The threat from Woodbury was slowly dwindling down in everyone's minds. They hadn't heard anything since the day he'd returned trying to get them to leave. It didn't bother him much with Carol now occupying his mind most of the time. He wasn't sure where the needing her came from or how the hell it had even developed. He always thought of himself as quite alone and he didn't have a problem with that. The thing was, he had never had a real relationship before. There were no girlfriends or anything like that. Only the time his dad had taken him to a bar full of hookers to "make him a man". It was different with Carol. She was sweet and nice and he was afraid of saying or doing something wrong in case it upset her. When the hell had that started? He had become aware of it when Axel had tried to speak to her and there was that feeling... Jealousy. He could try and try to ignore it but it wouldn't go. Then there was Tyreese. He had made him think about what he really wanted from her. And then there was yesterday. When they nearly got found by the people from Woodbury, he had been terrified. Terrified because that could have been the last time they were together and he didn't want that to happen. So, back at the prison, he was trying to make up for it by kissing her as often as he could and spending time with her. In private, of course. He still didn't feel comfortable with public displays of affection. Especially with his brother there. Today he was really trying Daryl's patience.

"Hey, Darylena," he called. "You not got any cards or booze round here so we can get shit faced and play some poker?"

"No. We ain't got those luxuries," he replied shortly.

"We should go out an' see if we could get any. Bored isn't the word right now, little brother!"

"Well, get your ass up on the guard tower," Daryl snapped, getting increasingly frustrated with Merle's moaning.

"Oh, I'm sure you'd love that so you could go back t' makin' out with Mary Sue!"

Daryl's face was on fire and Axel had chosen that moment to come back into the room to join in with Merle's loud, irritating laughter.

"Would you like me to check your shoulder?" came a small voice.

The three men instantly whipped around and faced Carol who was looking at Merle. The laughter stopped and Daryl calmed down. Merle grinned.

"Nah. It's fine. See-" he said, attempting to wave his arm around but wincing. Carol made to walk over to him but he stopped her. "It don't need to be checked!"

"It could get infec-"

"Hell, we're all infected!" Merle laughed and Axel joined in.

Carol glanced at Daryl, who nodded, and then made her way back to her cell.

"Ya didn't have to be rude," Daryl murmured, more for assuring himself that he had at least tried to defend her.

"Oh, shut up and grab some keys. I fancy an outing. I'm freaking bored," Merle whined.

Unable to take it anymore, Daryl agreed and went back to her- or their- cell to tell her he would be leaving for a few hours.

...

She was sorting through her clothes when she heard some shuffling at the door of her cell.

"Er... I'm goin' out with Merle. Tryin' to shut him up from his constant whinin' for a bit."

Carol stopped and looked at him. Fear tightened around her chest. Yeah, that was fear. Definitely. What if he never came back? What if Merle planned to take him out and then persuade him to leave with him? What if-

"Hey," he said, stepping closer. "I'm comin' back."

Carol laughed weakly. Where have you heard that before? A voice in the back of her mind crept up on her. What did he say to you? Stay safe. Then you thought he was dead. She shut her eyes and blacked out the voice.

"Do you promise?" she asked, looking up at him and fiddling with the edge of his vest.

He gave her a slight smile. "D'you think I'd leave after all the trouble I went through t' get back?"

Carol shrugged but she smiled. "Do you promise?"

"Course."

"No, say it."

"What?"

"Say, 'I promise you, Carol'."

He chuckled under his breath. "I promise you, Carol."

She was satisfied with that and she cupped his cheek with one hand and stood on her tip toes to kiss him. Carol felt slightly better after he had promised, silently cursing herself for not making him do that last time.

...

They had taken a car. Daryl would be damned if he let Merle take the bike and being made to sit at the back of him or the other way around. Neither were comfortable with either possibility so a car was the better option by far. Another thing Daryl wasn't comfortable with was letting Merle drive so, with some force in his voice, he had said he was driving.

"Shit, calm down. Alrigh' you get t' drive," Merle had grumbled, sliding into the passenger seat.

They made their way down a main road and too many side roads to count but eventually they found themselves at a bar.

"Pull over an' see what's inside there," Merle instructed, pointing at the run down place.

After a few arguments along the way, Daryl wasn't in the mood for any more so he sighed and decided to check it out. The street was deserted and, opening the door to the bar, he found there were no walkers inside either. Merle nearly jumped out of joy as he found Southern Comfort and other whiskeys.

"Must be my lucky day, little brother!" he said, holding up the bottles.

Daryl could hardly repress a smile so he took the bottles and started to load them in his bag. After a while, they had finished scoping out the bar and had even found a few cards that had probably been used for some drunken game of poker. Then they both stopped and listened. What sounded like a race between multiple cars had disrupted the silence and the brothers looked out to the road. But it wasn't coming from that side. They made their way silently to the back of the bar and Daryl threw open the door. There were cars. And a lot of them. At least ten. All filled with men from Woodbury and weapons. The cars all rolled to a stop and they all got out. Daryl's heart skipped a beat. He could hear their shouts from where they were.

"There isn't any prisons round here! Why the hell are we still lookin'?"

"There's one near here and we can't stop lookin'. We can't even go back until we find it, Governor says!"

"I'm sure it was up here. Looks like a massive tower! Pretty big too!"

Daryl swore under his breath and Merle looked stunned next to him as they watched the men shout and look around.

"Hang on! What road's this?"

Someone checked a map and shouted the answer.

"Oh, shit!" a surprised voice shouted. "It's up round here!"

Daryl didn't need to listen again. He grabbed Merle by his shirt and pulled him to the front of the bar, checked the surroundings for other possible members of the large group, and ran for the car. It started up and he began the drive back to the prison. Thoughts of Carol, Judith, Rick and the rest of them forced his foot down on the accelerator harder.