A Secret

Chapter 8

A/N: Let me tell you something, you'll like this chapter. And hate it. It's a love/hate relationship. Enjoy!
McBrideReedusLover.~

"So let me get this straight, you can go to the bar, but I can't? How fair is that?" Carol crossed her arms as she looked at Daryl. They had just got back from talking with Lori and Rick. Sophia was taking a shower, so it was just her and Daryl.

"Told ya before, I ain't lettin' ya go to the bar." Daryl shook his head.

"Oh come on, I won't go overboard this time. Only one drink, I promise." Carol definately wouldn't be drinking a whole lot, not after last time. She only needed one, that would do.

"I'm just gonna go and get a beer, not stay there. I'll get ya one, but thats it. 'Sides, ain't we goin swimmin' in like, half an hour?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, it is 11:30 after all." Carol smiled. "Better hurry back or Sophia will start to speak her mind again." She chuckled. Daryl gave her a small smile, and then walked out the door. Carol got up and searched through her bag just as Sophia walked out of the bathroom.

"What are you doing mom? Where is Daryl?" Sophia asked, sitting on the bed. She still loved how soft the bed was.

"I'm looking for my bathing suit." Carol replied. Finally, she found it. "And Daryl just went down to the bar to get us a drink." She held up the bathing suit. She had never worn anything like this, and she was taking a big step. Lori helped her pick it out, of course. It was a red bikini. A little lower cut than she had previously worn. She tried it on in the store before she bought it, and she thought she looked pretty good. Lori told her she looked amazing. "I'm going to go put this on, alright?"

"Okay. Just make sure you put something over that. You don't need to parade around in that." Sophia chuckled. Carol just shook her head and walked into the bathroom to change. Sophia leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. When she was bored, she tried to make pictures out of the shapes on the ceiling.

"I'm back." Daryl walked into the room holding two beers. "Where's Carol?" He asked, setting the bottles on the small table.

"She's changing." Sophia said, not moving from her spot.

"Oh, you're back." Carol walked out of the bathroom. She had a robe on, seeing as Sophia told her to have something over it. "You know these robes are really soft." Carol said, walking over to Daryl. "Thank you." She reached past him and grabbed the bottle. Daryl just nodded, and took a long swig from his bottle.

"Can we go swimming now?" Sophia asked, sitting up to look at them.

"I guess if you want to." Carol nodded, putting her beer in the mini fridge. "You going to finish that, or do you want me to put it in the fridge?" Carol asked, looking at Daryl.

"Put it in the fridge." Daryl handed her the bottle. Carol put it further back, so she'd know which was which. "Just gotta go get into my swim trunks." Daryl grabbed his bag and headed into the washroom. It didn't take him long to change. "Alright, lets go."

Carol took one look at Daryl, and she instantly felt herself blush. She looked down at the ground. Lori was right, he did have a hot body. She quickly walked past him, not glancing up. She felt him grab her arm. "Jesus woman, watch where ya goin'. Almost crashed into the wall." She looked up, and was now even more embarressed.

"Oh..." She said, and walked after Sophia.

"Wow! It's empty!" Sophia grinned and ran into the water. "Ah it's cold!" She shrieked.

Daryl shook his head went into the water. "Ain't even cold what are you talkin' 'bout?" Daryl had no problem with the water. Sophia stuck her tongue out at him and swam away. "Ya comin' in?" Daryl called out to Carol, who was still standing there with her robe on.

"Oh, uhm, yeah." Carol was scared to take off her robe. What if she wasn't good looking after all and she just looked rediculous. Now was not the time to be self concious. It was time to be brave. She untired her robe and threw it onto the chair.

Daryl's heart stopped when he saw her. And he didn't like that. He didn't like having to feel these types of feelings. He had no idea about these feelings or how to deal with it. "Fuck." He muttered. It was a good thing the water was cool, because now was the time he'd need a cold shower. When Carol turned around to face him he had to look away. Why did he think going swimming with her was a good idea?

"Sorry I took so long." Carol chuckled, and walked up to him. "Ah! This water is cold!"

"What is wrong with you guys? Not even cold." He wished it was cold right about now.

"Mom! Daryl! You need to go down that water slide!" Sophia swam over to them. "Please please please! Please!" She begged her mother. "You have to go on it. I'll never ask anything again if you do!" Yeah right. That was something every kid said, but never stuck to.

"Fine." Carol rolled her eyes, and followed Sophia to the slide.

Carol relaxed in the hot tub. It was nice to relax after climbing all those stairs to the slide multiple times. Her and Daryl had a little competition about who could go down the slide the fastest. She won. He would't admit it, but she won. She heard splashing in the pool, and she looked over. Daryl and Sophia were having a splash fight. She couldn't help but laugh. She watched them until Sophia gave up. Obviously Daryl won that time. Atleast he could beat someone. She chuckled to herself. The fact that she could so easily beat him was amusing. It was even better how annoyed he got. She was starting to get a little hot, so she got out of the hot tub and towards the pool. She wouldn't dare go in the pool right away, or she'd freeze to death. She sat on the pool deck and dipped her feet into the water. It was very cold. It took a while to get used to the water. She looked around, and saw Sophia going up the stairs of the slide again. How that kid had so much energy, she'd never knew. Atleast she'd sleep after all this. Carol looked around to see where Daryl was. She didn't see him anywhere. Did he got back to the room? Suddenly she felt a hand wrap around her foot, and the next thing she knew, she was in the water. It was freezing. She screamed and gasped her air. Meanwhile, Daryl was laughing his ass off. She glared at him and splashed him. He raised a brow. Challenge accepted. He splashed her back, and soon they were having a splash war much like he and Sophia were having before, only Carol was really good at it. No way he'd let her win this fight. He braved the large amount of water being splashed in his face, and he grabbed her. She immediately froze. It didn't take him long to realize his hands were on her waist, and her hands rested on his shoulders. They both just stood there in the water, no one moving a muscle. She was staring right into his eyes, and he wished he could look away from hers, but he got lost in her clear blue eyes. Neither one of them looked away. Daryl noticed that her face was very close to his. 'Not close enough.' He thought to himself. He shouldn't have had a thought like that, it wasn't right. She was married, she was off limits. Meanwhile, Carol was having a battle of her own. They were only friends, and that's how they should stay. But as she looked in his eyes, she could have sworn she saw a flash of want. Like he actually wanted her. She was probably seeing things. Things that she wanted. She noticed her face was close to his. Maybe she should close the small gap. Lord knew she wanted to. It was now or never. She'd never have the courage again, so she might as well use it while she had it. Slowly, she inched her face closer to his. She was scared, no denying that. How would he react? There was no time to think about it now. She took a deep breath, and finally closed the gap. Just as their lips touched...

"Mom! Mom!" Sophia shouted. Her and Daryl jumped apart. "Mom! I'm tired of swimming, can we go back to the room?" Carol just nodded, all words escaping her mind. She didn't look back at him, and basically ran out of the pool. She threw on her robe and tied it. "Come on Daryl!" Sophia shouted to him. He just walked out of the water towards them. Sophia ran out the door towards the elevator. Carol followed close behind. They waited for the elevator doors to open. When they did, Sophia ran inside. Carol and Daryl both walked in. Sophia pressed the button, and the elevator started moving. The air was filled with a very awkward silence. That had gone terribly wrong. Neither one of them looked at each other. They were both staring down at the floor. Carol wished Sophia had waited just a little longer before yelling at them, because she could have sworn she felt his grip around her waist tighten when her lips touched his. The doors opened, and Sophia ran to their room. Carol had the key. She pulled it out of her pocket and opened the door. Sophia ran into the bathroom to change. Carol instantly went to the mini fridge and grabbed her beer. She really needed a drink. She couldn't stand to be near Daryl right now. She made a total fool of herself back there. She was so embarressed right now. So she walked out onto the balcony. It was a cool night, but the robe kept her warm enough. She leaned against the railing, and looked up at the starry sky. She wished she could focus on something else, but Daryl just wouldn't leave her mind. She shouldn't have done that, it was stupid. She probably just screwed their entire friendship over. She sighed, and took a very large drink from the bottle. She needed more of these to forget the events that happened. "Mom? Why are you out here?" Sophia voice broke into her thoughts. She turned around, and tried her best to smile.

"Just waiting for you to finish changing." She said, finishing off the beer. She might just have to go down to the bar once Sophia fell asleep.

"Oh, well why didn't you wait inside?" Sophia tilted her head. Something was up with her mother. She wondered if it had something to do with Daryl, because in the elevator, the silence was deadly.

"I wanted to come out and enjoy the cool night air." She made a quick excuse.

"Oh. The bathroom is free now by the way. Now I'm going to watch some tv." Sophia ran back into the room. Carol just nodded and walked back into the room. She grabbed her pajamas and walked into the bathroom. She figured she should have a shower first. Maybe that would wash away her memory. Yeah right.

Carol walked out of the bathroom to see Sophia sprawled out on Daryl's bed, sound asleep. She must've fallen asleep watching television. She didn't see Daryl in the room. She looked out on the balcony, and saw him standing there. She wondered whether she should go out there, or stay in here. Maybe she should tell Daryl that Sophia was sound asleep in his bed. She sure took up the entire space on that bed. And she didn't want to wake Sophia up by moving her. Maybe she would go tell him he could take her bed and she'd sleep on the floor. She nodded to herself, and opened the sliding door. Daryl looked back, and then looked away again. She walked up to him and stood beside him. "Sophia passed out on your bed." She said quietly.

"Yeah, I noticed." He said. He wouldn't look at her. He couldn't look at her after what happened. Even if Sophia hadn't interrupted them, he had no idea what to do. He'd never kissed anyone before, ever. And the fact that she was married made it so much worse, especially because deep down, he knew he wanted it. Wanted her.

"You can take my bed." Carol looked at him. He still wasn't looking at her. She understood why, she screwed up royally. "I'll just sleep on the floor."

"Well that ain't fuckin' fair. Ya know, ya don't gotta play the damn guilt trick. Just take the damn bed." Daryl growled. "Wouldn't be the first time I slept on the damn floor." He looked at her this time, in time to see her flinch at his harsh words. Normally, no one would flinch at just words, unless they were abused, like him. It didn't take long for everything to click in. The conversation earlier about her husband, her wondering what the point of marriage was, her flinch just now. That son of a bitch beat on her.

"I'm sorry..." Carol whispered, and walked back into the room. Fuck. 'Wait a go dumbass' he thought to himself. He kicked the wall before following her.

"Look, just take the bed, okay? It ain't a big deal." He said, calmly this time.

"It isn't fair to you." She said quietly, taking the pillow off the bed.

He walked over to her, took the pillow from her, and put it back on the bed. "I don't want the bed. Not fair to you, havin' to sleep on the floor."

"Well it isn't fair to you either." She still wasn't looking at him. What he was about to do could be taken so many ways, and it could just make the entire situation awkward, but he wanted to make up for scaring her earlier.

"The bed is big enough for the both of us ain't it?" It just sounded like he was asking for it. God he hated emotions and feelings and that crap. "Can always share it, I guess." He waited for Carol to respond, but she didn't say anything. She just nodded, and got into bed. She was probably so pissed off at him right now. Fucking hell. He walked over to the light switch and turned it off before getting into bed. This felt so awkward, sharing a bed with a woman. Her back was turned to him. He just stared up at the ceiling, trying to sort through his thoughts. It was completely silent in the room, except for the sound of sniffles. Shit, did he make her cry? Damn it. He was just so fucking good at this. "Carol?" He whispered, looking over at her. "Ya alright?"

"Fine." Carol whispered. She felt stupid for crying. She wasn't even sure why she was crying. It wasn't because of him though. If anything, it was Ed. She could hear his voice in her head, calling her every name in the book. She was worthless. She was stupid. She was useless. She was unattractive. She was a waste of space. She was nothing.

"Ya don't sound fine..." Daryl propped himself on his elbow, and tried to get a good look at her. It was kind of hard with her back turned to him.

"I'm fine... I was just thinking about someone... Nothing important." She hadn't told him that Ed beat her, so he wouldn't know thats what she was thinking.

He knew, she was either thinking about him, or her husband. He figured out that was probably the case, that he was abusive to her. The way she reacted to his yelling, it was similar to the way he reacted to others yelling. He was abused too, he knew the signs. "Ya wanna talk 'bout it?" He was never good at talking about his feelings, but if she wanted to, he'd atleast listen to her. He wouldn't know what to say probably, but she deserved to get it off her chest. "Is it 'bout me? Didn't mean to yell at ya..." He should atleast apolagize to her. Cause he didn't mean to yell at her like he did, it just sort of came out that way.

Carol finally turned to look at him. "No, it's not you. Just don't worry about it." She gave him a sad smile. "I'll be fine."

"I know a lie when I see one." He said. "I also know abuse when I see it." He didn't mean to say that. Shit. He was thinking that, and it just came out.

Carol was shocked. How did he figure out she was abused? She never showed any signs of it. Then it hit her, when he yelled at her, she flinched. She didn't know he saw that. "It doesn't matter." She said, looking away.

"Who is it?" He knew who it was. He just wanted to make sure he was right. "Who is the son of a bitch?"

Should she tell him the truth? If he figured out this much, he probably knew. "My husband..." She whispered, the tears coming back.

"Why don't you leave his sorry ass then?" Daryl asked. "He ain't good for ya, just leave."

"Everyone tells me that. It's not that easy. If I could, I would, but I don't have the strength to." She sighed. "Can we just drop the subject?"

"Why don't ya report him to the cops then? They'll throw his ass in jail. I bet Rick and Lori know about it. Just report him." Daryl growled. No one who beat women should be alive, that was his thought.

"It's not that easy. Nothing in an abusive relationship is easy." She wiped away her tears. "Now please, can we just stop talking about it. He's in jail for now, maybe I can find the strength later. Right now I just don't want to talk about it." She never liked talking about it. It made her feel weak. Not being able to leave him. She tried once before, when the abuse had started. It didn't go well at all.

"Where the fuck do you think your going?" Ed stood infront of her.

"I'm leaving." She glared up at him, a suitcase in her hand. "You don't need me, you've made that pretty clear."

"You think you can just fucking leave? I won't allow that. Now you go put that fucking bag upstairs, cause you aren't going no where." He glared right back at her.

"Fuck you Ed." She never ever used language like that, but he just made her so mad. She pushed past him and headed towards the door. She felt his hand grab her wrist and pull her back. He pinned her against the wall.

"I told you bitch, you aren't going anywhere." His fist connected with her jaw. She fell to the floor. "Now take that fucking bag upstairs right now or you're going to be sorry." He kicked her hard in the stomach. "Do what I say!" He shouted, kicking her again. She struggled to get up. "Get up bitch!" He smacked her. Finally, she just crawled over to the bag. She picked it up and had to use the wall to get up. "Now get your ass upstairs." She didn't fight him this time. She'd never fight him again. She made her way upstairs. All she could taste was the blood. She looked in the mirror. Her lip was cut, and the side of her face was very red. Never again would she fight him.

"Carol." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She had completely zoned out, and ignored him everytime he said her name. She had started crying again, and he didn't know why. This made him so uncomfortable. Maybe she was reliving a memory, and not a good one. He had done that a few times too, but instead of crying, he just got pissed.

Carol finally came back to the present, and looked up at him. He had a look of concern on his face, but he also looked very uncomfortable. "Sorry..." She whispered.

"It's fine. Just go to sleep. Nevermind talkin' 'bout it. Ya don't gotta if ya don't wanna." He took his hand off her shoulder.

"Thanks." She smiled sadly at him. "For trying to help me."

He nodded to her, and then bit his lip. He didn't know how to comfort her, even if he wanted to. So he just laid back, and tried his best to fall asleep. Carol had stopped crying, and he was thankful for that. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. He sighed, and rolled over onto his side. He closed his eyes, and finally, fell asleep.

A/N: Eventful chapter hey? I tried to keep it in character but... Some of it might be a little out of character, I'm sorry for that. Anyway, R&R lovelies!
McBrideReedusLover.~