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.

Daryl:

Rousing from her sleep, Daryl stepped back allowing her room to get up and go about her routine— if she had one. She got up easy enough before he rushed forward to catch her. Caught her as she was about to fall. Near ran her head into the stall wall where she'd slept beside. Daryl didn't have to ask if she was fine as she answered his question before he could utter the words himself. Taking a step back, he observed her for a moment ensuring she had righted herself and made about to move into her spot.

Just as he was bending down to throw out the blanket so he had a flat even surface to sleep on, he glanced up at her, brow drawn up in curiosity.

"Hmm?" He mumbled not quite understanding what she'd meant.

Before he could even bother to ask further, Carol had scurried around the corner and into one of the stalls. Oh… He thought shaking his head. Shrugging to himself, Daryl sat down on the old horse blanket he had fashioned into a poncho. It was thick for what it was and gave a decent padding in comparison to the hard cement floor. It would make do for the time being. He'd slept on less comfortable floors in the past. This was nothing.

Daryl had to stifle a laugh at her aforementioned humming she had wanted him to do to drown out the noise. She was obviously embarrassed from what he could tell from the sharp note in her voice. "What? The hell am I? Some ragtime tune box? Just fuckin' go already." He huffed teasingly, wrinkling his nose and a shake of his head.

After a few seconds of resignation, Daryl scoffed and grumbled a low fine under his breath and began whistling an old tune he had rather enjoyed as a kid. Didn't know why this one came to mind but it did and reminded him of better days— the past.

When Carol rounded the corner less uncomfortable, Daryl stopped his whistling and harrumphed at her. "Yeah, wake me when the sun's up." He replied edging down so he could lay flat on his back. Drawing his arms back to cradle his head, he stared up at the dilapidated ceiling that hung overhead. He could see where the roof was cracked from the vague slivers of light that gleaned through the dark.

After a while of counting the rivets in the roof beams, Daryl felt his eyes grow heavy. He tried forcing himself to stay awake but his body claimed otherwise. He hadn't slept in several days. At least not any real sleep that he could call. He'd taken a small nap on his way back in the car to the prison, but had been ruefully awakened by a pothole in the road. Otherwise he had caught a little bit standing watch over the quarantine area while Hershel and the others busied themselves with getting medicine into the sick.

A scuttle outside the door was the last thing he heard before his eyes shut and silence drowned everything around him out.

Carol:

Carol was content to let him drift off into sleep without any further words passing between the two of them. She was confused and terrified all at once, and it made for a very conflicting time for her emotionally. She shouldn't be thinking of her relationship with Daryl and where they were possibly going to go from there when she'd taken two lives of the members of their extended family. She knew it couldn't be chalked up to as little as that. She had thought it was for the best, but she knew now that it was never okay, and it would never happen again. She knew it in her heart, but what if the others refused to have her there? What if after everything she and Daryl had gone through tonight ended up being for nothing?

She sat down against the wall, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees as she listening to his even steady breathing when he finally managed to drift off to sleep. Every so often, he'd shift and move. It would draw her eyes toward the direction of where his body lay. When his quiet snores starting back up again, she gave a soft sigh and laid her head back against the wall.

She knew it was unfair to ask him to protect her once they returned to the prison. She knew it would put him at odds with so many of the others that likely agreed with Rick and his punishment. She felt the tears sliding down her cheeks then, silently berating herself for not being able to handle it. She wouldn't make it out of there alive if she let her guilt eat her from the inside out. It wasn't fair to put all of this on his shoulders. And if it came down to one of them not making it back, she'd gladly sacrifice herself so that he could live. They needed him so much more than they would ever need her.

No one would trust her again. She wasn't even sure if Daryl did. She couldn't really ask him to after everything. She let out a shaky breath and buried her head against her knees to recollect herself. She didn't need to spend any time alone to dwell on things that she couldn't change. It didn't fix anything, and it just made her want to crawl inside herself and just stay there.

She turned her head, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness and watched him as he slept. The little bit of light allowed her this view of him that she knew she'd likely never get again. He was almost child-like. And he was relaxed, and she knew he deserved that. Her fingers itched to reach out and dance across his forehead and push the hair off of it gently, but she wouldn't risk waking him up. He needed the rest so that they'd be able to get out of there at first light.

She found that if she focused hard enough on him that she could drowned out the sounds of the walkers at the door as they shambled and scratched at the door. She looked up as it appeared that more light was now streaming through the top slats. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her knees then knowing that their time there was drawing closer and closer to an end.

She shifted, cracking her back and reached for the backpack and pulled it to her to inventory what little bit they had on them. She managed to find a few out of date granola bars. That would be breakfast. She pulled out one each and the bottle of Gatorade. They'd just have to make do, and she'd make him eat if she had to. He'd need his strength.

For now, she waited for it to get a bit lighter out before she shifted again and shook him gently to wake him. "Daryl? Hey. Time to get up, sleepyhead. It's getting lighter out."

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

*Note: This is also not 100% written by myself. I owe a lot of credit to my wonderful partner as she is Carol and does a phenomenal job. Send her some love too at untapdtreasure here at FF!