I have not updated in ages! So sorry! I haven't been able to write this for a while!

They had walked along a main road all day until the sun was setting in the sky. There had been brief conversations between the small group throughout the day but Daryl noted they were very short-lived. He walked at the front with Rick and occasionally glanced over his shoulder to see Carol, rifle slung over her shoulder and cardigan wrapped around her, trudging along next to Andrea. She sometimes lifted those bright blue eyes off the ground and met his own but then he would nod and face forward again following a smile. They had stopped just once in the day to eat some food out of the cans they carried and then packed up to continue. There hadn't been many walkers roaming around but, when the odd one came along, it posed no threat and they were killed without wasting ammo.

Finally, once the sky had gone completely dark, Rick had come across an old car dealership. The lot, which housed rusty cars, was surrounded with a net of tall wire standing at around ten feet. Rick grunted in approval and moved to the gate, that was locked by a large padlock, beckoning Daryl to follow. They examined the gate in silence until Rick took the duffle off his shoulder and dropped it to the ground. He ripped the zip open and produced the wire cutters. Daryl looked towards the rest of the group and then at Carol. She smiled in return and nodded back at him.

Rick pulled the wire off the gate and said, "We'll stay in here for the night. It's safe."

Whilst the group exchanged glances, Daryl sighed and ducked under Rick's arm and into the compound. He heard shuffling feet behind him as he straightened up and realised Carol had followed him closely, willing to go wherever he felt was right.

"Do you think it's safe?" she asked.

There was a small building to the right of the fenced area. The front door leading into the house would be locked but Daryl shrugged.

"One way t' find out," he replied, moving to a space in the small lot and dropping his own duffle. He swung his crossbow around into his arms and glanced at her. "Lookin' inside."

"I'll go with you," she said, mirroring him almost exactly with her own gun.

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine," he said. Then added, "Stay close."

He nodded at Rick and proceeded up the steps with Carol on his tail. The house was only small. It would only take two of them. At least that was what he liked to believe, not I would just like some time to talk to her properly again like in the attic. Not that the memory of that was stuck in his head. Not at all.

...

Carol was determined to be with Daryl alone. Even if it was just checking an abandoned building next to them for walkers. He was walking in front of her which gave her time to observe him in silence. It wasn't a suffocating silence though. It was more of a I- know-you're-here-with-me-and-that's-nice comfortable silence. They walked into a damp smelling room and there was nothing so they proceeded down the corridor. Daryl kicked down a door and inside there were two walkers. His crossbow came up and one was shot with ease.

Whilst that was being taken care of, Carol decided to launch herself at the other and sink her knife into its eye. She stepped back and wiped her bloody hand on her cardigan. As she looked up, she caught Daryl's eye and he was smirking.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothin'," he muttered, still smirking. "C'mon."

He walked past her and they exited this room to turn into the next and final one. Empty. But they still stood there. It was dark with the only light coming from the moonlight poking through the odd windows around the building. It was dark enough so you couldn't see faces, just silhouettes, but Carol could still make out Daryl's face and the line of his lips. They were stood next to each other and then Daryl's eyes flashed as he looked down at her. His hands came up to her face but, instead of gripping her and kissing her forcefully, he brought her lips gently up to his own for only a few seconds then he broke away.

"We should get back," he said.

"Pretty romantic," she grinned.

Daryl chuckled. "Stop."

And they went back to the rest of the group outside.

...

It was a warm night and the stars were out so why waste it indoors, Daryl had thought. He had started to build up a fire when Rick came over and questioned him.

"It's warm out here," he replied. "I'm gonna stay."

Daryl saw Andrea, Glenn, Maggie and Carl look at him for a moment. Michonne was already lying on a blanket in the corner of the lot on her own so Andrea moved to lie close to her. Carl settled across from the fire Daryl was making and began unpacking spare blankets from his duffle. Glenn and Maggie cuddled to the side of him and Rick finally seated himself next to Carl. Nobody said a word.

Slowly, after he had lit the flames, Daryl shuffled backwards a little until he was next to Carol. She was holding a book in her hands and he frowned.

"Where did ya-"

"It's the one you gave me," she whispered. "In the attic," she added.

He nodded. "Is it good?"

"Yeah," she said. "But no pictures."

Daryl glanced at her and a smile played on his lips. He liked the fact that she wasn't shy anymore. The fact that she could crack a joke. That she didn't seem afraid of anything. How she had gone at that walker in the house had surprised him but he loved it. He moved closer and positioned his arm behind her with his hand planted on the ground on her other side. Daryl smiled as he saw the corner of her mouth flick up and her eyes glance up at him.

"Thank you," she mouthed.

He frowned. "For what?"

"About a year ago today, you saved me on the farm."

Daryl was bewildered. How had she remembered that? A year? Surely it can't have been that long ago. Though he didn't suppose you forget being saved. He looked around and realised this little camp was similar to where they were last year. When Rick had said it wasn't a democracy anymore and confessed to killing Shane. He remembered Lori and T-Dog and Herschel and Beth. How many had been lost in a year thanks to a few people. He thought about Little Ass Kicker and felt sad. A baby brought into a world of the dead. But he couldn't think about that now. Daryl had Carol next to him and his hand moved to her waist. He leant his head against hers then kissed her temple.

Glenn made eye contact with him and he smirked. Daryl glanced down at Carol, making sure her eyes were firmly glued to the pages of her book, before flipping off the Korean.