A bit of fluff for you after the angst of the last two chapters: Carol prepares to head off for rifle training.

Better than Chocolate

Your love
is better than chocolate
Better than anything else that I've tried
and oh love is better than chocolate.
Everyone here knows how to cry

and it's a long way down
it's a long way down
it's a long way
Down to the place where we started from.
-"Better than Ice Cream," Writers: Tim Watson, Tim Wildman; Sung by Sarah McLaughlin

"And what are you looking for today, Carol? I'll warn you right now, for some reason I'm running a little low on chocolate-" Olivia asked with a friendly, slightly apologetic smile, unlocking the door to the house that acted as both pantry and armory for the Zone.

"Not this time—I need to sign out a rifle and some ammo—going out for target practice this morning." Carol said with an over bright cheery smile.

"You know, they used to say chocolate gave you the same feelings as being in love—or having good sex—can't remember which—but someone must believe that the way it's been going missing around here!" Olivia said thoughtfully.

Carol gave her a droll stare, wondering if she was being accused of something.

"Of course all yours goes into those wonderful cookies!" she chuckled, as if the idea that gray haired Carol would have even thought about sex or love was amusing.

"That's me—the cookie lady working all alone in my sparkling clean kitchen." Carol plastered on her best complacent smile.

"So you're up and at it early!" Olivia nodded, pausing to put her hand on her hip and look Carol up and down. "And dressed for heading outside too."

Carol had on a print floral blouse and the light denim jacket that had been Noah's, over a pair of khakis tucked in her boots.

"Don't want to muss my nice new things—you know how it is—men run you through brambles and dirt thinking they're toughening you up." Carol laughed airily, briefly putting her hand conspiratorially on the other woman's arm.

"Do you want to wait for him to pick out a gun then?" Olivia asked, holding back her grin, as she led Carol through to the armory. "Your instructor?"

"No—I already have my orders—Remington 700SPS with a scope and 7mm-08 cartridges please." Carol said with casual confidence.

Olivia stopped, turned around and blinked owlishly at her.

"Did I say it wrong?" Carol blanched. "I memorized what he told me—wrote it down and everything..." She pulled what looked like a hand written recipe card out of her jacket pocket.

Olivia looked relieved. A Carol with weapons expertise was an anomaly for which she was not prepared.

"That was a good idea!" she congratulated Carol and pulled the inventory list off of the wall, matching the number each rifle was tagged with to the description Carol had given her and then pulling it off the gun rack.

"Did he say what one he wanted?" Olivia asked, handing over the weapon.

"Gee—I didn't even think to ask—I guess I was just focused on getting my own." Carol said apologetically, frowning.

"Well—Tobin usually takes out the Winchester 70—"

"Olivia? You back there, hon?" Sarah, one of the women who had befriended happy homemaker Carol called from the front of the storeroom, interrupting Olivia.

"Be there in a sec!" Olivia hollered back.

"He said I should get that 9 mm with the silencer I had out before as well—for a backup." Carol added.

"Okay—you can get that yourself, right? They're in that footlocker." Olivia told her, indicating the very one from which she had taken the three handguns last week. "Silencers are in that bin." And then she bustled away to tend to her new customer, leaving Carol alone with the guns...

Carol shook her head and sighed, thinking of all the trouble they—she—had gone through to get this same access the night of the welcome party. How she'd inadvertently started them all down a path with Pete and Jessie by making a connection with Sam.

She grabbed up the handgun, silencer and a box of ammo that would work in it as well as in the previously pilfered gun, and headed up front. She could hear the other women chatting and slowed her steps to listen.

"Going out there like they do for days at a time? If I had a man I'd be worried about more than biters latching onto him..." Sarah was saying with a smirk, her voice low and fast.

Carol stopped before she could easily be seen by the women, aware of the caveat about not expecting to hear anything good about one's self when eavesdropping.

"But they're practically married, right? I mean that's why they originally got tapped as recruiters, so they could spend all their time together." Olivia asked.

"That's exactly what I mean! Would you like it if your spouse was out there with sexy motorcycle leather crossbow guy because you broke your ankle?" Sarah returned with a huff.

"Damn. You really think he swings that way? There go all my fantasies about gettin' me some redneck love—I mean the arms alone make me swoon..." Olivia tittered, holding her hand to her chest.

"Arms, shoulders—a butt you could bounce quarters of? Hell yes." Sarah sighed and both women giggled like teenagers.

Carol had heard about enough.

"I could use some day rations too I guess." She said brightly, coming down the hall. "Not sure if we'll be back by lunch time."

"Oh hey, Carol!" Sarah said and then looked a little surprised by Carol's attire and weapons array.

"Hi Sarah." Carol said in a friendly (but not overly so) way and then continued her request to Olivia for more supplies. "Some granola bars, bottled water, applesauce maybe?"

"Carol's getting in some rifle training." Olivia explained, moving to fulfill Carol's request, grabbing things off of shelves and tucking them in a cloth bag for her.

"Better safe than sorry." Carol smiled and shrugged.

Sarah nodded, frowning a bit, but agreeing.

"You came in with him, right? Dixon, the new recruiter?" Sarah asked glancing over at Olivia with a conspiratorial twinkle in her eye.

Olivia paused, suddenly more interested in Carol's reply than her work.

Carol pulled the rifle strap over her head carefully, settling it on her back, wincing and pushing it back when it clanked against the leg holster into which she had put the 9 mm.

"And then maybe some of that chocolate?" Carol asked, hinting that the information they sought could be had for a price...

Olivia grinned and quickly moved to get her one of the small pre-portioned allotted sections of chocolate bar.

"So?" Sarah asked, sidling closer to Carol. "What his story? Daryl? Inquiring minds want to know."

Carol smiled to herself. Without the supermarket rags and trash TV, they had only local goings on to gossip about, especially hook-ups. That was one thing that people never seemed to tire of ferreting out.

Olivia stuck the chocolate in Carol's bag and pulled the draw string tight before handing it over.

"Good fighter...brave...saved us all more times than I can count, kept us fed with his hunting," Carol told them, taking the bag and giving them a sad little smile, adding quietly, "Found formula for the baby when her mother, Rick's wife Lori, passed."

Sarah and Olivia looked at each other and then back to Carol, their expression a bit ashamed and full of sympathy.

"I'm sorry, Carol—you people have really been through the wringer and we're talking like it's an episode of The Bachelor..." Sarah apologized.

"Redneck edition..." Carol said archly, a wicked little grin dimpling her cheek, letting them off the hook a bit.

Sarah and Olivia chuckled in relief, glad to know that they hadn't completely offended their new friend.

The sound of Daryl's motorcycle reverberated down the street outside.

"Speak of the devil." Sarah said, peeking out the window to see which way he was going.

"I didn't think they were heading out again so, what with all the business with..." Olivia's voice trailed off, looking over at Carol meaningfully. Rick and Pete's brawl had been a big event around here.

The roar of the bike abruptly cut off.

"I—I think he's coming in here." Sarah said, backing away from the window to look expectantly and a little breathlessly at the door.

Daryl pushed it open without knocking, striding into the room, tawny shoulders and muscular arms shown off by his sleeveless blue denim shirt under his leather vest. His relatively well-fitting brown pants were tied off around the ankles, and his shit kickers still looked like they deserved the name, but his hair actually looked clean and maybe even deliberately spit trained off his face, his eyes sparking vivid blue under glowering brows.

"Ladies," he greeted them gruffly; you could tell he was on his best behavior, but uncomfortable.

"Mr. Dixon—what can I help you with today?" Olivia asked, sounding a bit breathless but striving for efficient.

"Headin' out for the day—need my guns." Daryl growled, and his tone said he hadn't heard such a stupid question yet today.

Carol cleared her throat.

"If it ain't too much trouble, please?" Daryl amended, refusing to look at Carol.

"No trouble—you can come right back here with me." Olivia smiled up at him with fan girl-like adoration and sashayed her way down the hall to the armory, making Daryl's right eye twitch in a wince.

Daryl chanced a quick glare at Carol, who bit the inside of her cheek to keep a straight face when he walked by, following Olivia.

"I do believe being around Aaron and Eric so much has been good for him." Sarah whispered to Carol. "He's looking a lot less feral these days."

"When we first saw Aaron he was so clean he didn't seem real—it was like he stepped out of a J. Crew ad..." Carol mused, "I guess worse things could rub off on him."

" Must make him a bit easier to live with—I hear he smelled so ridiculously bad you made him sleep out on the porch till he took a shower." Sarah teased.

There had been quite some curiosity about the groups' accommodations. After they had finally all stopped staying in the same house they had only taken over two more, all next to each other. Rick and his children lived with Carol, Michonne, Sasha and Daryl in one of them, but no one was quite sure of the sleeping arrangements.

"Something like that," Carol replied with a trace of a smile, remembering his jibe to her that day on the porch.

"Well, he cleans up nicely. More than one woman here's wondered what's up with him. At first we thought maybe he and Sasha had a thing, but then when he started spending all his time at the boys..." Sarah fished.

"You got everythin' you need?" Daryl said, coming back into the front entry and stopping next to Carol, who nodded yes.

"Liv even popped for some chocolate." Carol held up her bag of supplies and wiggled it back and forth.

Daryl actually grinned.

"Only think of a few things better than chocolate," Daryl said in what could only be described as gravel laced purr. He gave a deferential nod to Olivia. "Thanks."

Both Olivia and Sarah looked confused.

"Yes, thank you, Olivia. Be back before sundown." Carol said, "Have a great day." She smiled at Sarah to include her and headed out the door, followed by Daryl, who pulled the door shut behind him.

The two other women pressed their faces against the window overlooking the street. They watched as Daryl came up beside Carol and placed his hand on her lower back to guide her towards the bike parked in the street, taking the cloth bag from her and placing it in the saddlebags. He pulled off his vest and handed it to her so he could put on a leather sleeved jacket, then donned the vest over it. Carol buttoned up her light coat and then he dug back in the saddle bags and handed her a leather jacket. She looked surprised and gave him such a look of pleased adoration it made Sarah give a little gasp. Carol stood up on her tiptoes and placed a little kiss on Daryl's cheek.

"Awww..." Olivia sighed softly.

Then Daryl wrapped his arms around Carol and lifted her off her feet so he could kiss her thoroughly, in full view of God and the entire ASZ.

"Well, that's match that could only be made in the Apocalypse..." Sarah huffed.

"Here." Olivia nudged her with an elbow.

Sarah heard the distinct snap of a lonely chocolate bar being sectioned for sharing.

AN: I tried to subtly work in the lyrics to the McReedus composed "Caryl" song in honor of their scheduled appearance on Jimmy Kimmel this week;-)

Carol is sterile
and Daryl is feral
A match
made
in hell...

Thanks for reading!