This started out as a role play between myself (gunslingerdixon) and my Carol rp partner untapdtreasure (nolongeraxburden), and it was mutually decided upon to share with the rest of FF as a fanfiction. So here it is! Enjoy!

If y'all are interested in following us just go to: nolongeraxburden. tumblr .com or gunslingerdixon. tumblr .com

Also: we own nothing in regards to The Walking Dead. All rights belong to the copyright holder.

He froze rigid as she moved into his space, wrapping her arms around him. She fit neatly against his chest with the light brush of her cropped hair catching in his chin scruff. He held his breath not sure what to do. She'd always made jabs at him by simple nudges or light arm touches but never anything much more physical than that and he had reciprocated that as well.

Daryl let his breath out slowly feeling the hammer of his heart beating away in his head like a never-ending death knell. His jaw muscle clenched and unclenched as she kept her hold on him even though she had just muttered for him to go. Even if he had wanted to… He couldn't. His knees were locked in place and his body stiff as a plank board still trying to reel from the foreign touch. It didn't feel the same. Not like it had when he'd held onto her when she'd gone charging in towards Sophia. He'd been protecting her to hold her back from a demise he didn't think he could stomach to see.

Seeing one of your own wasn't something anyone got accustomed to. The images of Merle lurching forward still plagued his dreams as a silent jeer that he was never any good to do anything to stop it from happening. He had felt like a damned fool telling Carol earlier in the day that he'd find Sophia. They all knew, but he knew worst of all as he was a man of his word. Despite his failure there, she hadn't blamed him that it had ever been his fault.

Tentatively with fidgeting hands, Daryl reached up and pressed a hand to the small of her back, the other hand lightly touching at her arm. This all was incredibly new and he still couldn't deal with this twisting and turning in his stomach. A never-ending gush of anxiety filling his throat.

When Carol pulled away from against his chest and opened the driver's side door, he felt his stomach fall out of his body and the wind knocked from his lungs. He took a hesitant step forward his mind reeling trying to figure a way that would expunge her follies. He growled low in irritation raking his hands through his hair pacing a little. He threw his hands to his sides before taking another step again forwards.

"Stop sayin' it like ye've already givin' up!" He barked wagging a finger at her.

He heard a growl and a moan come from a thick brush near the car stealing him back from his emotional outburst. He pulled his knife from its sheath in one swift motion and took two long strides ramming his knife into the soft skull of the walker that ambled out of the bushes from his shouting. He took a few steps back as it fell to the ground with a thud and out of the way of the gore splatter from the removal of his knife.

"Yer gon' tell me that yer gon' make it on yer own? Ain't gon' happen." He replied roughly with a fertile shake of his head, wiping the coagulated blood on the shirt of the walker turning on his heel to face her. "I ain't lettin' you go."

Immediately he felt his cheeks get hot and his nose wrinkle in protest not knowing whether he should be back pedaling or not. He hadn't meant it as he had bluntly stated, but somehow a part of him had and that was something he had been trying to square with for a long time. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, fingers lightly rolling the jasper stone around in his palm.

The feel of his light touch on both her back and arm would be enough to keep her alive for days, months if she let it. She closed her eyes as she opened the door, prepared to slip behind the wheel and that be the end of her goodbye. She hated to see him in such turmoil. She hated even more that she was the cause of it. All she wanted for him was a life where he didn't have to worry about her anymore. That he'd done his job, taught her everything that she could possibly need to know. She didn't expect him to pine away for her or worry every time he was alone. She wanted to erase herself from his memory and let him free of his self imposed burden to watch over her.

She'd watched as he paced, feeling the emotion coming off of him in waves. The lump in her throat only preceeded to get bigger, making it more difficult to swallow back her emotions. She'd been just fine before he'd shown up and part of her wished that she'd hidden and let him keep on searching, but she was selfish in that she wanted to hear what he'd had to say. She needed to know why he had come to look for her. And now, she was only making this worse.

His finger wagged at her, pointing out that she was failing at doing the one job she'd set out to do. And that was to protect him from all this. From her. Her voice was caught in her throat, unable to protest and argue any kind of opposition. She instead hung her head. That was until she heard the low groans and snarls of the nearby walker. Her hand instantly went to her hip, unsheathing her knife and stepping forward toward them both.

And it was then that he took it down, feeding all of his anger at her, at the situation she'd put them both in, and taking it down. Her eyes moved over to him, locking on him as he spoke the next words.

"I ain't lettin' you go."

Carol's head immediately shook from side to side. She stepped forward then, hand on the arm that still clutched the knife tightly in his fist. Her words were soft and clear then. They had to be. He couldn't do anything stupid and jeopardize the group or himself. She wouldn't allow it. "You're needed back there. The people there look up to you, respect you. I'll only drag you down. I'll only be a burden. And I'm not anyone's burden, Daryl. Not anymore." Her grip tightened on his arm even though she had meant to drop her hand back to her side, but instead held onto that last little bit of their connection for as long as he might have it.

Please review and let us know what you thought! Cheers!