A suggestion from TheRealSonia leads to this brief, smut-free dinnertime interlude. What does the rest of the gang think of our heroes?
Dinner was finally as ready as it was going to get. Most everyone was gathering in the common room. Beth sighed dramatically. Carol was so much better at this than they were. But she'd been so cranky, and she and Lori were bickering something awful. Lori finally got fed up and shooed Carol off to go get a nap. Unfortunately, that left just the two of them to get dinner ready. Usually, one of them helped Carol, and without her here, dinner prep hadn't gone so smoothly. Lori didn't seem concerned, but Beth knew it was going to be disappointing.
Daryl had come through a minute ago looking for Carol, but neither of them had come back yet. Beth was pretty sure there would still be plenty of food waiting for them if they came in late.
The group trickled in and got settled at the tables, tired and hungry from a day full of hard work. Since they'd taken the prison, meal times had relaxed a great deal. Having the safety of walls and fences eased a lot of their stress, so everyone was relatively cheerful and chatty as they sat down to eat.
As Beth and Lori started dishing out food, all conversation stopped as Daryl came storming out of the cell block like his feet were on fire and his ass was catching. He didn't stop to look at anyone, just rushed through the room, crossbow clutched in his hand, and disappeared out the door.
For a moment, everyone stared after him without a word.
"Should someone go after him?" ventured Glenn.
"I'll go!" Carl piped up, pushing his plate away and jumping up.
"No way!" said Maggie. "Did you see his face? Nobody's going anywhere near him without getting punched."
Carl sat back down reluctantly. Gradually, they all returned to chatting comfortably, pushing their food around on their plates, though Beth noticed no one was really eating much.
A few minutes later, there was another awkward break in conversation as Carol rushed through the room, carrying a huge bundle of blankets and pillows. Her bare feet pattered on the concrete floor as she ran through and out the far door, though she went the other direction from Daryl – deeper into the prison, rather than outside.
Beth leaned over to whisper to Lori. "Is she OK? Did you see her face? It looked like she's been crying!"
Lori grunted. "Grumpy as she's been today, they probably just got in a fight."
"A fight?" Rick asked. "You think they were fighting?"
Lori chuffed. "I don't know, Rick. I'm not a mind reader."
Rick scowled and turned away.
"Well, shouldn't someone go after her?" Glenn asked.
There was an awkward pause. No one volunteered. T-Dog looked thoughtful, but everyone else just nervously poked at their food.
"So..." Maggie hesitated.
"What?" Beth prodded.
"Do you guys think they're – you know – together? And that was a lover's spat?" Her eyes sparkled.
Glenn groaned. "Maggieeeee! I keep telling you it's not any of our business!"
"What? I'm curious! I can't help it!"
Rick frowned. "You think they might be together? Like, together-together?"
Beth rolled her eyes. Didn't Rick have eyeballs?
"Are you blind? Carol won't talk about it, but I know they're totally together." Lori's tone was condescending.
"Eww, gross!" Carl wrinkled his nose.
"Knock it off, Carl," snapped Lori and Rick together. They glared at each other.
"So neither of them have said anything to any of you?" Maggie kept pressing.
"Come on, you guys! Can't you let this go? It's not our business! Besides, if Daryl found out we were talking about this, he'd kick all our asses!" whined Glenn.
"Well, that's true," conceded Maggie.
"I think they're sweet," added Beth. "It doesn't matter if they're together or not. They're clearly in love and that's a wonderful thing."
Maggie made a disgusted noise. "Sweet? Whatever. I want to know if they're doin' it!"
"Maggie!" Glenn, Rick, and Beth shouted in unison.
"There are children present!" Lori looked offended for her son.
"Moooooooom! I'm not a kid!" howled Carl.
The room erupted in overlapping voices as they all tried to argue or defend their position. All the shouting made Beth nervous.
"Everybody SHUT IT!"
The room fell deadly silent as all eyes turned toward Hershel who had been sitting quietly up until this point.
"Glenn is right. They're grown adults, and what they do or do not get up to in their own time is not any of our concern. You all should be ashamed of yourselves. They are both very private people and putting their personal lives on display is disrespectful." Hershel had on his best dad-voice.
"Sorry, daddy," murmured Maggie. She and everyone else at the tables eyed their plates guiltily.
They all picked at their food in silence after that.
Then Daryl suddenly barreled through the room again, back to the cells. He kept his eyes firmly on the floor. After a pause, T-Dog quietly stood and disappeared into the cell block after him. The rest of the group looked at each other curiously, but said nothing.
A few minutes later, the two of them came back into the common room. T-Dog gave him an encouraging clap on the shoulder, and Daryl, looking decidedly red in the face, went off again, this time the same direction Carol had fled earlier. T-Dog returned to his seat wearing a Mona Lisa smile.
"Uhhhh, what was that?" demanded Maggie.
"What was what?" asked T, eyes wide and innocent.
"Come on, you know something, don't you? Tell us, pleeeeeease!" Maggie begged him.
Hershel's raised a warning voice. "Maggie..."
"Oh, fine! Don't tell me. I don't care."
"Sorry, folks. No story here. I ain't got nothin' to say." T-Dog smiled smugly and settled down to choke down his dinner in silence.
After a few grumbles and gripes, the rest of the group tucked in, as well. Eventually more ordinary dinner conversations cropped up – plans for tomorrow, stories about their lives before the end of the world, and wishful talk about hot showers, central heating and air, and crappy reality TV. Beth gazed down at her plate and fiddled with her fork. She hoped Carol and Daryl were together. They both deserved to be happy.