Author's Note: Thank you for reading.

TWDTWDTWD

It felt like she was angry with him. Not angry, because he didn't think he'd ever seen Carol angry, it was too strong an emotion. Irritated? Disappointed? It radiated from her and it was an uncomfortable feeling, particularly because she was in such close proximity to him, on the back of his bike. He couldn't actually see her, just feel it, even though she hardly touched him. The hem of her coat occassionally whipped across his leg and he could see her hands resting on his waist if he looked down, ghosting over the edge of his vest, but hardly touching him, as if she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was leaning back, putting as much space between them as she could. If he turned suddenly, she would be thrown off the bike.

Thinking about her was making him angry. Was she pissed because he saw her with half her clothes off? Because that was fucking stupid. He wasn't no pervert, it was a glance in her direction, because he thought something was wrong. Or was it because he told her off for going in that baby's room? He was right to do that, her reaction was proof enough. He'd told them all and she was the only one to fucking ignore him. That was her problem.

He slowed the bike as they made the turn to head back onto the highway and he felt her grip tighten suddenly as the bike tilted.

"If you don't fuckin' hold on properly, you can get in a car, I ain't scrapin' you off the road." He growled at her as they slowed down, allowing the convoy of cars to catch up with them. He twisted round to look at her but she wasn't looking in his direction, she was gazing off into the distance, lost in her own world. "Hey!" He elbowed her and she suddenly came to, head turning to him so fast, their noses almost collided.

"What?"

"Hold on or get off." He snarled at her, turning back to get the bike moving again. He didn't actually give her the option of getting off before they moved down the highway. Still, he was reassured somewhat when he felt her press against his back, her hands meeting each other around his middle.

Rick had declared he wanted to keep their route to the back roads for as much of the journey as possible and although it added another eighty miles to their journey Daryl was inclined to think it was a wise move. The highways were frequently blocked, sometimes taking hours just to cover a couple of miles. No-one wanted to camp on the highway again, they stopped only long enough to siphon fuel and scavenge for food.

It had started spotting with rain when they pulled into an empty gas station for the night. There were several vehicles abandoned haphazardly on the forecourt and Carol got off the bike without him asking, heading straight for the car behind her, swapping places with Rick so that they could scope out the building.

It had been raided before, but there were a few dented tins scattered about. Two Walkers too, but they were dealt with easily. It meant sleeping on the cold tile floor, hidden between the aisles, away from the window, but it was better than outside. They had a few blankets between them aswell now.

He watched Carol pick at the tin of peaches with a plastic fork, nibbling on each segment for the longest time. She didn't eat before they left the house that morning and he knew she'd had only a cereal bar when they stopped to refill the gas tanks. Hershel and T-Dog had gone to look at the pumps after they ate, to see if they could get them switched back on to fill the cars and she sat with Beth, who's head rested in her lap, running her fingers through the young girl's hair, braiding and unbraiding it. They murmured to each other softly, so soft that he couldn't hear what they spoke of even though he only sat a few feet away but judging by the little giggles coming from the blonde girl's lips, Carol was cheering her up some.

Eventually, the noise died down, people beginning to drop down to sleep. Daryl couldn't relax, pacing the aisle nearest the door, keeping an eye out for Walkers. She was awake. He could tell, even though she had her back to him, blanket pulled around her shoulders. Eventually she pulled herself into a sitting position, looking around for him. Once she spotted him, he turned away from her, resuming his pacing up and down the store.

"I'll keep watch if you want to rest." She leant against the counter, her arms folded across her chest. "I can't sleep anyway."

He couldn't resist letting out a snort of disbelief, stopping his pacing right in front of her.

"Geek could be right up in ya face and you wouldn't notice shit." He whispered at her, glancing back at the rest of the sleeping group.

She looked a little bewildered but didn't say anything, pulling herself up to sit on the counter, drawing her feet to the edge of the surface, hands wrapping around her knees.

"Ya leavin' us." He spat out at her, resuming his pacing.

"I'm not going anywhere." She whispered back, shaking her head in confusion.

"You ain't here. You think I don't see it? They do too, even if they are too chicken shit to say somethin'." He waved his hand towards the others. "You're disappearin'. You need to get back here."

She didn't say anything, dropping her head to her knees, fingers running through her hair, making it stand on end. He walked away, considering the conversation over, when she took a deep shuddering breath and he knew without looking that she was holding back tears. He instantly regretted speaking to her because if there was one thing he hated more than anything it was crying. The biggest problem with this group was definitely how much fucking crying that went on.

"I feel like I'm going crazy." She whispered, face pressed into her knees, muffling her voice.

"Well, rein it in, for Christ's sake." His tone was harsh, he knew. But what the hell did she expect him to say? He was no good with this kind of crap.

"I'm trying! I'm not like you. I'm not strong enough for this. I don't see the point anymore and I can't just pretend."

"No point? How 'bout the fuckin' fact that you made it and she didn't?" He couldn't bring himself to say her daughter's name, but Carol left out a soft gasp when he said the words. "You gonna dishonour her by treatin' life like it ain't a fuckin' gift?" He spat the words out at her, marching up to her so he was inches from her face. "You ain't the only one who lost someone. Ain't no therapist or fuckin' uppers anymore so you gotta make it on ya own. They need you." He threw his hand towards the group. "Lori, Beth...they need you. If that ain't enough...fuck, you are a burden. Havin' some worth here ain't just about wavin' a gun. Shit, try harder."

Carol just gaped at him as he continued his verbal assault. This was the most she'd ever heard him speak. Certainly to her. He was shaking with a barely concealed rage, attempting to stay quiet so they didn't disturb the others. She wanted to answer, but she didn't know what to say to him.

He didn't wait for her answer, he gave up his watch and bunked down with the others, crossbow by his side. She sat on the counter for a few minutes, considering his words. They didn't magically take the pain away, make her see the light or give her a renewed sense of purpose. But they helped. He thought she was worth saving.

She slid off the counter and settled down with the others, just a foot away from Daryl. He had his eyes closed, but she could tell he wasn't sleeping. She pulled the blanket over her, using her arm as her pillow and turned on her side to face him.

"Ok." She whispered to him. His eyes flickered open and he stared over at her. "I'll try harder." She turned over and settled down. She would try.

TWDTWDTWD

They were back on the road at dawn. Carol made herself useful by trailing up and down the aisles, picking up every tin, bottle, packet or bag. When she went outside to load up the cars with some of her spoils, she spotted Daryl on the back of a truck, abandoned on the forecourt. His bike was already on there and he was busy strapping it down. The rain has picked up it's pace in the night, but now, it had cooled down to a fine drizzle. The kind that stuck to the skin, slowly soaking one through.

He nodded at her as she made her way to the truck, pushing one of the bags through the open window and sliding it onto the bench. She nodded back to him and made her way to do the same to the other cars. She wondered if she would be welcome in his truck today, after last night. She had seen him angry before, he had ranted and raved at her. Once, she was sure he was close to hitting her. But last night was different, it was an anger unlike any she'd ever witnessed from anyone.

She loaded the last of the bags into the cars. Apparantly they were ditching one of the others in favour of Daryl's truck, to preserve fuel. T-Dog, Rick, Lori and Carl were in one, Glenn, Maggie, Hershel and Beth in another. Rick gathered them in front of the vehicles to give them the lowdown on what was going on. Daryl didn't stay for it, heading back into the gas station for the last of their things. Rick had clearly consulted with him first and that pleased her. It was nice to see other people realising his worth.

"We need to try and make it to Fort Benning early tomorrow. In the event that it's impossible to stay there and we get split up, everyone heads back to the Harris county border."

"And if it's a bust?" Glenn asked.

"Then we head North. Find somewhere to hole up for winter. Been wondering if the cold will slow the Walkers down or somethin'."

"I'm starvin', can we get breakfast first?" Maggie rubbed at her stomach as she spoke.

"Eat in the cars. Carol split everything up so there's something for everyone. We need to go as long as possible without stopping, we've got some serious ground to cover today. Glenn, if that tank needs refilling, make sure to pull us over before the highway. We do not want to stop out in the open if we don't have to."

Carol appreciated Rick's no-nonsense commands. That night where he admitted to killing Shane, he was half-crazed, frightening to watch. He'd collected himself, cementing himself as their leader.

"We gonna get outta here or what?" Daryl called out as he marched over to the truck. In one hand he had his crossbow, in the other; his saddle bag and her drawstring handbag. He settled the crossbow in the truck bed and chucked the bags in through the open passenger window. Well, Carol thought, that settled the issue of whether he wanted her in the truck with him or not.

She settled herself in the passenger seat as he spoke to Rick, shrugging off her damp coat and laying it out in the cab behind her to dry out. He climbed in a moment later shaking his wet hair like a dog and revving the engine. They didn't speak for the first couple of miles, it wasn't an awkward silence by any means, neither of them were chatterboxes at the best of times, but she felt she should say something to him. They hadn't exchanged a single word since the night before.

"You want breakfast?" She asked, reaching underneath her for the bag of food from the gas station. He made a noise that sounded like an agreement so she rifled through the bag, digging out a bottle of apple juice, a bag of chips and a candy bar. "Sorry, there isn't much you can eat one handed."

"Thanks." He grunted at her, taking the candy bar first. He watched her twist the cap off a bottle of juice and sip it. "You gonna eat somethin'?"

She shook her head. "I'll get something later, I'm not hungry." It was true, she had very little appetite anymore. She managed to choke something down every day, but it all tasted the same, dry and unappetising in her mouth. She knew she'd lost weight. The jeans she had put on the morning before were fitting her just right, despite being two sizes smaller than what she used to wear.

"I thought you said you were gonna try." His voice was accusing, he took his eyes of the road to send her a glare.

"I am."

"Then eat." It was a command, not a request. He turned back to the road, chewing on the candy bar like it was going to run away from him if he didn't eat it fast. She sighed and dug into the bag for a tin, nothing was particularly appealing to her, so she settled for the fruit cocktail and hunted in her drawstring bag for one of the plastic forks she had tossed in there earlier that day.

It tasted like nothing. Every mouthful seemed to take an age to chew, just to get it to slide down her throat. Still, she ate every mouthful and snuck a glance at him, seeing the frown slowly slide off his face with every bite. She even managed to bring the can to her lips and drain the can of the juice. She had to resist a chuckle when she saw the corner of his mouth turn into a smirk.

He had the chips open, resting on the bench against his thigh and he nudged the bag over to her after she tucked the empty can in the pocket of the truck door. Carol pulled a small handful from the bag, they were bright orange and the cheesy taste was overpowering. She ate three and dropped the others back into the bag. Her nose wrinkled with distaste as she swallowed them.

"Those are disgusting. Especially for breakfast. Urgh." She fished in her bag for some gum and popped one in her mouth.

"Breakfast of champions." He told her, sucking his orange stained fingers.

"That so? I'll continue being a loser then." She joked lightly, turning her head back to the road ahead.