Okay, I've had work to do all week so sorry for the delay. It feels like I haven't written in ages! I hope this chapter makes up for it and you'll see some of my own thoughts on Caryl shown through Carol. Enjoy!

Daryl woke with a weight on his chest. As he looked down, he noticed Carol fast asleep and he smiled to himself and sighed. His breath tasted slightly of alcohol from last night. Rick had urged everyone not to have too much but he soon gave in and Daryl's hopes that they would not be leaving this morning soared. Carol maneuvered off his chest and turned so she was lying on one of his arms, facing away from him. In that moment, Daryl felt content and... peaceful. He lay like that for a few seconds until a light knock sounded on his door. Slowly sliding his arm out from underneath Carol, he ambled across the room and open the door. Rick stood there with bloodshot eyes accompanied by heavy purple bags under them.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Daryl frowned. "For what?"

"I told you we were going today."

"No, we ain't."

Rick shifted his weight onto his other foot. "Daryl, I said-"

"She- We're comfortable here. Ya can't jus' move us all out like that."

"Look-"

"Jus' another day."

"What about Woodbury?"

"They ain't gonna chase us forever."

Rick sighed through his nose and kneaded his tired eyes for a moment. "Fine," he said, looking back up at Daryl. "But we're goin' tomorrow. Don't try to ask again." Then he turned and paced down the corridor and back into his own room.

Daryl bit the inside of his lip and closed the door to his room. When he turned, he saw that Carol was awake and sitting up. The blanket they shared was draped over her legs and she had an expectant look on her face.

"I told 'im we ain't leavin' today," he explained. She nodded and smiled slightly but she looked sad. "What's up?" he asked, crossing over to the bed and sitting down next to her again on top of the blanket.

"I wish we could just be happy here," she whispered. "It's a nice house. It has food and warmth. I just want to settle somewhere and be peaceful for once."

Daryl nodded. "I know. Rick's jus' worried about Woodbury."

"Why?"

He glanced sideways at her, trying to tell if she was joking. Then, when he was sure she wasn't, he said, "They might come after us. An' I ain't gonna let anythin' happen to ya again." He added the last bit, feeling the urge to protect her and reassure her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Almost as soon as the contact was made, she fell against him and they leant on the headboard together. It was quiet for a few minutes then Carol spoke up.

...

"I stabbed him," she mumbled into his chest.

Silence.

"Ya what?"

"I stabbed him," she repeated.

"Stabbed who?" A pause. She felt his head press closer on her own like he was looking down. "Carol."

"The Governor."

The silence suffocated her and she wanted to make a joke or some sort of clever innuendo to ease the situation. But she couldn't. There was nothing to say or joke about. Carol didn't dare move her head from his chest to look into those piercing blue eyes for fear that, if she did, she wouldn't be able to handle the expression on his face. Then she couldn't take it.

"Daryl?"

A pause.

"Yeah?"

"Say somethin'."

Another pause.

"I know one thing," he stated, his chest reverberating as he spoke. Carol shut her eyes. "Nobody should mess wi' ya."

"What?" she asked, lifting herself up and finally looking at him.

He regarded her with such a cool, almost amused, expression as he shrugged and said, "I trained ya well with that gun." Then he grinned.

"I thought you would be mad or somethin'."

"The hell is there t' be mad at?" he asked, shuffling closer to her on the bed where she sat in front of him.

"I..." Carol thought. Then realised. What was there to be mad at? She'd killed the Governor, hadn't she? She was such an idiot and she laughed.

Daryl raised his eyebrows but there was a smile playing on his lips. "What's funny?"

She sighed to herself. "Nothing."

He held his arms out in front of him and she crawled forward and sat in his lap. Carol felt one of his arms curling around her back just under her ribs and the other was resting on her thigh with his hand on her hip, pulling her in gently. It was strange, she thought, how they could connect like this. No kisses, no sex, just a comforting hold or words. Carol put her head back slightly and looked up at Daryl. The corner of her mouth twitched up into a smile. This man had rescued her on at least three occasions. Not counting the hundreds of walkers he must have killed that could have posed a threat to her or the group.

"Want to get some food?" he asked, giving her one last squeeze.

She nodded and hopped out of his arms only to have his hand enclose around her own again as they left the room.

...

Daryl noted, almost as soon as they reached the front room, that everyone was feeling quite tense. Carl, Andrea, Michonne, Glenn and Maggie all sat in an almost circle eating contents out of plastic bowls. Andrea half smiled at him and Carol as they entered and she handed them both bowls of their own. They joined the circle and the silence continued until Carl looked at Daryl.

"When are we leaving?" the boy asked.

At that moment, all eyes were on him. They were all looking at him for an answer.

"Rick says we ain't leavin' 'til tomorrow," he said, continuing to eat. Next to him, he felt Carol shuffle a little closer and just feeling her presence there was enough. "We're alright here for today."

Maggie sighed. "I wanna stay here."

"There's still the threat from Woodbury," Glenn argued.

Andrea and Michonne shared a look which then transferred to Carol and Daryl caught it.

"What?" he asked.

Andrea looked towards Carol and then back at him. "Has she not told you?"

"I just did," Carol said, laughing under her breath.

"What?" Maggie asked, staring at each of them.

Before Andrea could say anything, Michonne cut in.

"She killed the Governor," she said, tilting her head in Carol's direction.

Maggie's mouth fell open, as did Carl's and Glenn's. A gasp flew out of Maggie before she could stop it.

"My God," she laughed after a moment, resting back on her hands. "Nobody should mess with you!"

Carl and Glenn couldn't take their eyes off the woman who sat silently and modestly to Daryl's right. He felt a sense of pride knowing that she was his. After their meal, Carol and Andrea took everyone's dishes into the kitchen. Glenn glanced at Daryl and smirked.

"What you gettin' at?"

"Nothing," Glenn muttered, still smirking.

Daryl snorted but Carl and Maggie were both smiling too. He wondered how long the group had known about him and Carol.

...

Later, the sky was turning dark and Carol stood at the window of their room looking up at the sky. It was a clear night and there was a crescent moon at the centre of all the stars that dotted around.

"What ya lookin' at?"

She didn't jump anymore when he crept up on her. Carol had gotten used to the fact that Daryl was silent and it never caught her off guard.

"Just the stars," she answered. "The little things... Well... they aren't little. But nobody seems to appreciate them anymore."

"Not many people can," he said, moving so his chest was pressed up against her back and winding his arms around her.

"We're lucky."

That was how they stayed for the next hour until she became tired and they moved to lie down on the bed, still in that position.