even look at him, she just held up her hand, the one that held her makeshift ring. Daryl raised an eyebrow at her, curious as to what she was doing. She didn't falter, she was determined that this was happening tonight. "We're getting married, can you do it?" she asked, directing the question to both of them.
Daryl just nodded, watching at her as intensely as she was him. They both looked up however, when the heard Rick's loud laugh.
"What the hell is that thing? he asked as he pulled Carol's hand towards him. He laughed again as he studied it. "Is that…is that a paperclip?"
Daryl and Carol looked at each other for a moment before, returning their gaze to him, each narrowing their eyes a little as they replied, almost in unison. "Yeah, you got a problem with that?"
Rick just laughed harder, his face turning red as he released Carol's hand and slipped his hand into his pocket. He pulled out three rings, a small diamond solitaire and two gold bands, one thin and one a bit wider. He dropped them on the table and tried to contain his amusement before he spoke.
"I'll marry you two, but not with that thing on her finger. Those rings were mine and Lori's. I was planning on giving them to you later, I kind of had a feeling this was coming. You don't want to know what I had to do to get Lori's rings and the diamond isn't even real, it's a fake, not that Lori ever knew that, but if you want them they're yours. Maybe you'll have better luck with them than I did."
Carol's eyes were fixed on the rings on the table, and Daryl looked up at Rick with an expression of gratitude. He reached over and grabbed Carol's hand, gently slipping off the ring she had made herself in the heat of the moment. He slipped it in his pocket, wanting to keep it as a reminder of just how amazing she could be. He picked up the two smaller rings from the table and slipped them easily on to her thin finger, at first slightly bothered by the fact that they actually fit, but happy nonetheless to see that she finally had something that was a bit closer to what she deserved. She smiled as she looked at her hand, and she picked up the remaining gold band and reached for his hand, struggling a bit to slip it over his knuckle, but grinning triumphantly when it finally passed by the rough skin and settled around the base of his finger. They didn't look away from each other as she spoke. "Rick, just say man and wife, okay? We don't need all those vows, we've already said what we needed to say to each other."
Everyone was now watching this little display in awe. Rick chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Right now?" he asked, getting a nod from the two in response. " Fine, but you two aren't getting off that easy. If we're having a wedding, then we're having a wedding. Vows and all."
Daryl laughed and Carol looked up at Rick, smiling but almost glaring at the same time. He stepped back and raised his hands in surrender.
"Okay, just a few vows. Jesus, Carol, has anyone ever told you that you're kind of scary when you want something."
She smiled a bit at his joke. "No, I've never really wanted anything enough before to be scary about it."
Rick just smiled and nodded in understanding. "Alright then, let's do this." he said, directing Daryl and Carol to join hands. They did, trapped in each other's eyes as he started to speak. "Daryl, do you promise to love Carol, to protect her, to care for her until the day you die?"
Daryl heard the words but all he could see was her. He nodded as he said the first thing that popped into his head. "Fuck yes." Realizing he had just sworn during his wedding, he broke his eyes away from hers, only to have them drawn back in when he heard her laugh.
Rick smiled as he continued. "Carol, do you promise to love Daryl, to protect him, to care for him until the day you die?"
She smiled as she spoke. "Hell yes, I do."
Rick looked at the rest of the group, who were all watching this happen as if they didn't quite believe it was real. He tried his best to sound professional as he started to speak. "Well then, by the power vested in me by, well, no one, because this isn't legal, I now pronounce you man and wife. Now you two kiss so we can all eat supper.
The group started to laugh and cheer, but Daryl and Carol didn't hear any of it. Everything else faded away as their lips met, sealing their promises to one another. The kiss lingered, becoming more heated until they finally heard Rick's voice break through the haze they were trapped in.
"Seriously Mr. and Mrs. Dixon, knock it off or get a room, some of us are hungry."
They reluctantly broke apart to see that everyone in the room was watching them. Carol just laughed and buried her blushing face in Daryl's chest, but Daryl looked at them all is if there was nothing out of the ordinary happening. "What? I'm kissin' my wife. You ain't gotta look. Go get your food people."
Everyone was smiling, but they did as they were told, wandering over to the area by the stove and leaving Daryl and Carol alone, still seated at the table. Carol peeked her head up and when she saw that they were no longer being watched, she leaned in and kissed him again, briefly but passionately. When she finally pulled away, she was beaming. "So, I guess we just got married, huh?"
Daryl watched her, the way she was looking at him, her smile, every single detail of the way she looked right now. He never wanted to forget a single bit of this moment. He finally nodded. "Yeah, I think we did."
She laughed as she looked over to where the rest of the group was standing, filling their plates and talking. When she glanced back at Daryl she could see that he had a look of pure need on his face. Remembering what he had said, she quickly grabbed her bottle of water and the bag of pills that she had been given. "You said once I had some medicine in me we were good, right?"
He could already feel himself begin to harden as he watched her take a pill from each of the bottles and pop them in her mouth, taking a huge swig of water to wash them all down. After she had swallowed, she glanced over her shoulder one last time before leaning closer to him, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered. "Let's get out of here. I need you, now." she said.
That was all he needed to hear. He grabbed her by the hand and gently pulled her from her chair as they quickly made their way out of the room.
When the rest of the group made their way back to the tables, there was no sign left of them aside from the bag of pills and a half empty bottle of water that had been overturned in their rush to leave. Rick laughed as he picked it up and wiped up the puddle of water from the tabletop. Michonne gave him one of her rare smiles, a gesture that was only reserved for him.
"We aren't going to see them again for awhile, are we?" she asked.
Rick just smiled and shook his head. "No, I don't think we are. Not tonight anyway. We'll leave them be. After everything they've been through, they deserve a night alone. A honeymoon."
There you have it, my loyal Caryl shippers. A wedding as unique and intense as our favorite couple. I hope you liked it as much as I liked writing it. Only one chapter left, and as I'm sure you've figured out, it's going to be a hot one. Sweet newlywed smut awaits. Hope to have it posted by tomorrow. Thanks for reading and please, please review. xoxoxo Bekah xoxoxo