Okay chapter 8 as promised. This is a little longer then my usual chapters but I really hope you enjoy it. Huge thanks to Jaded79 for beta-ing this chapter for me and thank you all for your reviews so far, you keep my muse working

Chapter 8

At the point of losing you.

Carol stormed through the prison; how dare he talk to her like that? How dare he make that bullshit theory up about her? He clearly didn't know her at all and he was wrong, she didn't want to die. Maybe at first when she saw Sophia stumble out of that barn, eyes cold and dead; she had more than once thought about it, but she knew every time she looked at him that she couldn't go. She wanted to live, but she didn't want to be afraid anymore.

She had every intention of going back to their room, grabbing his stuff and tossing it out into the hallway. She didn't want him in the room with her, not at the moment; but she barely got through the bedroom door when he stormed in behind her, slamming the door behind her causing her to jump and spin around to face him. His eyes were blazing, red hot anger shining through.

"You know what woman, I'm getting sick to death of your god damn attitude," he got right in her face and she could feel his hot breath on her check, but she refused to bow down.

"Yeah well I'm getting sick to death of yours!," she snapped back. "I mean what the hell was that out there? Death wishes and wanting to die? You clearly don't know me at all."

"Don't I? Because it seems clear to me. You're always running around looking and finding trouble, what the hell am I meant to think?"

"That in a world overrun with walkers, trouble tends to find us," she spat. "I could understand if I went running out to a herd of walkers looking like I was just going to let them take me, but I haven't have I? I have been fighting to survive."

"Don't even talk like that!," he hissed the thought of her walking to a herd and willingly handing herself over was too much for his mind to handle.

"This is the problem, Daryl, you're way too protective of me," she sighed.

"Too overprotective? Are you kidding me? Perhaps you would prefer it if I just ignored you, let you get killed, would that make you happy?," he all but yelled at her.

"That's not what I'm saying Daryl, you're taking this the wrong way… I'm just trying to understand why."

"What?" he asked confused.

"Why, out of everyone here do you feel the need to watch over me, keep me so close? Is it cause of Sophia? How I lost her? Cause I'm alone? Cause if it is I don't want your pity," she sighed, running her fingers over her head, brown hair that now had some length, curling around her ears.

"It's not pity," he whispered.

"Then what is it?" He looking up at her swallowing the lump in his throat.

"I… I…" he stammered.

"What? You worry about me? Are scared for me? What?" He looked at her, the words stuck in his throat almost choking him; she was getting angry again he could tell. "Do you still see me as your responsibility, is that it? Cause we have been over that already," her voice was getting louder, angrier.

"No," was all he could seem to say.

"Then what Daryl?," she snapped but still he said nothing. "For once in your god damn life can't you look into the eyes of another human being and tell them the truth?," she was yelling now but it was her words that finally got his attention.

"Because I love you," he yelled at her, stunning her into silence. "I'm in love with you," he whispered moving forward fast and wrapping one arm around her waist and placing his other hand on the back of her neck, kissing her softly but passionately. Neither moved to deepen the kiss and just simply enjoyed the feel of each other; but when he stepped back looking at her face, he felt dread slam into him at the look of fear and confusion in her eyes.

He had made a mistake.

"Damn!," he whispered angry at himself for kissing her, for telling her how he really felt. It was clear she didn't feel the same. Turning and grabbing his bow, he fled the room and took off outside the prison to start his morning hunt.

By the time she realised what had happened he was no longer standing in front of her and she knew he had taken her stunned silence the wrong way. Touching her lips she couldn't help but smile, still feeling his kiss lingering there. It had been so sweet, so soft and so right and when he got back she would tell him that.

Something was wrong, something was very wrong; Daryl should have been back by now. She knew he was upset but she also knew he wouldn't wrong the group just to avoid her. Moving through the dining room, she found Rick and T-Dog eating lunch and talking. She stopped next to them.

"Daryl isn't back from his morning hunt yet," she announced.

"I'm sure he is fine Carol, probably just lost track of time," Rick replied.

"No, something is wrong, I feel it," she argued.

"Well we'll give him another hour then go see if we can find him."

"I'm leaving now," she replied, her bow on her back and a gun and knife strapped to her side. She turned to leave but Rick stood stopping her.

"Carol, if something is wrong you running out into the woods alone isn't going to help."

"Rick there is something wrong. I don't know how I know but I just do. I can feel it and I need you for once to trust me," she replied almost begging. He looked down sighing. "Look this may be a prison but I'm not your prisoner, you can either come with me or not but I am going and nothing you or anyone else do or says will stop me." She turned to leave again but he grasped her arm stopping her, sighing.

"Alright I'll go with you just let me gear up," he moved past her to get his weapons but stopped to face her. "How are we going to find him? I mean he has been gone for hours and I'm no tracker."

"No, but I am" Michonne spoke standing behind Rick.

Once Rick and Michonne had gotten their gear together they had headed out. Michonne had picked up Daryl's track pretty quickly. They had been walking for about an hour only running into the occasional walker which they dealt with quickly and with next to no trouble. They could hear a river but also the sound of moaning not far away. They moved faster coming around a corner to see a clearing with rocks, dirt and a flowing stream.

They could also see Daryl lying on the ground clearly unconscious with two walkers closing in.

"No," Carol yelled running as fast as her legs could take her. "Hey, hey over here you dead pieces of shit!," she screamed hoping her voice would distract the walkers. One turned stumbling towards her but the second kept his focus on Daryl. She pushed the one walker aside causing it to fall to the ground but she kept moving knowing Rick and Michonne would take care of it.

Bring her bow around she knew she didn't have the luxury of missing. Even though she had next to know training on the bow, the walker was seconds from sinking his teeth into Daryl's leg, she stopped, aimed and let the arrow go – hitting the walker straight in the back of the head. With her shot, the walker fell dead, landing on Daryl.

Slinging her bow back around onto her back she quickly scanned the area making sure there were no more around before she ran full speed to Daryl. Sliding onto her knees she could feel the small rocks cutting through the fabric of her pants and into her skin but she didn't care, she threw the walker off Daryl. She quickly checked him over to be sure nothing had bit or scratched him before they had got to him. She sighed in relief when she found nothing but a cut on the back of his head that had clearly been caused by some sort of fall.

"Daryl," she whispered cupping his cheeks. "Daryl baby answer me," she cried tears falling onto her cheeks.

"Carol?," he choked out, confused and sore all over.

"Oh god, you're okay, everything is going to be okay, I've got you," she smiled tears still falling but beyond relieved that he was alright. "What happened?," she asked.

"I fell from up there," he whispered looking up at the hill above. It was pretty high up but he had taken bigger falls, like the fall he took when he was looking for young Sophia. At least this time he didn't take one of his arrows at the same time. "Slipped on some mud, I tried to catch myself on a tree but my shoulder was still sore…," he tried to explain but his head was pounding and his vision was blurring.

"What the hell were you thinking coming out here already injured?," she wanted to yell at him but her voice was soft, scared and worried.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just couldn't stand to look at the rejection on your face… I'm sorry," his eyes fluttered shut. She felt panic burn through her, checking for a pulse she quickly found one and realized he had just passed out again. Rejection? That's what he had seen on her face that morning? No wonder he had taken off, he was wrong though, rejection was the last thing on her mind when he had kissed her and she would tell him that when he woke up.

"Carol, we have to get him back to Hershel, he took a big fall," Rick whispered placing his hand on her shoulder not wanting to startle her. She nodded, standing and moving to grab Daryl's bow and kills for the morning that he must have dropped when he fell "Michonne, will you give me a hand?" She nodded as they both moved to pick Daryl up and head back home.

They had made it back to the prison in record time. Thankfully they hadn't run into anymore walkers on their way back. When they had returned to the prison they had carried Daryl straight into the clinic where Hershel was waiting for their return. He moved fast, checking Daryl over and announcing he had no bites or scratches but he did have a very nasty bump on the back of his head. Thankfully it didn't need stitches but he would have one hell of an egg and headache for a few days.

During the check over, Daryl had woken up answering all Hershel's questions about what had happened. It had been simple; he had lost his footing and fell, he tried to stop his fall by grabbing hold of one of the trees but with his shoulder already injured, it was useless. Next thing he remembered was Carol coming to his aid.

Hershel pumped him full of anti-inflammatories and pain killers for his head and shoulder and then instructed him to get cleaned up and he would patch up his head. Rick had helped the man to his room where Daryl saw clean clothes folded and sitting on a desk near the bathroom door. Carol had been there but why hadn't he seen her yet?

She had watched from the clinic door as they cleaned him up but when Rick moved to take him to their room she decided to get him some clean clothes ready. Gone before he got to the room, she left to get him something to eat and drink. She returned to the room with a bowl of rice and hot rabbit stew and a tall glass of fresh orange juice. Standing at the doorway, she watched Hershel finish putting the patch on the back of Daryl's head. Rick moved to stand next to her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and she looked up surprised.

"For what?," she asked confused.

"For not taking your concerns seriously. You know I wasn't going to go, I figured we would find him and he would be fine and mocking us for worrying for no reason." She laughed softly and nodded. That sounded like something Daryl would do. "If we hadn't left when we did, he would be without a doubt dead, I will never doubt you again… my word." She nodded again, smiling as he turned and left the room. Hershel stood and moved over to her.

"Make sure he rests, dear. And no walking the wall, no tower, no hunting for at least a few days, definitely no hunting till that shoulder is healed."

"I'll make sure," she promised as he left them alone. She moved, shutting the door and locking it before moving over to sit on her own cot and passing him the tray of food.

"I brought you something to eat."

"Thanks," he replied not looking at her but taking the tray. She watched silently as he ate all his food and drank down all the juice before placing the tray on the floor next to his bed. "Thanks for saving my life again," he mumbled under his breath.

"You're worth saving," she replied smiling as his head jerked up surprised at her words. She stood from her cot to pace, running her fingers through her hair as she tried to get her thoughts in order; she turned to look at him.

"It wasn't rejection you saw on my face when you said you loved me," she told him and being sure to look him in the eyes so he knew just how serious she was, even though her heart was pounding loudly in her chest. "It was surprise, confusion, and fear," she said taking a deep breath.

"I was surprised that someone as amazing and wonderful as you could ever love someone as weak and mousy as me… confused as to why you would love me and fear because I'm scared to death of losing another person I love to this hellish world," she cried out trying her best to keep her tears at bay and failing miserably. He stood from his cot moving to stand in front of her, cupping her cheek and forcing her to look at him.

"You are anything but weak and mousy, and you have proved that more than once," she nodded letting the tears fall.

"I'm scared Daryl," she whispered looking him in the eyes begging him to understand her fear. "In a world like this, loving someone just seems like an invitation for more pain." He nodded his understanding.

"You can't help it when you fall in love," he whispered. He was scared himself, he had never in his life been this open with anyone, let alone a woman, but he knew now his heart was safe with her.

"When you didn't coming back by lunch I knew something was wrong, I could feel it. Like this undeniable pull and when I saw those two walkers closing in on you…," she sighed feeling like a fool for crying so much but unable to stop the wave of fresh tears that hit her. "I knew in that moment I would rather die a painful death then ever let anything happen to you, I love you Daryl Dixon… I'm so in love with you I can't think straight," she confessed.

"God I love you too, love you so much," she barely had time to register his words before his lips where smashing down on hers. This time there was no holding back, it was raw, strong and full of need and passion, all-consuming, and she happily gave into it.