Thank you all for the reviews! I know that the chapters are much shorter in this story than my last and some of you got used to a daily update of a 8,000 or more word chapter. I promise I will try to make these a bit longer for my spoiled friends ;) But I'm trying to pace myself so I wont make so many grammatical errors. No matter how good the story may be some people tuck tail and run if it looks like it was written by a third grader! Haha. But I will try to make them longer because I love reading lengthy chapters myself! =) Thank you all for reading and I'm really happy that you like this story so far. And remember! I have big plans for our friend Ed so bear with me!

Chapter Four

Carol didn't sleep well that night. The pain did it's share of keeping her awake but it was something else too. She couldn't believe that Daryl had been there. And she was having trouble understanding why him being there hadn't bothered her. As soon as she had heard him she hadn't been afraid that it may be Ed. She had known who it was from the moment she heard him approach. And she had felt better almost instantly. Embarrassed, certainly. But better all the same.

She couldn't help but wonder why. Why he had helped her carry clothes. Why he had sat with her there after that beating. Why he had insisted on checking her for broken bones. Why would someone like him bother? No one else did. Oh, everyone was nice to her. Went out of their way to be friendly and smile. But she knew what that really was. That was how they dealt with their own pity for her. Be kind to the battered woman. But not Daryl. He was different. He was nice to her, and no one else, but she never saw pity in those blue eyes. She thought she saw understanding. And then that kept her up too. Wondering how someone as tough as him could understand someone as weak as her.

Ed made a sound in his sleep and Carol was shocked at the rage that small sound ignited in her. She sat up, wincing, and glared in his direction. Daryl was right. His words had made her angry but he was right all the same. Something had to be done about Ed. And it had to be done soon.

She fell asleep shortly after that. She was pressed up against the tents wall, making sure she was as far away from Ed as she could get. She didn't want to risk him touching her in his sleep. She didn't want to risk him touching her ever again.

~H~

Daryl groaned as he stretched out in the hot cramped tent. He hadn't slept worth shit and his muscles were complaining to him about it. He'd tossed and turned all night long. What really pissed him off was that the very thing that kept him awake all night was really none of his damn business. He couldn't stop thinking about Carol's problems and her kids problems. Things that had nothing to do with him. He had his own issues to deal with.

He sat up and looked around the tent glumly. Then realized he didn't have any issues at all anymore. Not any that he wasn't bringing upon himself. Merle was always Daryl's issue to deal with and Merle was gone so now he was just looking for something else to occupy his time. That was all this thing was. He rubbed the back of his neck and then sighed as a vision of those bruises flashed through his mind.

"None of your business, dumbass." He mumbled out loud to himself.

When he crawled out of the tent the first thing he noticed was how busy everyone was. All of them were scampering around like squirrels looking for nuts. His eyes scanned the camp and finally he found what he hadn't even known he was searching for. She was standing in front of the clothesline that she had hung the laundry out on yesterday to dry.

"What the hell?" He frowned when he realized what she was so intent on. "The hell's that crazy woman doin' with my pants?" He grumbled as he headed her way. Inside he was pretty pleased that he had a reason to approach her. He rolled his eyes at this thought.

"Can I have my pants back?" He asked from behind her.

She spun around and her face flushed. "These are yours?" She asked after watching him warily for a few seconds.

"Yep." He held out his hand.

She gave him one of those half smiles like she had done the night before. "You know, if you wanted me to do your washin', all you had to do was say so. I wouldn't mind a bit. I think I even managed to get them clean." She handed them over.

He wanted to tell her he could do his own damn washin'. Tell her he wasn't some pussy that needed some woman to do everything for him. But those words didn't come out of his mouth. "I'll remember that." He muttered.

He had to admit, that was cleanest his pants had been in a long time. He grunted out a thanks and then was about to walk away but stopped. "Hey, what's everybody runnin' around for? We leavin' or somethin'?"

Her eyes lit up a bit and her smile grew. "We? You aren't going off to face the world alone?"

He caught himself before he returned that smile. "Figured I'd have a better chance if I stuck around."

"I'm glad." She averted her eyes and then looked towards Rick and Shane. "They said it would be best to move out in the morning. Jim and Dale spotted a few Walkers in the woods. Everyone is scared they are moving away from the city to hunt for food."

He just nodded and turned to leave.

"Daryl?"

He turned once more but he didn't look at her.

"Thanks. You know, for last night."

His eyes flicked up to hers and held them for a moment before they both looked away. He walked off towards his tent and she watched him go, feeling better than she had when she had crawled out of her tent this morning. Feeling better than she had in a long long time.

~H~

Daryl rummaged around in his bag but wasn't able to come up with any food. He'd have to go on a hunt. Which meant leaving camp for the whole day. He had all of his stuff packed already and Merle's too. There wasn't any reason to leave it behind. He figured that it was his stuff now. His stomach growled painfully.

"Sounds like I showed up just in time."

He turned around and saw Carol standing there with a plate. He wanted to blow her off and tell her he'd get his own damn food. But instead he nodded and reached for the plate she offered but she pulled it back.

He narrowed his eyes. "You come all the way over here to my camp to tease me with food?"

She laughed. A real laugh and it caused him to smirk. "Come with me. There's no need for you keeping to yourself so much if your coming with us. Your a part of a group now and it's high time you acted like it. You're a hermit."

"You're a nag." He said but followed her anyway. He couldn't help but wonder how much trouble she was going to get in for talking to him.

Everyone was gathered around eating when they made their way to the main camp. A few heads came up and then did a double take. Rick didn't seem as surprised as Shane and Lori. Even Andrea and her little sister gaped at them. He just ignored them though. The person he was looking for was a little further away than everyone else. Sitting in a lawn chair eating his food. When he looked up Daryl refused to look away.

Ed's eyes narrowed when he saw them and then narrowed even more when Daryl sat down and she actually sat next to him. Daryl just dug in. not even bothering with silverware. Carol laughed in the chair next to him.

"I take that back, you aren't a hermit." She said quietly.

"Huh?" He licked his fingers as he looked at her.

"You're a pig, Daryl Dixon. There's a fork there for a reason you know?"

He looked down at his plate. Sure enough there was a fork. He just snorted and continued on with his breakfast. Without a fork.

~H~

Carol knew Ed was watching her but she kept her eyes either on Daryl or on the ground. She was tired. Tired of him always watching her. She was tired of never knowing when she was going to get beat on again and she was definitely tired of worrying about when he would start in on Sophia. So far she had been able to protect her from the worst of Ed's wrath but it was getting harder and harder.

Rick stood up then and addressed the crowd. "I think the smartest thing we could do would be to head to the CDC. They have doctors, scientist and hopefully answers. It would be smarter to do that than wait here for a bunch of those things to show up."

"Me and mine ain't followin' you, Rick." Ed said from his chair. He was looking off towards the woods now, his face smug. "I'm takin' off somewhere else. I'm bout tired of you all always in my business."

Carol's head shot up. He hadn't mentioned this to her. And this was it. She was as good as dead now and she knew it. Fear caused her pulse to pick up. When her eyes met Daryl's his were wide and his mouth was set in a grim line. She couldn't look away even though she knew everyone was looking at her as the two of them stared at each other.

"No." She said quietly and then she stood up and was glaring at Ed. "No." She said louder.

Ed's head snapped around and he was out of his seat, glowering. "What did you just say to me?"

Daryl was watching her, she could feel his eyes on her face. She was standing in front of him, too close to him. Her thigh was brushed up against his knee.

"I said no. You go where you want, Ed. Sophia and I aren't going anywhere."

Ed took a couple of steps closer but then stopped. He must have noticed then how close she was standing to Daryl because his gaze flew down to the other man. Daryl looked at him at the same time, sensing the other man glaring.

"Me and you are gonna sit down and talk about this. You don't make rules. I do." Ed said angrily.

Sophia was sitting near Carl on the van seat that someone had dragged over. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she looked from her mom back to her dad.

"Don't think I don't see what's goin' on here, bitch. Everybody in camp knows what you've been up too. I can hear'em whisperin' about it."

Carol crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know what your talking about, Ed. The only thing going on here is I'm done with this. All of it."

"You best get your ass over here, Carol." Ed said as that smug look returned. "That boy there don't want your stupid ass. You're makin' yourself look real dumb right now. Bout as stupid as the redneck that has you actin' like you got some choice here. You don't."

Carol's mouth fell open. "He don't have a thing to do with this and you know it."

"Get over here. Now." Ed demanded, voice quieter than it had been.

She felt herself put one foot in front of the other, even though she didn't want too. Didn't want to go to him. She knew that if she did that it was over and she would leave with him. Another step and she heard Daryl make an angry sound in the back of his throat. She took one more step and then she heard him get up from the chair. She knew he was going to leave now. He had seen the state of her body last night and she knew how disgusted he was because she was walking, slowly, towards her own demise.

Then she felt his hand grip her own and then she looked back just as he was about to storm off, but not alone. He dragged her along with him and she followed, to afraid to do anything else, as he stomped back to his own camp.