"What is this place?" Carol asked. They were in what appeared to be a little parking area on the edge of the woods.
She pulled the helmet off before he spoke. "Parking area, for hunters and hikers. There are trails off to the west and the woods to the east are used by hunters when deer season is open."
"Oh. So, um, what are we doing here?" Carol asked, trying to understand his frame of mind. When he came out of the building it was clear he was upset but she had no idea why.
"I just needed to clear my mind for a bit," he grunted. "Usually I grab my crossbow and hunt, but just being out there…" he shrugged and let his voice trail off.
Carol couldn't resist. "And you wanted me to come along?"
Daryl eyes snapped to her. "Yeah, well don't read too much into it. Didn't want to waste time taking you home first," he grumbled. "Come on," he added, heading for the edge of the woods.
Once his back was turned she smiled. Whether he liked it or not they were going to be friends. Though she was pretty sure he liked it far more than he was willing to admit. "Don't we need like those orange vests or something?" she asked, jogging to catch up.
"Nah, we'll go to the trails, stay out of the hunting area. Probably not anyone out there anyway," he added. "No trucks in the parking lot. Deer ain't open." She relaxed and walked beside him. The second they were completely under the cover of the trees he changed in a remarkable way. His eyes were scanning everywhere, on alert, searching, but at the same time there was a confident air around him that she hadn't seen before. And he looked - well… calm, happy even. Carol forgot about her surroundings because she was so captivated by him.
"Rabbit," he said, pointing at the ground.
Carol looked all over but she couldn't find a bunny anywhere. "I don't see it," she whispered.
"C'mere," he beckoned her. Daryl bent down and pointed at some tracks on the ground. "These right here are rabbit." He scanned the ground and shifted over a couple steps. "And here," he pointed. "Raccoon." Carol looked down at the little prints she would never have noticed. "Could follow them if I was hunting," he said. "But I thought maybe we'd get lucky and see some deer today."
Carol had lived in Georgia all her life, but she had only seen living deer a few times. Lot's of dead carcasses on the road, or the ones that Ned had brought home in the back of his truck. Thinking of her ex reminded her of what had happened at the studio earlier. "So, um, did they make any changes to your story? Your character?" She asked as they continued on.
"What do ya mean?" Daryl replied.
"They're gonna cast an actor to play Ned… and my character is going to have a daughter named Sophia," Carol explained.
"Ned? Who's Ned? Your ex?" Daryl looked confused. "I thought his name was Ted."
"Oh it is," she replied with a sigh. "It's a stupid story. Ted is his real name but he hated people calling him Teddy so when he was in highschool he made everyone call him Ned. Some people still call him Ted - like his family, but most say Ned so they don't piss him off." Carol giggled. "It gets better… they're changing it to Ed for the show."
"What the fuck?" Daryl muttered. "Ned, Ted, Ed… Jesus. At least they rhyme."
"Carol, Daryl…" she added, giving him an amused look.
He snorted. "Stop." Carol laughed again and he looked at her. She caught what she was sure was a split second of a smile before he looked away again. She was gonna cut through that moody, brooding persona even if it was bit by bit. One day soon he would smile - a real genuine smile and it would be beautiful.
"Have you heard anything about your brother?" she asked, making conversation even though she was pretty sure Daryl would have been fine wandering through the woods in silence.
"Nope. They said I can't talk to him until the program is done," he replied, sounding bitter. Carol wondered if that was part of his current mood and why he seemed so annoyed when they left.
"I bet you miss him," Carol added softly.
"Nope," Daryl snapped. "I'm enjoying the peace and quiet." The way he reacted told her his words were bullshit, but she didn't push. If it helped him get through it to let on that he didn't miss Merle then she didn't want to interfere. "Do you always talk this much?"
He could be as snarky and jerky as he wanted but Carol wasn't going to let him get to her. She knew if he didn't want her there she wouldn't be there. He was such a strange guy, but his personality fascinated her. "Not always. Would you like me to shut up now?" she asked sweetly.
He grunted something that she didn't understand. She wasn't sure if it was a yes or a no so she decided to compromise by staying silent for a few minutes. Suddenly Daryl froze. He held up his hand to stop her and a finger to his lips to keep her quiet. He pointed off into the distance and she tried to follow his gaze, but couldn't see anything. She looked at him and shrugged. Daryl came up behind her, and directed her gaze by pointing over her shoulder. "Look between those two huge trees," he whispered in her ear.
"Oh," she gasped when she finally saw what he was trying to show her. There was a tiny clearing and standing there was a doe with a little bitty fawn standing under her. It was an absolutely beautiful scene to witness and Carol was suddenly so overcome with emotion that tears stung her eyes. No doubt Daryl would be hunting the two of them in the fall, but right now all he would do was look at them, just like her. Daryl was still standing right behind her, so close their bodies brushed every so often. With a man that close to her she used to feel fear, but with Daryl it was completely different - she wasn't in any danger - but she felt safe. He was a protector, she knew that about him already. And fiercely loyal. Two qualities she had the utmost respect for. "Thank you," she whispered. She was really glad he'd invited her along.
They continued for a while longer. He showed her some coyote tracks and some scratches on a tree that he figured might have been either a fox or a raccoon. Carol was fascinated by his expertise. Perhaps he was showing off, but he decided to follow another set of rabbit tracks and within 15 minutes he was showing her a large brown bunny.
"Are you feeling better?" Carol asked when they emerged from the woods, back to where the bike was.
"I'm trying," Daryl nodded. "You hungry?"
Carol had completely forgotten that they had yet to eat and suddenly she was hungry. "Yep, let's go eat."
They found a little country restaurant a few miles down the road. Carol had never been there before but it looked decent. Halfway through their meal Daryl was completely distracted by something. Carol tossed a french fry at him and he looked up with a scowl. "Oh stop," she said, tossing another fry at him. He picked it up and ate it. "What's wrong?"
"People are looking at us," he hissed. "I don't like it."
Carol hadn't even noticed, but when she glanced around she saw he was right. "You're gonna have to get used to it - quickly," she warned him. "I don't like it either," she admitted. It was extremely unnerving and it made her feel self conscious. "Makes me feel like there's something wrong with me, ya know?"
"Ain't nothing wrong with you," he grunted. It was a compliment and it was very sweet. "They're probably wondering what you're doing with a guy like me." Carol knew that wasn't the case at all. Word of the show and the people who were cast was spreading like wildfire. This was just an early taste of fame. She watched Daryl lick his fingers with amusement. His table manners were pretty much non-existent, but it didn't bother her. If she allowed her mind to go there… it was actually kinda sexy. One day she would tease him about it. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said, throwing cash on the table. Carol realized he was paying for hers too but she didn't comment on it, knowing he was in a hurry to leave. She would thank him later and offer to pay him back.
They started outside and all of a sudden Carol froze. Daryl didn't notice and kept walking. Her heart started to race and she was on the verge of complete panic. Walking towards her was her ex husband. He spotted her right away and his face broke out in a sneer. She watched as he realized that she was with Daryl and immediately saw a jealous rage appear in his eyes.
Ned threw the smoke in his hand to the ground and crushed it out. Carol still hadn't moved. She wanted to run towards Daryl, jump on the bike and get the hell out of there. It was the first time she'd seen Ned since their divorce was finalized. She dug deep, sucked in a breath and decided she was going to walk right by him. With shaky legs she took a few steps, disgusted with herself for still being afraid of him. She avoided eye contact and was almost past when she felt a grip, like a vice on her arm. "Where you goin' so fast?" he hissed angrily.
Carol tugged her arm but he held tight. "Let go of me," she seethed.
"You with him? That white trash pretty boy from your new show?" Ned growled. He was really hurting her arm but she refused to show it.
She tugged a little harder. "You're calling him white trash?" she scoffed. Carol saw the anger flash in his eyes and she knew what was coming. She couldn't get away - he was too strong so she flinched and waited for the pain. A backhand to the face is what was coming.
"You stupid bitch," he slurred. Shit, he's drunk, Carol realized. He still hadn't hit her yet, but it was building, she could feel it. "You fucking him? You're a damn whore." Carol ducked as his hand came up. She closed her eyes and waited. She had believed she would never be in this position again but here she was cowering to him. He should have been smarter. There were witnesses. But he was clearly too drunk and enraged to care.
All of a sudden she felt him release her arm and heard Daryl's voice. "Get your fucking hands off her." Carol stumbled backwards and watched in horror as Daryl shoved Ned, hard. He went stumbling backwards but managed to stay on his feet.
"You piece of shit," Ned yelled back. "Ink's barely dry on the divorce papers and you're fucking my wife." He moved towards Daryl but Daryl circled away from him.
"If you ever lay a hand on her again I'll kill you," Daryl threatened. Ned lunged and Daryl punched him in the stomach.
He was about to hit him again. Carol realized she needed to stop it. "Daryl, please…" She grabbed him around the waist. "Don't. He's not worth it. Please…" She begged. "If you go to jail you're gonna lose the job… let it go." Daryl was strong and he resisted her at first, but eventually started to back off when she didn't let go. Ned was still doubled over from the force of Daryl's blow.
A few people had come outside by that point. Carol released him and Daryl took a couple steps closer to Ed. "I ain't fucking around asshole - if you ever touch her again nothing will stop me from strangling you to death," he hissed quietly so only the three of them could hear.
Carol touched his shoulder and finally Daryl turned and walked with her to the bike. "You okay?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern.
She was shaky but she gave him a nod. "Thank you," she said genuinely. Daryl glanced over at Ned and back at her, making some sort of grunting noise. Eventually she would figure out what all those noises meant. He picked up the helmet and set it on her head. Carol studied his face as he did it up, still being protective of her. "Seriously Daryl, thank you," she said again, needing him to know he was appreciated.
"Ain't nothin," he shrugged. "I always take care of my friends." With that he climbed on the bike and waited for her to join him. Friends, Carol repeated in her head. Well at least he wasn't trying to fight it anymore, she thought with a smile. Her arm hurt where Ned had grabbed her, but once she wrapped her arms around Daryl and they took off she forgot all about it and enjoyed the wind in her face as they flew down the road.