Hi Everyone! Just wanted to thank you for sticking with me on this story. It has definitely had it's dark moments. J

Just a few reminders:

In this story, Carol DID NOT kill Karen and David.

-Tyreese and Carol are just friends, but they have a connection. It's mainly due to how affectionate Ty is with her.

-Daryl thinks that Ty and her are more. He is feeling jealous and insecure.

-Carol is the strong woman we have come to love in Season 4.

-Daryl isn't sure she needs him anymore.

-Please remember that Daryl has seen Tyreese pull Carol into an affectionate hug and kissed her. He does not know that it was almost completely platonic.

I don't own any ideas, thoughts, or characters or the Walking Dead. This is just for fun!

Chapter 7: Old Wounds

Daryl POV

Carol led the way through the woods. It was obvious she knew where she was going.

Daryl followed close behind her. His knife drawn. Though he wasn't using it right now, Daryl was glad he had grabbed his crossbow from the floor before they ran from the house. He figured that they may get a 15-20 minute head start on the man who discovered Joe's body. They had to move quickly. Without telling her, Carol seemed to know that time was short. Carol was flying through the woods. It made him nervous, because he wasn't used to Carol leading and him following.

One of Daryl's main jobs, since the quarry, had always been to protect Carol. No one officially gave it to him. Carol hadn't even asked him too. It was just something he had taken upon himself to do. In the beginning, it was his way of trying to make up for Sophia. As time went on, the reasons had deepened. Though at the time, Daryl hadn't realized what that meant, but he was beginning too.

Maybe she didn't need him to protect her as much anymore. It bothered him. It was the one thing that he always had confidence about concerning her...he could protect her. When necessary save her. He felt one of the few things he had going for him with her fall to the side.

They had barely spoken. Only a few words indicating which direction to go. Then they were at the tracks. Daryl watched her hesitate. She looked left then she looked right.

"Daryl?" Carol looked over at him. His name was a desperate plea on her lips. He could see the fear reflected in her eyes. She needed his confirmation. His reassurance. He knew she needed him. Part of him sighed in relief.

Daryl scanned the ground...He looked for any tracks...after a few minutes...he found one. A set of footprints of a large man. Obviously Tyreese. Daryl looked at Carol and pointed in the direction they needed to go. Carol gave him a slight smile. Daryl remembered how he had seen Tyreese pull Carol into a hug when he and Scout were staking out the farmhouse. He also remembered the kiss between Carol and Tyreese.

Grabbing Carol's hand, he led her into the direction of the one man Daryl felt the most threatened by...

Carol POV

All she could think of was the girls, Tyreese, and Judith. No matter how much Rick had hurt her. No matter how much anger she felt towards him...her heart softened at Judith. This beautiful little baby. She thought of Lori. So many people had been angry at Lori. Judged her and had withheld forgiveness from her. She knew Rick was at the top of the list. Being a man, she knew that Rick's pride had been hurt. Not only had his best friend been with his wife. Rick had also lost his son to his best friend. Finally, Rick had even lost the best friend.

Truth was, and Carol knew this now after having lived in this world for so long, that it was easy to fall into who made you feel safe. It was even easier to suddenly have that same person who had made you feel so safe then turn on you. She felt how Lori must have felt with Rick. He found it so easy to judge, and then pass judgement without hearing out what either one of them had to say. In Rick's defense, he had experienced it with Shane.

As she followed Daryl, she wondered what Daryl thought of her. Carol hoped he had more faith in her no matter what he believed she had done. If she had killed Karen and David...sh hoped he knew she would have only done it out of necessity. If Daryl believed she hadn't, then she hoped he would be willing to challenge why she had left without resistance. Then Carol wondered. What had he thought of how she had acted with Joe. Did he think she had been a slut? Did he think less of her? Carol felt her fears rising to the surface again.

Carol was definitely no longer the woman from the quarry. People change. They had to in this new world. Though she was willing to step up and make hard decisions. This did not mean she was heartless. It didn't mean that she didn't feel the weight of those decisions or regret at making the wrong ones.

"We can't stop Daryl. I have to find Ty. We have to find the girls." She knew she sounded desperate.

"We will." Daryl told her. His voice was clipped. She didn't understand why.

When they got to the tracks they heard the men. Daryl grabbed her hand and pulled him into her behind some vegetation. Carol knew his body language. Silently, Daryl was telling her to be quiet. He held her so close, she could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest. She breathed heavily into Daryl's neck. Her own heart rate increasing. The men were passing close to them. She could hear them and their conversation.

"Why we gotta check back so often? We could a' caught up to em' in no time. Now we gotta head back. What the hell?" one man told the others.

"Hopefully, Joe will let us have that woman." the other man said. Carol could hear his excitement in his voice. She involuntarily shivered.

Carol felt Daryl's arms tighten around her. She knew he was instinctively taking her in and protecting her. Truthfully, Carol could be in the middle of a full-out war, and if his arms were around her she would never feel safer. She allowed herself to relax into Daryl's arms. Why did these moments between them always have to be at the most dangerous times? Correcting herself...they were just friends.

The men passed them, and as they did her lips accidentally brushed his neck. Daryl stiffened. When the men were gone Daryl released her. Those men didn't know that Carol and Daryl had been within feet of them. Daryl was relieved, because this meant that they had an additional 20 minutes to get away from them. Total at least 45 minutes before alert was raised.

"Let's go." Daryl told her. Then feeling more hopeful at having Daryl back with her...she followed him down the train tracks.

To be continued...