This is it folks. I'll post the epilogue tonight and then this story is done. I'm not even excited about that anymore. When I wrote the last word to the epilogue last night I felt really sad! I've enjoyed writing this and I've met quite a few great people on here because of this story. This is most just chapter that has everyone winding down and accepting their fate. A few of you have mentioned that you hate to see this story end but if it makes you feel better, the epilogue is a real long read. 12,000 words I think. Haha. Leave it to me to end it with flourish ;) Thanks for the reviews! So, Hope you all have a good morning, at least it isn't Monday! And I'm really excited for you all to read the last post tonight XD Its... different...
Chapter Ninety Three
Carol left Sophia's room. The girl was worn out but both boys didn't seem to be willing to go anywhere. They were standing watch apparently. Rick and Lori were okay with Carl staying after everything that had happened and Beth knew to keep her eye on them. Not that Carol was worried. She trusted Sophia and she trusted Carl. New world or not, they were still only kids. She still had a few more years before the real anxiety would start.
She made her way down the hall and stopped outside the door to their room. She listened for a few minutes but there was only silence from the other side of the door. She expected it. He wouldn't have spent this whole time in there destroying everything in his rage. He would have calmed himself down by now. She opened the door and he was on the floor, grumbling to himself as he picked up fragments of glass from some object he must have launched at the wall. She almost smiled but when she looked closer she saw the damage he had done to his own fist.
"Daryl." She said his name quietly.
He looked up and gave her an almost sheepish smile. Like he was a child that had gotten caught stealing candy.
"I think we need to just find another room." Carol said as she put her hands on her hips and took in the mess. There were several holes in the wall. That explained his injured hand. The nightstand was smashed into pieces and the dresser was turned over on it's side. "Do you feel better?" She arched an eyebrow at him and then crossed her arms over her chest.
He sighed. "Does she?" He countered.
"Much."
He bit his lip and looked down at the glass on the floor. "Then yeah. I feel just about as fine as you could expect."
She reached out her hand to him. "Let's go. I don't feel like helping you clean this mess up. There's other rooms. Let's go find ourselves one."
He took her hand with his good one and followed her out the door after they grabbed what few belongings weren't still in their bags. The room they found was further down the hall but it was bigger than the other room. This one actually had two rooms like the one that Sophia shared with Beth.
"You sure we should leave her alone?" He asked as he stripped off his shirt.
"She isn't alone. Beth is there and so are the boys." She watched his face closely to gauge his reaction to that but he only nodded and pulled the blankets down.
"You aren't going to bed yet, Dixon." She said dryly.
He glanced up at her with a smirk. "Would it surprise you if I told you I wasn't in the mood?"
She actually laughed at that. For one, it did surprise her and for two, she was glad. For once, she wasn't in the mood either. Not after the night they had had. "I wasn't talking about that." She said as she pointed to his hand. "I was talking about that. It needs cleaned up before it gets infected."
He sighed but let her have her way. She made quick work of it since she felt worn out herself. She could see how tired he was. It was etched all over his face. He'd been dealt a lot of emotional trauma and most times that was far more exhausting than anything physical. His body could handle a lot but his mind, on the other hand, had suffered tonight much more than hers had. Just hearing of what went on in that room and seeing the aftermath was enough for her. But he had to be there and witness it all as it happened and she couldn't imagine what kind of marks that could leave on a mans soul.
She had barely gotten the light turned off before his arm was around her waist and he was yanking her towards him so hard that her back crashed into his chest so hard she was sure it had hurt him. She knew it did her but she didn't complain. She knew how he was feeling. She needed the comfort herself. She rolled over and put her hand to the side of his face, brushing back strands of his unruly hair. She tried to kiss him but her aim was off in the dark and her lips ended up landing on his chin. He laughed and then kissed her for a long time before moving his face away. It was the kind of kiss that had her toes curling and heart racing. She pulled away further.
"Sleep." She whispered.
She felt him nod but then it wasn't long after that she heard him sigh.
"What's wrong?" She asked sleepily.
"What now?" He asked as his fingers started tracing patterns up and down her back.
She shivered. "Now we sleep."
"No, what do we do about all this? This town and all these people? I wanted to take it. I agreed with Merle's crazy ass plan and now I don't have a fuckin' clue what we're gonna do here."
"That's easy to answer." She mumbled into his chest.
"Is it?"
She nodded. "Yeah. We live."
"That simple, huh?" He chuckled.
"That simple." She smiled.
"And all the people that's still here? What the fuck do we do about them? There's a lot of people left. We can't make'em leave but I ain't plannin' on takin' care of'em either. I got my hands full enough."
She leaned up on her elbow and thought about that for a while before answering him. He was right. This was a town of people that were used to living in the dark. They were sheltered and useless and seemed to need someone else to tell them what to do. They needed someone to lead them. But Daryl didn't want to be a leader. He had it in him to be a great one, he had proven that every single time things went south with their group and he took the wheel. He was strong and fearless and capable. He just wasn't willing. And she really didn't blame him. She would hate for him to take on more than he had already. She saw in his eyes every day the determination to keep her and Sophia safe. Saw the anguish in his eyes when he thought he had failed. He didn't need more pressure. He didn't need more responsibility. His plate was as full as he wanted it to be. And she was satisfied with having him all to herself. "They aren't your responsibility. You leave that up to Rick and your brother to sort out."
"Rick and Merle are like two dumb alfa wolves. This ain't gonna be pretty." He grumbled.
She smiled. "It probably wont be pretty but it'll be pretty interesting to watch."
He snorted. "If by interestin' you really mean loud and bloody. Ain't neither of them assholes gonna wanna let go of the reins."
She shrugged her shoulders and laid her head back down on his arm. "That's their problem. Not yours."
"That simple?" He asked again causing her to chuckle into his side.
"Yes. Now go to sleep."
"Yes ma'am." He sighed.
~H~
Sophia sat upright in bed with the scream she had brought with her out of the nightmare dying on her lips. Movement in the dark room caught her eye and she almost screamed again, thinking that maybe it hadn't been a nightmare at all. She heard something hit the floor and then heard a familiar voice.
"Son of a bitch!" Carl hissed as she saw him pull himself up off the floor in front of the couch.
Her head snapped to her right when she heard someone else chuckle. "You fell of the couch, didn't you? That's what your greedy ass gets for makin' me sleep down here."
"Shut up, Duane." Carl hissed. "Sophia? Are you alright?" he asked in a much softer voice.
"Nightmare." She whispered in a shaky voice. "What are you two still doing here?"
"Romeo here was afraid you'd wake up and not want to be alone." Duane whispered.
"Duane!" Carl growled.
The nightmare was still fresh in her mind. She was back in that room with the fish tanks but when she looked at the heads they all belonged to everyone from the group. They kept trying to talk to her and she couldn't get out and then Philip had someone appeared but he was all cut up and bloody. She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around her legs, unable to stop shaking. "I'm glad you stayed." She said in a low voice that she wasn't even sure either of them could hear.
"Anytime, Sophia." Duane said as he finally pulled himself up off the floor. There was just enough light from the window coming in for her to see him walk over to the couch and sit down. Carl was still standing there, a darker outline in the darkness of the room.
Finally he sat down on the edge of the bed. She really was glad they were there. She was too damn old to be pestering her mom and Daryl over nightmares but she wasn't sure if she would have been able to stay in the room alone after seeing all of those faces in those tanks.
She could tell the bedroom door was open. Beth was probably sleeping fitfully in her own bed in the adjoining room. Beth never slept very good. Sometimes Sophia wanted to ask her what she dreamed about but she was always fine during the day. She felt cold even though she was dressed in warm flannel pajamas. The silence went on for a long time. She didn't need them to talk. Them being there was comfort enough but she still felt that same helplessness that she had felt in that dream and she was too afraid to try to go back to sleep. She felt bad that they were going to miss out on sleep because of her. They didn't owe her anything. They should have been in their own beds. Not here worrying about her.
Just then they heard soft snored coming from the couch. She almost laughed. Carl chuckled and shook his head. "I knew I would end up on the floor before the night was over." He whispered. He turned to face her then, sitting sideways on the edge of the bed.
"Go on back to your room Carl. I'll be fine. Duane's here." She said, hoping he didn't listen to her.
Apparently he could see well enough in the dark to see that she was shaking. He made a move like he was going to come closer but then he stopped and stayed where he was. She wished he hadn't stopped. She wanted someone close and she figured if anybody could chase the nightmare away it would be the same person that had chased death away earlier in the night. She was still finding it hard to believe.
"Did I thank you?" She whispered.
His head turned towards her and she could see his shoulders lift in a small shrug. "I can't remember. Wasn't much in my right head most of the night."
She wasn't sure how to respond to that. She had seen the fear that was written all over all their faces, saw the disbelief in their eyes when she had pulled herself off the floor. But it had to have been worse for him. He had been the one that had worked to bring her back.
"Well, are you alright now?" She asked after a while.
"Are you?"
She thought about that for a few seconds. Thought about that nightmare that still claimed a big portion of her thoughts but eventually she nodded. That nightmare would fade. She was okay. "I'm alright now."
"Then I'm alright now."
Another round of heavy silence fell over them before either of them spoke again. There were a million and one things she wanted to say to him. Another million and one questions she wanted to ask him. She just didn't really know how. All the things they had been through in the short time they had known each other was unbelievable. And here they sat. Alive and breathing. She couldn't help but wonder how different her life would have been if she hadn't met him and Shane and his mom on the road. She wouldn't be around to even ask herself that question if it wasn't for him.
"Thanks, Carl. Just in case I didn't say it before." She finally said, breaking the silence that had grown loud between them.
"If you wanna go back to sleep I'll stay up. If you start tossing and turning or anything I'll wake you up so you wont have to deal with anymore nightmares." He muttered as he shifted uncomfortably.
She shook her head. "You can't do that. I'll be fine. You need to sleep. You can go on to your room."
He shook his head. "Not a chance."
"You never listen to me." She scolded even though she was close to smiling through her chattering teeth.
"You never listen to me neither." He countered stubbornly.
She sighed.
"You sure you ain't cold? I can feel the damn mattress shivering with you all the way over here." He whispered.
"I ain't cold. Just keep thinking about those heads." She mumbled.
This got him moving. He crawled towards her and sat down right next to her with his back pressed against the wooden headboard. "Is that what you were dreaming about?" He asked.
She nodded, not really wanting to talk about it. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She suddenly felt like crying. She wasn't even sure why. She didn't know if it was because of the dream or is it was because she was so happy that him and Duane had stayed with her or if it was because she had been dead and came back and hadn't really had a chance to deal with that yet. But she felt the hot tears flood her eyes and before she could even blink them back they were over flowing and leaving wet trails down her face.
She hated herself for crying. Especially for not even knowing what the hell she was crying about. But she couldn't hold it back anymore. She knew that he knew she was crying too and that only made it worse. He could feel it in the hand he still had on her shoulder and then all of a sudden that hand was pulling her back. She instantly turned her head into his shoulder. She felt like a stupid pathetic little girl. Maybe she was.
He held on to her as she sobbed quietly. He laid his cheek against the top of her head and didn't say a word. She guessed he figured this had been coming. There was only so much a person could take before they broke down but eventually, after a long time, she was all cried out. She felt exhausted now, like she really could sleep for days.
"Sophia?" He whispered into her hair.
She didn't answer him, not trusting her voice yet but he knew she was listening so he kept going.
"I just wanted you to know that... I'm really glad you took a bath before this."
She sniffed and then laughed. "You're so sweet Carl." Her voice had still been pretty scratchy but now it was rough again, like it had been after she woke up in that room.
"That's me." He chuckled. There was something in his tone that made him sound much older than he had before. It had been there for a while but she was just now noticing it. "Go back to sleep, Sophia." He muttered. He shifted a little like he was going to get up but she found his hand quickly and held it tightly.
"Stay." She whispered.
He relaxed against the headboard once more but he groaned. "Daryl will kill me. You know that, right?"
She sighed. She was always trying to be so grown up and so strong, always the one in control but right now she was willing to let some of that go. "If you go then I wont be able to sleep. I'm tired, but I wont sleep. He wont kill you."
She didn't let go of his hand as she found her spot on his shoulder once more. Her eye lids felt heavy and her body felt to heavy to even move. She hoped she was right. Maybe Duane would wake up first. He would probably give them hell for this for the next two years but she didn't care, he'd still be smart enough to wake them up before anyone came in.
With her hand still gripping his tightly she finally slipped back into sleep. Deep and dreamless.
~H~
Merle couldn't sleep for shit. He laid there with his eyes glued to the window. He had focused on Maggie's steady breathing, usually counting on that sound to lull him to sleep, but it wasn't working tonight. It did nothing to calm his mind the way it always had before. It wasn't that he wasn't tired. He was bone weary, tired in mind and body, but unable to do a thing about it.
His thoughts, for some reason, wouldn't stop wondering back to the quarry. The complicated series of events that had brought him to this place to begin with. In such a short time, everything he had ever believed, everything he had ever held tight to, had been turned upside down. His head turned completely inside out. How had things gotten to this point? It wasn't that he wasn't happy about some of it. He was. He had so much more than he had ever thought he would have.
It didn't even matter that he had found it all at the end of the world. It was all here. Solid and safe for the moment. Things he never even thought to ask for. Things he had been too cold and stupid to ever even want. And he never even really had to fight to attain it. Things that were so unattainable to the man he was before just seemed to fall into his lap the second he opened up and let that little girl in. Well, it was more like, the moment that Sophia had came crashing through every wall he had ever built up to protect himself. After her, things changed in his head. Melted that coldness that he held onto with everything in him with her bossy little attitude and the undying faith she put in him. And then that last wall of defense around the man he was came crashing down after Maggie. She had risen the dead in his mind and, unknowingly, forced him to face them down.
Then here comes Duane. Smart little bastard that he was, worming his way in with the others.
He slipped out from under Maggie's arm and sat there on the edge of the bed for a while, not sure what he was going to do but knowing that he couldn't just lay there anymore. He reached for his boots but a small hand on his back stopped him. He turned his head and saw that Maggie was sitting up on her elbow. He couldn't see her face.
"Don't leave." She said quietly.
"Ain't got plans to go far, girl. Can't sleep." He grumbled but he didn't make another move for his boots.
"Ya wanna go on a walk or somethin'?" She asked as she sat all the way up and scooted until she was sitting next to him.
He laughed. "Just a stroll around town, huh? Been a while since I thought I'd ever do somethin' that fuckin'..."
"Normal?" She offered with a grin.
He snorted. "Moonlight strolls ain't never been normal for me, darlin'. Ain't never been the romantic type if ya know what I mean."
Now she was the one that couldn't help but laugh. "Merle, I'd have never guessed that." She bumped him with her shoulder.
"I still must have had a certain charm, girl. You fell for it."
"I really did." She grinned.
He could see her better now that she was facing the dimly lit window.
"Why?" He asked without even meaning too.
She pursed her lips and looked thoughtful for a little while and then she finally shrugged. "I don't know. I saw somethin'. Nobody acts the way you did without a reason. I hadn't ever met anybody like you before. I knew what you were, or what you were tryin' to be. I wasn't gonna fall for it like everybody else. The first thing I thought when I met you was, there ain't no way you and Daryl were even related, let alone brothers. He was quiet, shy, didn't ever go out of his way to be noticed. And then there you were." She laughed and shook her head. "Let's just say you was a little overwhelming."
"He's always been like that." Merle grinned, thinking back to a time before all this. Daryl had always been the quiet one. The one that watched everything going on around him. Sizing up every situation before acting. Merle couldn't help but to think that they had changed roles a little. Now it was is brother quick to fly off the handle while Merle was stuck being the one keeping his eye on what was going on around them. When the fuck had that even happened?
"Do you miss it?" She asked quietly.
He frowned. "Miss what?"
"The way you were? Do you miss being that man?" She sounded curious but he wasn't sure how to answer her question.
He shrugged. He figured honesty would have to work. "Sometimes." He muttered gruffly.
She nodded. "I thought you might. What do you miss about it?"
"Not givin' a fuck." He said without hesitation. "Givin' a fuck is some stressful shit. Ain't used to it."
"Aww, Merle." She grinned again as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I give a fuck too."
"Smart ass." he laughed.
"Redneck." She unwound her arms from around his neck and pulled her legs back up onto the bed. "You need to sleep. At least lay with me. You got a lot to do tomorrow."
He grumbled but did what she said. When she was tucked into his side he let his eyes slide shut.
"I love you, Merle." She whispered.
He blew out a breath. "Go to sleep, girl." He didn't feel like he had to say it. He had admitted it earlier, that was enough for him. As long as she knew, just in case something happened to one of them. That was the important thing.
"Say it." She demanded firmly.
"I did. I said it earlier." He argued gruffly.
"No, you confirmed it. You didn't say it." She huffed.
He was silent for a long time and then finally she sighed and shook her head. He could hear the disappointment even in that small sound she made. He took a deep breath and held it for as long as he could, like he had to steal himself for what he was about to utter.
"I love you too, girl."
Her head snapped up and then she was beaming right in his face. Even in the dark he could see her smile. He pushed her head back down and rolled his eyes, even though he felt like grinning himself he wasn't going to let her know that.
~H~
Daryl was up before the sun was. He figured Hershel needed to take a look at his hand. It hurt like hell and was pretty swollen. Sometimes he was a dumb ass but at least he could admit it. The way he figured, if he could admit to being a dumb ass then that made him a little less of one. He was showered and dressed before Carol was even out of bed. He hated waking her up but they had a lot to do. Him being able to sneak out of bed without waking her just proved how exhausted she had been. They all probably felt the same way but he didn't ever seem to need as much sleep as other people. It was probably remnants of his childhood showing through. You learned to stay half awake when you were constantly worried about getting your ass stomped. That was never a good way to wake up.
"Hey." he whispered as he stretched out next to her sleeping form.
She opened her eyes and smiled. She always did that. As soon as she seen him she smiled, it was an every morning thing. He smiled back in response.
"What time is it?" She asked sleepily.
"Time to get your ass up, woman. We got shit to do."
She rolled her eyes at him but she did set up. "We always got shit to do." She huffed.
He laughed and then rolled over onto his back and waited for her to get ready. He assumed everyone else was still asleep so he'd have to make his rounds. They needed to figure out what the hell was going to happen now. He hated to admit it but he thought that Merle or Rick, whoever decided to take on the responsibility of everyone else, needed to talk to Martinez. He knew the town, and the people and the system. He still didn't like the smart ass but at least the man could serve a purpose. He owed Daryl that much just for letting him live.
Carol wasn't the type of woman to take her time getting her shit together. That's one of the things he loved about her. She didn't fuck around. Fifteen minutes after crawling out of bed and she was showered, dressed and standing there with her hands on her hips waiting for him to get his ass up.
They made their rounds, waking up the rest of them. Beth came to the door, sleepy eyed and smiling at them. "Mornin'. She mumbled.
She opened the door wide and then headed off to the bathroom with her clothes and a towel. The door to the room where Sophia slept was open so they made their way to it. Carol reached for the lamp that stood next to the door and then he heard her curse under her breath as soon as the light came on.
The first thing he noticed was Duane, sprawled out on the couch, snoring loudly with his mouth hanging open and one arm slung over his eyes. The next thing he noticed had his teeth grinding together painfully. Sophia was still sleeping with her head on that damn boys shoulder, both sitting up against the headboard. The side of Carl's face was resting on her head. And their hands were still clasped together.
He knew she had had it rough. He knew that she had probably needed someone during the night. He knew that nothing at all happened and he knew that if it hadn't been for the boy then she wouldn't even be here. Today would have started out much differently.
"Daryl, just breath." Carol whispered.
He hadn't realized that he had been holding his breath. He looked at Carol who was staring at him worriedly. "She had a really hard night." he growled. "I'll let this shit go once. One time. I catch'em like this again I'm gonna beat that boys ass."
Carol looked relieved. He felt half sick. He walked over to the couch and kicked the side of it hard. Duane nearly fell off the couch. He sat straight up, eyes wide at first until he saw who was standing there glaring at him. He smiled. That smile grated on Daryl's nerves a little but he didn't have to look at that smile for long because as soon as Duane's eyes went towards the bed they grew wide and he frowned.
"Hey, I didn't have anything to do with that. When we all went to bed I was on the floor and he was on the couch. She had a bad dream and so he was probably just trying to make her feel better. He was probably just gonna stay with her till she fell back asleep and then he ended up up falling..."
"Shut up, Duane." Daryl growled.
Duane shook his head. "Is that all you people can ever say to me?" He asked as he stood up. He glanced once more towards the bed, where Daryl had trained his glare. "Hey Grimes." Duane was smiling again.
Carl opened his eyes and blinked a few times.
"You're dead." Duane was grinning now as Daryl glared at the boy.
Carl's eyes came up to meet Daryl's and he nearly shoved Sophia away from him as he launched himself off the bed. "She had a nightmare!" His words were rushed as he watched Daryl warily. "She asked me to stay so I did. I didn't mean to fall asleep I swear."
Daryl huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Shit." Carl muttered. "Don't kick my ass, Daryl. I didn't do anything, I swear. You can ask her yourself."
Daryl pinned him there with his eyes for a few heavy moments, enjoying himself more than he should at Carl's obvious fear. But finally his gaze swept towards the girl. He couldn't keep glaring as she peered up at him from behind her knees. She smiled sheepishly.
"Mornin', Daryl." She finally said when his face softened at the sight of her.
He sighed.
"Get your asses ready and meet us all outside. We have to sort this mess out. You boys, go the hell away." He growled.
He kissed Carol quickly before heading out himself. He figured she would want to stay with Sophia while she got ready and he wanted to see if Merle was out there yet. When he walked outside he was surprised to see all the people milling around. Old, young, men, woman, children. Merle was standing off to the side talking to Rick and that son of a bitch Martinez. A few other guys from Philip's little army were there also but they were all the men that had sided with the group last night. Opting for Merle over the Governor.
The rest of the group was separated from the townspeople, closer to the wall. He headed towards Merle and Rick. When they looked up and saw him coming he couldn't help but notice that they both looked relieved. Martinez nodded. He ignored him.
"This ain't the only town." Merle informed him before he had even made it all the way over to them. "There's more out there. Just like this place."
Daryl frowned. "What?"
"He was raiding other towns. Most of them full of people like them." He gestured towards the townspeople. "No leaders, not much in the way of weapons. This guy was fucked up!"
"The fuck you talkin' about?" Daryl asked.
Rick took over the talking from there. "Him and his men would raid towns like this. They'd take all the weapons they could. You should see it, there's weapons stock piled here like you wouldn't believe."
Daryl grimaced. "And let me guess, you went right along with this kinda shit?" He asked Martinez.
The man nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "It was that or die. I chose to do what he said. I didn't like it much but it kept me alive."
"Didn't like it much, huh?" Daryl growled.
"Not now, little brother." Merle shook his head at him and he decided to listen to him. This time.
Rick looked up at Martinez then. "So, you said he has everything written down? Everything?"
Martinez nodded. "He had this place running like clockwork. He wasn't just blowing smoke up your ass when he said that everyone here had a job to do. We have the generators to look after, greenhouses to upkeep for the crops, food to prepare and freeze." He glanced up at Daryl. "Kids to teach."
Daryl scowled. "That shit is gonna change real quick. That bitch ain't teachin' them kids a damn thing."
"You might have a fight on your hands with that one." Martinez smirked.
"The hell he will." All eyes flew to Maggie who had been standing quietly at Merle's side. "She's out of a job. Me and Beth are gonna start teachin'. If she has a problem then send her ass to me to work it out."
Daryl couldn't help but grin. He had a feeling that Mrs. Juarez was going to end up getting her ass kicked real soon. He looked down when he felt an arm slide around his waist. Carol was looking at Maggie, one eyebrow cocked. When Maggie noticed her there she winked.
"So, what now?" Daryl asked as he looked from Merle to Rick and then back to Merle.
Both men shrugged. "Now we get to livin' little brother." He gave him one of those grins that usually had Daryl groaning because they usually meant they were about to get into some shit. But this time he didn't groan at all. This time he was right there with him.
Rick cleared his throat, definitely not liking the grin on Merle's face. "We just have to work out the kinks a bit. There's a few issues that we gotta smooth over and then it should be pretty smooth from there."
"Kinks?" Daryl asked as his thumb slipped up Carol's shirt and grazed the small of her back. He smirked when she leaned into his side a little harder.
Rick nodded. "The woman that the kids found in the woods, she has a real grudge against Morgan. She wants him dead. We told her that she can stay here as long as she wants but she can't be killing off our men."
Merle chuckled. "Should just have'em fight it out. That would be some fun shit to watch. We could have town wrestlin' matches."
"Oh, Jesus." Rick shook his head. He knew Merle would definitely try to make a rule like that.
Daryl had to swallow a laugh of his own.
The rest of the day was spent figuring out what it was they had to do to keep the town going and everyone safe. When asked about the Governor the people were told the truth. He was dead. Some of them got scared, especially when Merle was the one they asked. He would tell them that him and Carl killed him and then just walk away, leaving them standing there with their mouths agape. Rick, at least, would elaborate and tell them everything.
A lot of people got upset over the news. He had been a pretty charismatic guy that a lot of the people really cared about. Merle would just scoff at them but Rick was good at explaining things and making them feel better. There was a lot of confusion at first but eventually things seemed to start to settle down. Everyone went about their daily lives. It would be a slow process, Daryl was sure, but things would work out. He was pretty sure of it would anyway.
He went over some makeshift paperwork that Rick had found in Philip's apartment. Plans he had. He was one really sick fuck. He must have really lost it when his daughter turned. He could almost sympathize but he hoped that he wouldn't have gone as far down as this man had.
By the time the sun went down things had settled down. There was still a sense of unease with the town but that would pass. It had too.
When he made it to their new room, since he had done a good amount of damage to their other one, Carol was already there. She was sitting Indian style in the middle of the bed, wearing one of his old shirts, reading a book out of the stack of books she had snagged out of Philips apartment. She was so engrossed in the book that she didn't even notice him come in. He stood there and watched her like a creeper, smiling when she would smile over something she had just read. Watching her like that, without her knowing it made him think of that first night she had came down by the water at the quarry. She hadn't known he was there then either. That night he couldn't even talk to her. But he had tried. That seemed like years ago. In reality it hadn't even been eight weeks. How quickly things changed in this new world.
She looked up suddenly, a smile spreading across her face when her eyes met his. "You're too quiet." She observed as she dog eared the book and tossed it on the bedside table.
"You're too loud." He said as he leaned across the bed and kissed her lightly. He drew his head back, bracing the top half of himself with his arms, and looked at her. She looked happy. Her smile was wide and her eyes were shining. He hadn't seen her look like that since the farm. She placed her hands on the side of his face and brought her lips to his.
"So, did you boys figure everything out?" She asked when she finally pulled away.
He nodded and flashed her a grin.
"So, you think we'll be okay?" She asked, her smile falling as she waited for his answer.
He nodded again. "I guess we're home, woman. Think you'll be alright with that? I know how you'll miss all the excitement."
"You really think this is going to work? This is home?" That smile was back and he returned it.
"I really do."