Big thank you to everyone for reading and reviewin, you guys truly feed my muse and keep me writing. Another big thanks to my lovely beta Jaded79 for beta-ing this chapter, your awesome hun! So i hope you all enjoy and please let me know what you think :)

Chapter 12

Fighting my way back to you.

Carol ran through the dark woods, she had been running for at least ten minutes, taking out at least a dozen walkers so far with her bow and knife. But she was starting to run low on arrows and she didn't want to use her gun. She had enough walkers after her already without attracting more by firing her gun.

She had managed to put some distance between her and the remaining walkers, so she stopped for a minute to catch her breath. She was quickly growing exhausted. It was about one in the morning and she had been up since about ten, she was glad she had gotten to sleep in rather than her normal six wake ups during the night.

She needed to think of a plan; she was tired and sore from running, low on arrows with only a knife to defend herself against at least another two dozen walkers. She knew she couldn't keep this up forever, she needed to hide but where?

Then it hit her, looking at the large tree she was leaning against she moved fast, slinging her bow on her back and tucking her knife into her belt, she started to climb moving fast and as high as she could get. She took a position on a thick branch. Trying to get comfortable, she took the bow off her back and held onto it tightly, leaning against the tree trunk.

After a moment she heard the moans again, staying still and quiet she watched as they moved by slowly. Thankfully none looked up and spotted her. She watched through the darkness as more and more walked through the woods realising there had been more after her than she originally thought.

Resigning herself to a long night in the tree, she tried to think of ways to stop herself from falling asleep; knowing if she did she would fall from the tree and be at the mercy of whatever walkers were still near. That thought alone seemed to keep her eyes well and truly open.

She would work her way back at first light. She had a good view of the woods from where she was, so once morning came and she was sure it was safe, she would climb down and head back to the clearing where she had gotten out of the Ute. She would stay in the centre of the field so she had a good view if any walkers came upon her, and as she walked back she would see the prison once she got close. She knew Daryl would be worried but this was the best plan for her to make it back alive.

She knew she was going to have a long night and a long walk back to the prison.

All Daryl could think about while he drove was Carol, wondering, worrying if she was safe. What if she was hurt or dead or worse had been bitten? What would he do if he found her and she was a walker? Could he put her down?

He knew he couldn't.

They had driven for half the night before speeding up and leaving the herd behind and doubling back on a different road. By the time they reached the prison the sun had been up for at least an hour. Pulling the cars up, T-Dog let them in as everyone ran out to greet them. The first thing Daryl noticed when he hopped out of the car was that Carol was not there.

"Is she back?," Daryl asked.

"Who?," Maggie asked confused.

"Carol," Daryl replied.

"We had a few problems out there," Rick spoke up revealing Carl standing behind him.

"Carl," Lori gasped, wrapping her arms around him.

"Your boy hid in the back of the truck Carol and Andrea were in and started shooting walkers. He fell out and Carol got out to save his stupid ass once again," Daryl snapped. Andrea placed a hand on his shoulder trying to calm him but he jerked away from her.

"Daryl, it was my fault I should have gotten out to get Carl."

"And then you would have been the one running off into the woods in the middle of the night alone," He replied. "No, this is his fault plain and simple."

"Rick, are you going to let him stand there and talk to your son like that?" Lori demanded to know.

"Yeah I am," both Lori and Carl gasped in surprise. "I told him to stay with you, that it was too dangerous and he didn't listen, instead he did what he wanted and now it looks like he may have gotten another member of this group killed because of his stupidity." he snapped. It didn't go past anyone when he had said "another member of the group".They all knew he meant Dale.

"Dad I'm sorry," the young boy cried as his mother held him close.

"You always are Carl, why can't you just listen?" Rick yelled at the boy. "Tell me something Lori, how long did it take you to realise he was missing this time?" he hissed.

"I... I" Lori stammered.

"It wasn't til about an hour ago," Hershel butted in annoyed at the woman for being so neglectful in a world already so deadly.

"I thought he had just gone to his room and I didn't go to bed because I knew I wouldn't sleep," she admitted. "I didn't realise till I went to wake him for breakfast," she sighed.

"You make me sick!" Daryl hissed his voice dripping with venom. "Come tomorrow morning I'm out of here and you lot are on your own," he announced heading inside the prison.

"Daryl wait," Rick begged turning him to face him. "Don't be rash; Carol could still be alive," hoping he could convince him to stay. He knew the chances of Carol being alive where slim, but if Daryl left the group he worried it would only be a matter of time before the rest of them joined her in death.

"I'm not stupid enough to believe she is still out there alive, she had at least forty walkers chase her into those woods with limited arrows and bullets and far too many to hope to win in a hand to hand fight," he replied feeling tears well in his eyes but refusing to cry in front of the other man. "She is dead and it's all your boy's fault and I refuse to stay here and help feed and protect you lot any longer, I'm gone!," he hissed storming inside the prison but this time Rick didn't follow him.

Carol had finally made it out of the woods and back to the clearing where she had jumped from the safety of the Ute to save Carl. She cut up her hands and legs as she tried to make her way down the tree but she tried to ignore the throbbing ache it caused knowing she still had a good walk ahead of her. Ripping off a piece of the bottom of her shirt, she wrapped her hands the best she could.

She had run into a few walkers on her way through the woods but she had put them down quickly and quietly. Now she moved into the middle of the large clearing and decided she could see any walkers better that way and none could sneak up on her. Sighing, she headed in the direction of the prison, hoping she could make it there before dark. She was tired, hungry and she didn't like the thought of spending another sleepless night up a tree.

A silence had settled over the group that day, they had lost another member, something that could and should have been avoided. Andrea walked the wall with T-Dog, a sadness filling her. She had really liked Carol and even though she had only been gone a day she was missing her already.

She had told Daryl she was going back to the woods to look for Carol, but he had said no. He finally explained once they were alone that he knew she was gone and if he found her torn apart or worse, a walker, he would let her have them both before he killed her.

It was better this way.

Andrea looked out into the open field, it would be dark soon, when she noticed something running towards the prison, was that a walker? No, she decided they didn't usually move that fast. Grabbing her binoculars, she looked again and a smile widened on her face. "Carol," her mind screamed. Calling out to T-Dog, she pointed out toward her.

"It's Carol, she's alive!"

"I'll be damned," T-Dog smiled as they ran for the gate, hitting the button to open it. Andrea ran out wrapping her arms around Carol.

"We thought you were dead," she couldn't help but cry into Carol's shoulder.

"It was close but I'm alright," she replied returning Andrea's hug before they pulled apart.

"Where you bit or scratched?" T-Dog hated to ask but they needed to know.

"Nice to see you too, T-Dog" she replied sarcastically.

"Sorry," he looked down a little ashamed.

"It's fine and no, not bit or scratched." Andrea wrapped an arm around her.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up, Daryl has been a mess," Andrea informed her ushering Carol inside the gate and then into the prison while T-Dog shut the gate. Everyone looked up in the dining room, gasping to see Carol standing there with Andrea.

"Oh my god Carol," Rick gasped surprised as they all surrounded her asking a million questions before Hershel finally pushed through the crowd.

"Let's get you to the clinic dear so I can have a good look at you," he said wrapping his arm around her and moving to usher her away from the group. Andrea followed closely behind them.

"First I need to see Daryl, then I'll meet you both at the clinic," she said moving from the man's grasp.

"He is in your room, been in there all day." She nodded moving towards their room but Andrea stopped her.

"He is in a really bad way, told Rick he was leaving the group, yelled at Carl and Lori and when I offered to help look for you he refused saying he knew you were dead and if he came across you torn up or worse one of them…" she sighed taking a deep breath. "He knew he couldn't bring himself to put you down." Carol nodded understanding; she knew if he was bit she would never be able to pull the trigger even if it meant costing her own life.

She moved through the hallway stopping at their bedroom door, she couldn't hear anything so she slowly opened the door. She could see him standing on the other side of the room looking down at something on the desk that sat near the bathroom entrance; she saw his back tense at the sound of the door opening.

"I told you lot to leave me the hell alone," his voice was hard and cold and she felt it grasp at her heart knowing that it was his thought that she was dead that had led to this. He truly loved her and she could only imagine the hell he must be going through right now.

"Daryl Dixon, that's no way to talk to the woman you love," she smirked as he turned around to face her. Dropping something on the desk he moved for her fast, they met halfway standing in the middle of the room hugging and kissing each other like they had been apart for months and just not one day.

"How are you still alive?," he whispered tears now clearly in his eyes.

"I'm stronger then I look," she smiled.

"I don't care how strong you are, that was at least forty walkers chasing you into the woods alone, with next to no arrows, bullets and a buck knife." Sighing, she stepped out of his arms moving around the room.

"I took down about a dozen of them before I realised I was fighting a losing battle, so I put a bit of distance between me and the herd and then climbed up a tree for the night. They walked right by me without even realising I was there." He moved wrapping his arms around her again.

"You're amazing," he whispered into her neck kissing her there lightly. She smiled brightly but it soon faded when she saw what sat on the desk.

"What is that?," she asked causing him to step back out of her embrace and look at the gun that sat on the desk.

"It's a gun," he sighed. She looked at the gun, the one and only bullet next to it, the only photo of her and Sophia she had sitting close to it next to a note and pen. She moved fast picking up the paper before he could stop her reading it out loud.

"My dearest Carol, I know your beautiful eyes will never read these words, I know you are gone but I needed to write them anyway if only for myself. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone, you are my everything and I can't live in a world without you in it. I hope you will not think me weak but this is the only way. I will see you soon my love, you and your beautiful Sophia. Love you always Daryl." She looked up tears burning her eyes and anger burning her blood. "You were going to kill yourself." It wasn't a question but a fact. He couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"I couldn't live without you," he whispered still looking down.

"Hey you look at me," she snapped as he slowly raised his head. "It was only a couple of days ago that you made me promise that if anything ever happened to you that I would keep going, keep fighting, that I wouldn't opt out and then you think you can just opt out yourself." He said nothing and before she could stop herself she slapped him hard across the face.

"How dare you!" she hissed before turning to storm out, but he moved across the room fast slamming their door shut and turning her to face him, trapping her between the door and his hard body.

"Fuck, I love you woman," he groaned smashing his lips against hers. She moaned at the feel of him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he gripped her legs to lift her. She hissed in pain. "What's wrong?" He jerked back dropping to his knees to look at her legs, seeing they were cut, bloody and bruised.

"I cut my hands and legs pretty bad getting down from the tree this morning," she explained as he stood to face her.

"Come on let's get you to Hershel," but she stopped him before he could open the bedroom door.

"Daryl, promise me." He knew what she meant; looking over his shoulder at the gun on the desk, he sighed then looked at her.

"I promise," she smiled, moving and kissing him before stepping back and opening the door.

"By the way, I love you too," she smiled before heading for the clinic. He laughed softly as he followed behind her closely, hoping and praying that he never has to go through that pain, loss and grief ever again.